By Renee Zau, Co-founder, DonationMatchThe American Marketing Association's Cause Marketing Conference returns on March 20th. I'll be there bright and early to get a front seat for this year's keynote speaker, the "mother of cause marketing" herself, Carol Cone, whom PR Week called “arguably the most powerful and visible figure in the world of cause branding.”
Besides the speakers who always leave you with notebooks full of must-do's, another great feature of the conference is the Parker Pike Nonprofit Marketing Scholarship, awarded to a San Diego County college student. It's not too late to apply (deadline is Friday, February 22nd)!
If you're not fortunate enough to visit us in San Diego next month, here are some experts I follow year-round:
Joe Waters of Selfish Giving: After watching the cause-related Super Bowl ads he posted on his blog, you really should check out his Pinterest boards. They're one of the largest collections of cause marketing campaigns and ideas I've seen.
Susan Hyatt, author of Strategy for Good: Susan looks at working with nonprofits from the angle of Corporate Social Responsbility (CSR) and corporate philanthropy. Incidentally, she is putting on her own Strategy for Good Summit from February 25 - March 1, 2013 that is available as a phone or web cast. No travel necessary!
David Hessekiel of Cause Marketing Forum: The Knowledge Center of the Cause Marketing Forum website is THE place to start finding stats and develop a thorough basic knowledge of cause marketing. And his Annual CMF Conference, held in Chicago May 29-30, is on my bucket list (no joke!).
Which cause marketing thought leaders do you follow?