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David Hessekiel

Member since October 2005Contact David

David Hessekiel is president of the Cause Marketing Forum, the leading information source for business and nonprofit professional building programs that do well by doing good. www.causemarketingforum.com

Articles by David All articles by David

  • People Do The Darndest Things - Especially For Good Causes in Marketing: Causes on 03/10/2014

    A little over a year ago, I found myself at a working lunch in a neighborhood Mexican restaurant, trying to figure out how to raise money for the Open Door Family Medical Center, a local nonprofit we all supported.

  • Doing Good, The TELUS Way in Marketing: Causes on 01/13/2014

    TELUS, the second largest telecom company in Canada, attributes its solid brand differentiation and customer loyalty in large part to strategic cause- marketing initiatives.

  • Choose Your Words Carefully in Marketing: Causes on 12/09/2013

    "It's complicated" is not only the name of one of my favorite romantic comedies, but it's the conundrum facing everyone trying to integrate messaging about their efforts to do good into their marketing.

  • Big Bold Initiatives Show The Vitality Of Cause In 2013 in Marketing: Causes on 11/12/2013

    In 1983, American Express kicked off the cause-marketing revolution by linking support for the renovation of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to card usage and sign-ups.

  • Supercharge Your Point-Of-Sale Program in Marketing: Causes on 09/09/2013

    Half of all donors have given money at a retail store's checkout counter, making it the most popular means of giving for all except those in the oldest generation. By harnessing the power of the consumer wallet, brands can extend their reach to benefit a charity, as well as their own bottom line.

  • EBay Integrates Cause And Commerce For Social And Business Benefit in Marketing: Causes on 08/12/2013

    With its 300 million active listings at any given second, odds are you've probably bought or sold something on eBay. But did you know that eBay Inc. is comprised of over 30 businesses (including PayPal which facilitated over $145 billion in payments last year) and employs over 30,000 people?

  • America's Checkout Charity Champions: The Power Of Other People's Money in Marketing: Causes on 06/12/2013

    Years ago, it was common for nonprofit executives I knew to gripe that instead of digging into their own coffers, corporate partners were creating programs that moved customers to make small contributions when checking out.

  • Campaigns That Refresh One's Enthusiasm in Marketing: Causes on 05/13/2013

    The other day I realized that I'd slept through the 12th anniversary of my professional "Eureka!" moment: the day I realized I could make a living by sharing information with businesses and nonprofits on strategies for doing well by doing good together.

  • Thon Fundraising 2013: Would You Like Some Mud With Your Run? in Marketing: Causes on 04/08/2013

    With the arrival of spring comes another season of thon fundraising. From Portland, Maine, to Portland, Ore., good-hearted folks are once again hitting the roads and hitting up their friends for contributions to support good causes.

  • Spring Training: Stop Making These 4 Rookie Mistakes in Marketing: Causes on 03/11/2013

    My favorite line from a baseball movie is uttered by Kevin Kostner in "Bull Durham." Crash Davis, a veteran catcher trying to school a talented, but undisciplined young pitcher, tells the rookie: "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." I'm the last person you'd want to go to for baseball coaching, but I do know a thing or two about corporate social initiatives. As complex as these programs can be, I think that it's crucial to step back at times and get back to basics.

Comments by David All comments by David

  • Making Purpose Work For Brands by Ken Beaulieu (MAD on 10/07/2020)

    Excellent job Ken delving into what it means to be a purpose-driven brand -- keep up the good work!

  • Amazon Sues Over Email Scams by Wendy Davis (Digital News Daily on 09/11/2019)

    OMG I hope they are successful!  I get this scammer garbage promising rewards from Amazon and other merchants all the time.    A few years ago I fell for such an email and the amount of junk email I received subsequently was not to be believed!

  • Cynicism Toward Charities Is On The Rise by Sarah Mahoney (Marketing Daily on 12/07/2012)

    To quote Jerry Maguire, "We live in a cynical, cynical world." To counter suspicion on the part of consumers, it has never been more important for companies engaged in cause marketing to communicate the impact of their programs and to enable consumers to feel that they are helping to make a difference.

  • Why Pepsi Canned The Refresh Project by Craig Bida (Marketing: Causes on 10/29/2012)

    Bravo Craig on this insightful update on the Pepsi Refresh Project! Numerous successful corporate and brand social initiatives make it clear that inserting purpose into the marketing mix CAN add tremendously to reputation, consumer engagement, employee morale and many other aspects of a businesses health. The Pepsi Refresh Project reminds us that a cause platform alone is not sufficient to guarantee success no matter how big the budget or how innovative the campaign.

  • Today's Brand-Building Tools: Purpose And A Commitment to Cause by Craig Bida (Marketing: Causes on 04/30/2012)

    Well done CB! A very articulate description of the battle for the hearts and minds of consumers.

  • Corporate Social Responsibility Comes In Threes by Paul Jones (Marketing: Causes on 04/02/2012)

    Excellent post Paul. You nailed the trinity concept and do a great job bringing in Fisman, Heal and Nair's research. Bravo!

  • Starwood Offers New Loyalty Benefits by Tanya Gazdik (Marketing Daily on 02/01/2012)

    I've long thought that SPG was the best hotel loyalty program on the market. I've enjoyed fabulous vacations, been able to obtain needed airline miles and received special treatment consistently thanks to my platinum status. Hope these changes just improve upon an already terrific program.

  • What Do Women (And Men) Want? by David Hessekiel (Marketing: Causes on 12/12/2011)

    Thank you Kat. I look forward to learning more about your agency and your work in this area!

  • The Age Of Meaning by Brad Stewart (Marketing: Green on 10/26/2011)

    Brad -- You do a beautiful job of describing on a human level the tremendous potential of appealing to the best in human nature. Thanks!

  • Singing The Blues For Pink by Vanessa Horwell (Marketing Daily on 10/25/2011)

    Clearly Vanessa Horwell is a thoughtful person, a PR professional and an excellent writer. I'm sorry that she dedicated so much of her talent to writing yet another "there's too much pink" column. As a leader of The Think Tank, an agency that advises nonprofits on building successful corporate partnerships, I wish she had used this space to provide one of two types of insight: 1) Advice to other nonprofits on how they can create more effective corporate relationships that will stand out against the pink background 2) Meaningful strategic advice to breast cancer charities on what she thinks they should do in place of working with companies on pink-tinged campaigns that raise significant amounts of money via for research, patient care and awareness. I'm the last to say that "anything goes" when it comes to cause marketing. I'm all for calling out companies and nonprofits that field inauthentic or deceptive campaigns related to any cause. But bashing pink breast cancer campaigns en masse is unfair and unwise. There are many terrific programs out there that follow the rules, raise huge amounts of money, awareness and other resources for worthwhile nonprofits and connect with consumers. As marketing professionals, lets channel our efforts into continuing to diversify and expand the range of companies and causes working together to do well by doing good.

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