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A Cause for No Marketing

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Tues, 11/17/2015

I was standing on Market Street in San Francisco on Friday night and looking at an angle down a cross street, noticed the city hall was lit up in red, white and blue. No names, no flashing signs, no speakers blaring messages, just red, white and blue lights. America and its cities were standing tall against the tragic events which had occurred in Paris just nine hours earlier. This was a cause for no marketing.

Sometimes laying low speaks louder than the best commercial, no matter where you spend your time gathering information. One relatively small group of people on this planet is trying to frighten the rest of the world with intimidation. Also, trying to gather a force, with messages that their way is the right way. One would have to believe that if their way was the right way, it would have caught on a long time ago.

That being said, when you are promoting your business by supporting a cause, you need to make sure that the cause is solid and the image that will be cast on your company will be the right one. Supporting a message that is not favored by many, will lead to a negative branding experience, which in some cases, can be irreparable.

We need to stand tall with the French. They are strong people. Always have been and always will be. The attacks last week unfortunately will probably not be the last we see in our lifetime. If we all stand with each other, through thick and thin, the relatively small group of people trying to persuade others in to their morbid way of thinking will not be allowed to develop further.

What are your challenges when it comes to determining if a cause is meant for marketing or not? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time…