The key to good cause marketing: 5 R's

Although I've branched out from my heritage of advertising into the broader world of marketing and communications strategy, I still have a soft spot in my heart for good advertising. I came across this great campaign the other day done by DAE and a consortium of organizations in San Francisco with the mission to fight Hep B.

I think that these are really interesting pieces because 1) they're targeted towards asian americans, a community known for generally being conservative and 2) they're for a cause related campaign, which as I always lament, tend to be ultra conservative and frankly tends to suck. Of course there are some changes I'd like to make (copy is too small, a little color in the headline would be nice, etc) but overall I think it's a strong campaign that draws attention to a serious issue.

Right now the zeitgeist is all about going from push marketing to pull marketing. Everyone and their mother believes that the Internet has destroyed the ability for marketers to grab peoples attention, but clearly there is. Ads and messaging like this commands attention and this technique shouldn't be tossed out like a baby with the bath water. At the end of the day, even though media may change the basics still remain the same:

Cerrone's 5 R's

1) Relevance: Why would your audience care about you or your message? Make sure your message is something that you audience cares about

2) Resonance: How would your audience know that you're talking to them? Make sure your message is in the right language/media/tone.

3) Retention: How will your message stick with the audience until the moment that they can do the thing that you want them to do (i.e. sign the petition, go to the doctors office)? Make sure your message can be kept in the viewers mind long enough to reach a point where some can be done (i.e. long enough for them to make it to the store or the medical center - think about a memorable catchline or slogan or jingle)

4) Reaction at the moment of truth: What will the viewer do at the moment of truth? Will they walk out of the doctors office or will they stay and get tested? Make sure the thing that they are supposed to do at the moment of truth is easy and pleasant (none of this will work if they medical center sucks or is hard to navigate)

5) Result: What will they do after the moment of truth? Will they tell their friends about how great the experience was? Make sure you've planned for what they can do after (turn a user into an evangelist)

It doesn't change and it's not rocket science. It's just using common sense and communication techniques to make the world slightly better place than we found it.