Sea Shepherd: Charities and Cause-Related Marketing - Case Study Example

CAUSE-RELATED MARKETING Charities and Cause-Related Marketing: Ocean Conservation, Sea shepherd Abstract Cause-related marketing has today become popular in charity and non-governmental organisation. Given that charity organisations requires funds and related resources to carry out their activities, many of them rely on cause-related marketing strategies that aim to appeal to the public and corporate world on the need to get involved in the activities of the organisations. Sea Shepherd is a charity organisation that was established in 1977. Since then, the organisation has evolved as one of the charity organisations that effectively use cause-related marketing strategies to win support and donations. Sea Shepherd develops messages and communication strategies that aim to facilitate and obtain social support for the need for conservation and preservation of endangered species of wildlife and marine. This report constitutes assessment of the cause-related marketing strategies and processes that Sea Shepherd uses in its marketing strategies. The general conclusion is that Sea Shepherd has developed effective marketing strategies that influence consumer behaviours, hence greater support for its activities. Table of Contents 1.0. Introduction 2 2.0. Background of the brand 2 2.1. Sea Shepherd 2 2.2. Brand concept map 3 2.3. Hierarchical value map 5 3.0. Emerging consumer trends 7 4.0. Consumer behaviour and charity 8 4.1. Attitudes 8 4.2. Personality and lifestyle 10 5.0. Effectiveness of the charity’s campaigns 11 6.0. Conclusion 12 Reference List 13 1.0. Introduction Cause-related marketing has become an idea that is largely used in the charities today (Basil and Herr 2003). Ocean conservation has become one area cause-related market is well exhibited in charities. Ocean conservation in this case is associated with Sea Shepherd, a charity organisation that has become popular in fighting to conserve and preserve marine and wildlife species at danger (Sea Shepherd 2012). Many of the activities of the organisation rely a lot on donations and contributions from ‘friends of sea shepherd’ who for many years have been inspired by the activities of the organisation, hence the increased desire to get involved. As a result, the aim of this report is to establish how the concept of cause-related market has successfully been applied in charity organisation like Sea Shepherd. Emphasis is placed to the key aspects of value, associations, personality, and lifestyle. Subsequent sections and paragraphs are used to investigate and discuss these aspects in length. 2.0. Background of the brand 2.1. Sea Shepherd Sea Shepherd is a non-profit organisation that was established in 1977. Since its establishment, Sea Shepherd has progressively become an international non-profit organisation dedicated to the course of conservation of marine and wildlife species (Sea Shepherd 2012). As a result, Sea Shepherd is well known for its aggressive initiatives aimed at conserving and protecting ecosystems and species. The organisation uses direct and innovative tactics to study, document and initiate actions in the seas, especially where it sees the lives of marine species are at risk from illegal fishing activities (Sea Shepherd 2012). The understanding that Sea Shepherd has for a long time expressed is that these species have to be protected at whatever cost in order to ensure the future generations have opportunity to access them. Sea Shepherd Campaigns on major sea species such as dolphins, Galapagos, seals, sharks, and whales, is what has made the organisation endeavour itself to many supports in terms of donations and support. 2.2. Brand concept map The above diagram represents a brand concept map for Sea Shepherd organisation. Understanding brand equity has been identified to be critical and important in marketing (Deborah, Loken, Kim, and Monga 2006). As a result, understanding brand equity involves identifying the network of strong, favourable, and unique brand associations in consumer memory (Deborah, Loken, Kim, and Monga 2006). For example, consumers or members associated with any organisation are likely to identify and associate with a brand given its key attribute or feature, usage situation, person associated with the product, or the logo of the product (Deborah, Loken, Kim, and Monga 2006). The association that takes place later becomes a brand image that identifies the brand’s uniqueness and value to consumers, hence define and express the ways the brand’s equity can achieve competitive position in the market place (Deborah, Loken, Kim, and Monga 2006). For Sea Shepherd, the brand equity has over time been associated with Captain Paul Watson. Watson is the founder of Sea Shepherd and his aggressive activities aimed at directly confronting the ‘enemies’ of marine and wildlife species have earned him accolades among many people in the world. Paul Watson has over time established and reinforced the brand equity of Sea Shepherd through aggressive marine and wildlife campaigns, sometimes daring to confront danger from diverse sources. Using media, advertisement, social marketing, and public relations, Sea Shepherd has successfully created a brand equity that revolves around campaigns aimed at conservation and preservation of endangered species. People associate Sea Shepherd campaigns with greater cause of realising conservation and protection of the endangered species. They are campaigns that aim to being about greater cause of good to wildlife