Mobile Commerce, SEO & Social Media Blog

Mobile giving: a new kind of fund-raiser

(And thankfully, this time it doesn’t involve going door-to-door or bothering random strangers on the street.)

In between the Super Bowl commercials for Budweiser and GoDaddy.com—Oh! and the actual Super Bowl, too—you may have noticed the banner that said, text “Haiti” to “90999″ to donate $10 to the American Red Cross in support of Haitian earthquake relief.

I did, and I remember thinking, Hmm… that’s different.

Different. Yes. This campaign raised an impressive $32 million dollars for Haiti. That might seem normal for a national campaign over the course of a year, but this campaign lasted just 1 month. This bold “mobile giving” move goes to show us the value of m-commerce, and not just for retail stores or other corporations but for nonprofits, too.

“… I remember thinking, Hmm… that’s different.”

Read on to learn more about:

• Mobile giving benefits
• An m-commerce increase
• Making the mobile move

Mobile giving benefits

We Americans with our soft, gentle and giving hearts are known for our philanthropic tendencies. Mobile giving makes this even easier. So put down your checkbook, Salvation Army jingle bells and Girl Scout cookies, it’s time to check out the benefits of mobile giving.

• It’s fast. The rapidness of the Red Cross campaign got aid to Haiti faster than ordinary campaigns or fund-raising (e.g. grants or small-scale benefits/drives). After a disaster of that magnitude, people need help right away, not in a few weeks, months or years.
• It’s green. How many envelopes, letters and checks (i.e. paper products) are used each year to raise funds or garner awareness about something? I don’t know the exact figure, but I know it’s a lot. Probably incalculable. If you care about a cause, you should also make it a point to care about a cause that directly affects us all: the environment. Mobile giving is practically paper-free.
• It’s easy. Sending a text message is really easy compared to making a phone call/being put on hold, searching the internet or filling out some kind of paper form. Not to mention sending a text is less risky (e.g. pretty anonymous, no person-to-person contact), so many people will feel more comfortable doing so.

“… they’re still going to have cookies somewhere in the deal, I’m sure.”

Another good thing that the American Red Cross did in their mobile giving campaign was to make the donation amount small and accessible to a broad audience. $10 is pretty affordable no matter your financial situation. Keep this in mind when creating your own campaign; a lot of people would see a major difference between $10 and $20, for example.

And don’t fret about the Girl Scout cookies. Even if the Scouts go mobile, they’re still going to have cookies somewhere in the deal, I’m sure.

An m-commerce increase

Mobile campaigns aren’t new and the American Red Cross isn’t the only organization to benefit from m-commerce. According to Millennial Media, consumers have increased their mobile and social media use during the last few months in light of mobile campaigns.

So you want to try m-commerce, but maybe you need a little inspiration?

Check out these examples of household name brands making a mobile statement:

• IKEA. After introducing the strange IKEA PS designs in 2009, IKEA created an “augmented reality” solution. That means they created an app that allows consumers to see what the IKEA PS furniture will look like in their home before they purchase and assemble it.
• Nike. Nike has created True City. This app maps out popular cities in Europe (e.g. Berlin, Paris, London), and it displays restaurants, museums, bars and also Nike locations. The information is generated by local insiders (and Nike lovers) who want to share their city’s secrets with fellow Nike advocates.
• BMW. Another huge American Red Cross-esque success story. BMW created an MMS campaign, which involved sending customized images of customers’ BMWs to their cell phones. The images featured specialized winter tires (necessary for German winters) to contrast with customers’ already purchased summer tires. This $60,000 campaign resulted in a $45 million profit and a 30% conversion rate.

That’s sort of a big deal.

“This $60,000 campaign resulted in a $45 million profit…”

Making the mobile move

If you’re looking for a new way to involve consumers, raise funding for a cause or make money for your business, try going mobile. As we’ve seen over the years, there are a lot of creative ways to do so. If stuffy, old BMW can do it, why can’t you?

Just be sure your campaign involves a call-to-action. Make it different, bold and unique. M-commerce is new enough that there’s still a lot of room to play and be creative. Make a move, but first learn about the campaigns that failed, so you don’t wind up on the same dead-end.

What’s your favorite mobile campaign to date? Share it below.

By Marlee Gallagher Want content written for your Brand that shows up #1 on Search Engines and brings you new customers? Contact us.