Promo - November 2008 - (Page 15)

Doing Well by Doing Good #7 Best Cause-Based Promotion AMERICAN EXPRESS MEMBERS PROJECT AGENCY: Digitas CLIENT: American Express IDEA TO STEAL: APPEAL TO USERS’ PASSIONS Even when promoting something closely tied to individual status—such as a credit card, banking service or anything else related to wallet issues—don’t overlook the diﬀerentiation value to be gained by appealing to users’ passions, altruism and sense of community contribution. Until about 10 years ago, membership had its privileges at American Express. It still does, of course, in real life. But the company phased out the “privileges” tagline in its ads a decade ago, and in recent years that has proven to be foresighted. Amex’s financial competitors have begun adding premium cards packed with enhanced benefits and features to their product lines. Products such as Visa Signature and MasterCard World Elite are aimed directly at the affluent, topshelf customers Amex used to reach with its “privilege” pitch. To avoid looking like just another card in the credit pack, American Express and agency of record Digitas went looking for a distinctive promotional idea, one that would not only set Amex apart but also speak to customers about community and inclusiveness rather than separation and elitism. Research suggested that active philanthropy—otherwise known as “doing good”—was a core value both for current Amex members and for the new affluent demographic the company was targeting. The answer, rolled out in May 2007, was the American Express Members Project, an online social collaboration that offered to let cardholders nominate and vote for their favorite social betterment ideas. The idea winning the most nods after several rounds of online voting would receive a donation of $1 from Amex for every campaign participant, with a $1 million floor and up to a $5 million ceiling. 186,500 registrations, “Children’s Safe Members could register, submit Drinking Water” and UNICEF, the their ideas and discuss the merits of organization chosen to activate the others’ proposals at the campaign project, were given a $2 million conWeb site, www.MembersProject.com, tribution from Amex. between May 15 and June 17. The The other four finalists each top-50 ideas were winnowed down earned recognition awards of by a panel of judges including celebri$100,000 for the non-profit groups ties like Ellen DeGeneres, Rosabeth associated with them. Moss Kanter and Wynton Marsalis. As for campaign results, Amex Members logged back in after July 3 to and Digitas estimate that the 2007 select their favorites from those quarMembers Project message reached ter-finalists. That popular vote cut the more than 1.5 million people. group down to 25 ideas, with a winMentions in more than 630 blogs, as ning idea announced on Aug. 7. The campaign was marketed through a range of old and new media, from TV spots to online social communities, viral marketing and search. Over 7,000 other projects were put forward by Amex members. In the end, registered visitors to the Web site named five global efforts The 2007 Members as the most worthy: Project from Amex well as 2,000 radio placements, global reforestation, solicited user 12 national and 46 local print U.S. national parks suggestions for charitable causes. stories, and 13 national and 30 restoration, a school local TV items made it the most improvement plan, recognizable Amex campaign in recent alternative residential energy and, the history, with greater than 50% recogeventual winner, safe drinking water nition among both current and profor children in the developing world. spective cardmembers. American Express went beyond Equally strong were the effects on the initial guarantee of $1 for every brand favorability. Amex’s “net proregistration to the project winner, moter score”—the chance a user would and also doubled the guaranteed recommend the company to a friend— $1 million minimum contribution. saw an 85% lift. —Brian Quinton While the Web site garnered a healthy november 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo 15 http://www.MembersProject.com http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

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Promo - November 2008 Contents Editor's Note Pro Awards The Promo 100 The Agency Center Resource Center Index of Advertisers Promoland

Promo - November 2008

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