and marine species, therefore, the human society. People, therefore regard such activities to be noble and necessary in society. As a result, consumer behaviour, in terms of donors and supporters of Sea Shepherd, association with brand equity is largely as a result of the strong feelings, passion, and conviction to the conservation and preservation efforts. Behaviour manifestation as whether to support, volunteer, or get involved is to large extent informed by the conviction and passion people manifest towards conservation effort. Furthermore, Sea Shepherd has been able to strengthen the consumer behaviour of its supporters through its media, advertisement and public relation activities. Therefore, association and consumer memory structures of supporters of Sea Shepherd can be said to be directly related to the campaign initiatives the organisation develops and runs. For example, campaigns like ‘Save Sharks’, ‘Save our Skipper’, and ‘Stand with Cove Guardian’, are campaigns aimed to elicit passionate behaviours among people, especially the supporters of the organisation into taking necessary steps of supporting the campaigns. Media campaigns, such as social marketing, online advertisement, and effective public relations have become critical in ensuring the elicitation of reaction and behaviour among the people is strong. 2.3. Hierarchical value map Values Cooperation Protection Conservation Diversity Volunteerism Consequences advocacy education awareness campaigns Attributes wildlife are secure marine species are safe conservation success stories Sea Shepherd has its cause-related marketing activities established around the core values of cooperation, protection, conservation, diversity, and volunteerism. The ability of the organisation to endeavor itself to its supporters and potential supporters originate from these core values that the organisation aims to promote its conservation activities. Cooperation is critical in the activities of Sea Shepherd and the organisation has demonstrated this by establishing, encouraging, advocating, and sustaining long-term cooperation and partnership relationships with key stakeholders in the process of conservation. In fact, activities of the organisation are likely successful due to partnership and cooperation relationships the organisation has established with diverse individuals, groups, and institutions. Apart from cooperation, supporters for the organisation, both at the individual, group, or institutional level have been attracted to the activities of the organisation due to the core values of protection and conservation, diversity, and volunteerism. Protection and conservation remain the primary goals of Sea Shepherd. As a result, supporters for the group tend to identify themselves with the group due to these core aspects. Furthermore, diversity characterise the members, workforce, supporters, and donors of Sea Shepherd, who translate to different parts of the world, constitutes an aspect that has increased acceptability and growth of brand equity for this organisation. Lastly, volunteerism has characterised the campaign activities of Sea Shepherd, which have progressively gained popularity as more people see the need to be part of the conservation effort in the world. Apart from the values, the consequences that have been realised with regard to perception of supporters of Sea Shepherd include advocacy, education, awareness, and campaigns. Supporter perception that can translate into consumer behaviour has largely been motivated by the consequences of Sea Shepherd activities. The campaigns that the organisation promotes largely comprise advocacy campaigns and lobbying, which takes place right from the local, to regional, to national, and to international level. The essence is to bring to attention the dangers marine and wildlife species face in order to alert key policymakers and opinion leaders into taking actions that are geared towards ensuring safety of the species. The advocacy activities are reinforced by education and awareness activities and objectives that Sea Shepherd strives to promote, facilitate, and achieve. Lastly, the consequences, as reflected in supporter perception have largely been influenced by campaign initiates to conserve the marine and wildlife species. For example, the design Sea Shepherd create and market the campaigns to save sharks, dolphins, and other species, normally ignite a desire among people to get involved in urgent actions to save the species. As a result, perception has largely developed based on the development, marketing and promotion of these campaigns. 3.0. Emerging consumer trends Peloza and Hassay (2007) ascertain that the ability of charity or non-governmental organisations to survive financially depend on the ability of the organisations to secure the funds and resources required from the public and institutional organisations and entities. This is to say, the work of charities in the society is totally lame and stagnated when or if the needed resources from the general public and corporate world does not come. As a result, the perception directed towards cause-related marketing, especially from the standpoint view of charity organisation is that these marketing activities remain essential and lifeline channels for the survival of these organisations. But, in order to receive the required resources, charities need to establish partnership and cooperation with the public and corporate institutions that become essential in donating the key resources (Basil and Herr 2003). A number of research