The power of marketing

Wow re red nose day, what a juggernaut of a marketing effort. You can’t move for Red Noses. It’s one hell of a campaign. They’ve used every available media space, from facebook to twitter, hooked up with a ton of prominent retailers, TK MAXX and Sainsbury’s to name but two, got every brit celeb from B to Z involved, got the schools motivated and that’s before the spectacle of the actual day itself. It’s a phenomenal effort in a time where giving apathy could have been (and probably is) at an all time low, which is why I am sure they have pulled out all the stops this year.

Why, I’ve been pondering, is the Red Nose Day brand so powerful? Why are people so willing to give of their time and money to this particular cause? It’s because it does absolutely everything right:

It is single minded
It’s got a brilliantly simple icon in the red nose
It’s got plenty of the right sort of celebrity endorsement
It works the media mix like a dream
It appeals to a massively diverse demographic by tapping in to a universal love of humour, a human trait that is as relevant for a 7 years old in Bognor as it is a 77 year old in Berwick.
It makes it ridiculously easy to give (want to round up your bill at Sainsbury’s to the nearest pound? Of course you do)
It gives something back (you have fun too).

In short it’s quite brilliant. I expect this year will surpass all others and I really hope it does.

PS Re my previous blog post maybe The Big Society needs to take a leaf out of the Red Nose school of marketing?