• by John Gaffney , June 23, 2003

Good Cause: Seems like a lot of what you hear about corporations these days is negative. They lay people off rather than invest in people. They value stock price above product and customer value. In many cases (ImClone, MCI, Enron) their integrity is about as solid as East Coast weather. So it was a good change last week to talk to a guy named David Hessekiel. He has a new trade group called the Cause Marketing Forum. Last week the group held its first ever Halo Awards and conference, which was a tip of the hat to Ford Motor and General Mills among other marketers. But what surprised Hessekiel among other things was the attitude the 235 attendees brought to the event. He said there was a tangible sense that "cause marketing" has become much more than a charity effort. It has become a solid way to communicate brand values. It is now a good way to reach out to the consumer community as well as sign in for the almost mandatory non-profit effort most brands take on. Hessekiel expects cause marketing spending to top $1 billion by the end of next year. If brands keep "doing the right thing" that number will pay off better than any stock offering.

Dissing Harry: Why does a subsection of the media downplay the importance of Harry Potter? Example: I heard a report on the usually impeachable NPR's Marketplace that hypothesized that the Potter phenomenon is over. Why bother? This is a franchise that is showing kids that there's magic in the printed word. My at-home focus group (8-year old daughter) doesn't care for Harry Potter. But she's a reader. She reads a lot of books. She reads Time For Kids. And Sunday she asked me to see the Arts and Leisure section of The New York Times. There's a potential wider progression here that this business should take note of.

At The Buzzer: iVillage is bringing its dating service to TV with a new proposed show called "iDate." iVillage is doing a lot of things right here. It contracted with the William Morris Agency to get it done, and it has hit on a compelling reality concept. It is also a compelling brand extension, and that could be the most interesting thing about this deal. Can other Internet properties extend to TV?