studies have demonstrated that cause-related marketing has the ability and power to improve consumer attitudes towards an organisation or company (Basil and Herr 2003). At the same time, the perception of the motive a company or any given organisation has in establishing cause-related marketing (CRM) partnership or cooperation can influence the effect the partnership has on consumer attitudes, where consumers can respond negatively when they perceive corporate motives to be self-serving (Basil and Herr 2003). At the same time, studies show that personal support for the cause helps to improve and enhance consumer response to the CRM partnerships (Basil and Herr 2003). On the other hand, CRM has the potential to help an organisation stay in tune with the overall mood of the public, since it is more sensitive, trustworthy and important to the society. Furthermore, studies that have been conducted and cited by (Bronn and Vrioni 2001) show that consumers in certain situations are likely to ignore other aspects or characteristics, instead base their decision on cause-related marketing factors, when such consumers decides to switch brands (Bronn and Vrioni 2001). As a result, cause-related marketing is seen as mission marketing, and the desire largely revolves around redeeming, establishing, or enhancing the image or brand of an organisation. In this way, consumer perception and behaviour is largely likely to be positive towards organisations that strong and proper cause-marketing messages, strategies, and goals (Bronn and Vrioni 2001). 4.0. Consumer behaviour and charity 4.1. Attitudes Consumers have intentions, which predict their behaviour in any social situation or action. As a result, they are likely to be engaged in particular activities or action based largely on their intentions that are largely expressed and reflected in particular attitudes (O’Keefe 2002). This entire scenario can be explained by the theory of reasoned action (TRA). The theory postulates that individuals express attitudes that constitute beliefs about positive or negative value associated with any behavioural activity. The theory goes ahead to assert that consumers undertake a conscious evaluation of the consequences of alternative behaviours they are faced with, and subsequently, choose the one that will lead to the most favourable consequences (O’Keefe 2002). As a result, the theory develops four main components that describe consumer behaviour: behaviour, intention to behave, attitudes towards the behaviour, and subjective norm (O’Keefe 2002). Beside, subjective norm is the one that reflects the social pressures the individual may feel to perform or avoid performing the behaviour that is being contemplated about. Consumer behaviour in charity work can be explained within the TRA model, where subjective norm establishes that people undergo social pressure that forces them to perform certain behaviours. In this case, Sea Shepherd has benefited from charity work in form of donations, volunteerism, and any mother support largely due to reasons people establish regarding their actions. Charitable work is thus associated with hedonic factors: experience and emotions, rather than utilitarian factors (Walther 2003). Consumer behaviour in charity work is largely associated with people’s decision to extent favours to a particular course in society that someone has strong beliefs in (Walther 2003). At the same time, it is largely informed by motives for public recognition, reduction of feelings that may be associated with guilt for not helping or contributing, and feeling to have responsibility towards other people or course of action in society (Walther 2003). Besides, participation of some people in charity work constitutes a form of satisfaction that is achieved by helping other people ort activities of great benefit in the society. The ability of consumers to be attracted to Sea Shepherd activities can be said to be motivated by numerous factors that contribute to development and expression of consumer behaviours in form positive attitudes to the campaigns of the organisation. Some of these factors are exhibited in the way Sea Shepherd is able to develop its marketing strategies of the campaigns, the messages contained in the campaigns, the way technology and social media is used, and the type and quality nature of public relation that is created in the entire process. For example, this is one of the campaign messages the organisation has created that can be said to have great impact on the consumer behaviours: “The slaughter begins September 1! Stand with the Cove Guardians to put an end to the brutal killing of 20,000 dolphins, porpoises, and small whales that occurs each year in Japan” (Sea Shepherd 2012, p.1). Therefore, it can be stated that although the consumer behaviours are informed by individual attitudes, these attitudes are developed and shaped by the messages and design-type of campaign strategies the organisation establish and promote. 