“Is it in you to give?”
On a recent trip to visit family in BC, I discovered a craft brewery brand that caught my eye: Yellow Dog Brewing Company. As their product name and design stood out from the hundreds of other can designs (yes, I select beer, wine and spirits based on design), I thought I’d bring some home: Squirrel Chaser Pale Ale and Play Dead IPA. However, what intrigued me most about this brand was its direct association to BCSPCA (British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). The BCSPCA logo is on their cans. That’s gutsy, but as a dog-loving connoisseur of craft beers, I was intrigued, motivated, and so I bought some to show my support. On my next trip, I will buy more as the beer didn’t disappoint (can’t wait to try their Retriever Golden Ale). Their branding is definitely working for them.
There are many ways you can personally donate or bring awareness to help a cause.
Take last month’s Movember Men’s Health Awareness month. It’s conducted annually, worldwide, to raise awareness for men’s mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. Mo-Bros and Mo-Sisters grow moustaches and host events to create buzz for the cause.
I have been an active participant for the past six years (sadly, it takes weeks for my moustache to surface) and I’ve dyed my hair in past pink (Breast Cancer) and blue (Prostate Cancer) as there’s no growing period.
One of the “consequences” of my actions is seeing the growth of my personal brand (ego). Not only in daily life, but in the business community as well. To this day I still get asked what “hair-raising” thing I’m going to do next for myself and for AdMaki (stay tuned). These acts reflect what I do for a living, and that is to create brand attention and be memorable. Could your business do the same?
As a business owner, have you ever considered tying your brand to a specific cause? I’m not talking about participating in annual one-off initiatives such as Orange Shirt Day, food, clothing, and bottle drives, etc, but to dedicate your business towards one cause (while still participating in those events of course).
Associating yourself with a cause is a way your business can profit from helping others. It’s a win-win partnership. It shows you’re a caring business that gives back and that helps to build strongcustomer loyalty. Yellow Dog Brewery and BCSPCA is great example of a symbiotic relationship that works.
“Blood. It’s in you to give.” This is perhaps my all-time favourite tagline (it’s not a slogan and I’ll save that discussion for another time), created in the late 90’s for Canadian Blood Services. It was rebranded in 2018 to “Together, we are Canada’s lifeline” to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The tagline speaks to us to give both with your heart and with your brain – hey sounds like a great match up for AdMaki. Coming soon every time a reader responds to one of my HCN articles maybe I’ll donate a pint! Or two, or three.
Season’s greetings to you and yours.
Cheers, mark.
