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Cause Marketing; the Hidden Cause

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Tues, 7/21/2015

This weekend’s Open Championships from Scotland, has been delayed due to some of the heaviest winds this golf event has ever seen. That hasn’t stopped this year’s U.S. Open and Masters champion, Jordan Spieth. At one shot back and tied for third, Spieth, at 21, can become one of the few golfers in history of the game to win the first three grand slam golf tournaments of the year.

Today, in the second round, he golfed with Spanish veteran Sergio Garcia. It was at the conclusion of today’s play that the best compliment could be laid on a golfer, and was by Garcia, speaking about Spieth. When asked how good of a golfer Spieth was, Garcia said, ‘not only does he have a great passion for the game of golf, but he has an even bigger heart off the course.’

WOW! What Garcia was referring to is that Jordan is well grounded by his younger sister Elle, who was born with a neurological disorder. Spieth seems to handle well balancing life as a top professional golfer and with challenges at home in Dallas. This is the hidden cause that is just beckoning for marketing exposure. While Spieth is very quiet about his sister, this is a fantastic opportunity to support the fight against neurological disorders.

Often when considering a cause to support in marketing efforts, the obvious are skipped, sometimes being just a little too close to the heart. In this case, at least publicly, Spieth has chosen to not make his sister the center of attraction.

Is there a hidden cause in your life that may offer the perfect marketing opportunity? It may be that you aren’t as famous as Jordan Spieth, so working with the hidden cause and bringing it out into the open would be the best thing you could do.

P.S. Written seconds before posting: Jordan Spieth finished tied for third today. Open Champion, American Zach Johnson repeated what Sergio Garcia had said. "Jordan is a great golfer, and an even better person!"

What are your challenges when it comes to cause marketing? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time…