4.2. Personality and lifestyle The five-factor model (FFM) has evolved to become one of the best models that explains and describes human personality (Caprara and Cervone 2000). It outlines and discuss the behaviours individuals are likely to exhibit when they deal with other people, circumstances, or when they interact in the larger human environment. In the case of Sea Shepherd, FFM can be used to assess the personality of people marketing is likely to appeal to. Evaluation of its activities, it is clear that Sea Shepherd appeals to individuals who believe in the course for conservation and protection of wildlife and marine species. These are people who agree to the activities of the organisation regarding the conservation and preservation efforts. As a result, such people are likely to be the easy to accept the campaign messages of the organisation. Nevertheless, the campaign strategies do not just aim to address those ready to agree or accept the organisation messages or appeal for donations. The messages are at same time aimed at changing and influencing behaviours of those who may be opposed to the activities of the organisation. For example, communities benefiting from fishing, companies involved in fishing, and other groups may not see sense in activities of the organisation. Therefore, the organisation has a responsibility to address and influence behaviours of these consumers (Caprara and Cervone 2000). Besides, the campaign marketing strategies aims to address the public in a way that establish a consciousness that see the meaning to get involved in its activities. By running campaign with how marine fish species are being exploited and killed, Sea Shepherd aims to create conscious awareness among the people to its activities. 5.0. Effectiveness of the charity’s campaigns Effectiveness of Sea Shepherd campaigns can be linked to the larger objectives of cause-related marketing that include persuasion, greater involvement of donors, progress of the organisation’s activities, and the popular positive social response for the organisation (Adkins 2012). Sea Shepherd campaigns can be said to be effective given the huge number of donor responses that the organisation has been able to acquire over the time it has been in existence (Adkins 2012). At the same time, the level of involvement from diverse public continues to increase. Today, Sea Shepherd constitutes one of the few successful non-governmental organisations in the world that have managed to extent their activities across the world and in different countries. Sea Shepherd activities are associated with deep passion and love that many people around the world seeks to associate or identify with. This can be evidenced in the level of volunteerism activities people around the world seek to participate in Sea Shepherd (Sea Shepherd 2012). Moreover, the direct confrontation tactics the organisation has adopted in pursuing its course of action has brought the organisation in direct conflict with numerous authorities of different countries around the world. The conflicts have at times been an opportunity Sea Shepherds have utilised to advance their cause, especially when such conflicts involve governments or big corporations. Largely, Sea Shepherds campaigns have succeeded due to strong media and public relations tactics the organisation has used over time to endeavor to its supports and donors. The power of media and public relations has been manifested in precise advertisement and promotion activities, press releases, social media and marketing and related technology-based activities. Through this, Sea Shepherd has been able to establish and shape consumer perception and behaviour among diverse groups of people in society. In summary, effectiveness of campaign strategies used by Sea Shepherd can be evidenced in the nature in which the social public response has been received among different publics. 6.0. Conclusion The report has been able to establish that cause-related marketing strategies have enabled Sea Shepherds to develop and promote strong brand equity as a charity organisation. Cause-related marketing activities have largely been exhibited in the type and nature of campaigns the organisation has established and run. Through strong and persuasive messages, Sea Shepherd has been able to shape and influence consumer behaviours of publics who have subsequently become part and parcel to the activities of the organisation. The campaign strategies have incorporated the use of media, advertisement, promotion, social marketing, and public relations that have enabled the organisation to expand and realise success for its campaign. Therefore, this success can be reflected in the manner Sea Shepherds has been able to exert strong influence in its cause of activities. Reference List Adkins, S., 2012. Cause Related Marketing. London: Routledge. Basil, D. Z., and Herr, P. M., 2003. Dangerous Donations? The Effects of Cause-Related Marketing on Charity-Attitude. Journal of Non-profit & Public Sector Marketing, vol. 11, no. 1, p.59. Bronn, P. S., and Vrioni, A. B., 2001. Corporate Social Responsibility and Cause-related Marketing: An Overview. International Journal of Advertising, vol. 20, pp. 207-222. Caprara, G. V., and Cervone, D., 2000. Personality: Determinants, Dynamics, and Potentials. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Deborah, R. J., Loken, B., Kim, K., and Monga, A. B., 2006. Brand Concept Maps: A Methodology for Identifying Brands Association Networks. Journal of Marketing Research, vol. XLIII, pp. 549-563. O’Keefe, D. J., 2002. Persuasion: Theory and Research. London: SAGE. Peloza, J., and Hassay, D. N., 2007. A Typology of Charity Support Behaviours: Toward a Holistic View of Helping. Journal of Non-profit & Public Sector Marketing, vol. 17, no. 1-2, pp. 135-151. Sea Shepherd. 2012. The History of Sea Shepherd. Available from < http://www.seashepherd.org/who-we-are/our-history.html> [Accessed 17 October 2012]. Walther, J., 2003. Cause-related Marketing - Relevance and Application in British Cancer Charities. Berlin: GRIN Verlag. 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