Future:Media:Change

Since the days of Edward Bernays, marketing has attempted to convince consumers of their hidden desire to buy products. Have fifty years of manipulation run their course? Many leading members of the cause marketing industry feel that consumers are beginning to demand corporations not only provide quality products but also become responsible members of the community. Can your nonprofit afford to not become part of a cause marketing campaign? I spoke with three leading practitioners of cause marketing to find out.

A survey of over 900 nonprofit leaders revealed a sizable inadequacy in their ability to connect with their audience and portray their primary messages.

“Are all nonprofits the same?” If nonprofits in general conduct similar work, why do some people feel more inclined to donate to one over another? It boils down to the experience that organizations can offer to their community, but what next?

If there is one thing I’m more geeky about than Google Wave, it’s Augmented Reality. With the first few applications being launched this year, Augmented Reality has picked up steam and will continue to become another outlet for both consumer and advertising applications. Is augmented reality something that non profits should get on board with? Is this our chance to finally jump ahead of the technology curve?

Green is in, which means companies are doing everything in their power to try and convince consumers they are on the environmental bandwagon as well. Alternet outlined 12 of the most hilarious examples of companies trying to Green Wash their products.

Josh Warner, founder of Feed Company, which promotes and distributes brand videos has selected the 10 best Viral Videos of 2009. None of the are videos produced by nonprofits. While this list is probably biased towards videos produced by agencies since that’s the business Josh Warner is in, there are still things to learn from the list.

With new social networks popping up faster than you can tweet them, the technological landscape can become intimating for any nonprofit with limited resources or time to invest. To help us map out what nonprofits can do to understand and benefit from social networking, Future:Media:Change spoke with Heather Holdridge, Vice President of Digital, Washington DC with Fenton Communications.