So, I was cruising the Internet, catching up on some articles I thought sounded interesting and I came across a piece on DM News (a marketing periodical) about how to time emails.

I have to admit, sheepishly, that I’ve never really thought about day of week or time of day with regard to sending email. It’s become such an all consuming and amorphous medium that if you’re like me, you start checking it shortly after waking and don’t stop until right before bed–seven days a week.

But when you’re trying to get someone’s attention to act on your product, in this case, your mission, timing can be important. The article, “Timing for Success: When to Fill Consumers’ Inboxes,” gives the lowdown from marketing professionals about when they get the best responses from emails. For example, Tuesdays generally see the busiest email traffic, while Saturday sees the least.

Most of the information is anecdotal, but it offers a great starting place to think about how you can make sure readers have the time to open and respond to your message. Now get emailing!

I just ran across this amazing WWF campaign designed to raise awareness of exhaust emissions in China. This demonstration not only achieved its goal by catching eyeballs as people walked by, but its original concept attracted television and newspaper coverage from not only around the county, but around the world.

The text on the balloon reads, “Drive one day less and look how much carbon monoxide you’ll keep out of the air we breathe.”

The takeaway here is to always be on the lookout for original ways to get your message out there. Getting impressions via alternative methods can have great results, as seen here.

Via, AdGoodness.

Everest Y&R came up with a great viral campaign for Support, a non governmental organization registered as a charitable trust in Mumbai, India. Their campaign to bring awareness to homeless children was a huge success in coffee shops around India, and got good coverage throughout the world media.

By simply slipping these cutout children into existing table tents, their message was delivered to a captive audience with minimal impact on the community - exactly the way guerrilla campaigns should go down.

The text reads:

Over two lakh children live in places you can never imagine. Help the Children. Donate.

I think it’s important to show that guerrilla marketing efforts should still be implemented when the situation calls for it, despite what happened in Boston two weeks ago. Campaigns like these resonate strongly with an audience who is increasingly turned off by TV, print, and email advertisements.

via Ads of the World

I just ran across this great viral campaign and had to share it with you all. It’s a CO2 awareness piece that conveys a well-worn message in a unique way. Sure it’s a bit guerrilla, invasive, and possibly illegal, but I still love it. Congrats to BUND (the German arm of Friends of the Earth) - this concept is a breath of fresh dirty air.

Viral marketing is hard to track using metrics, but it gets noticed never the less. Local newspaper and television coverage are both free and potent, so don’t forget to explore concepts like this at your next planning meeting.

via Houtlog

Each week, billions of searches generate millions of dollars for companies like Google and Yahoo!. It’s hard to believe this much revenue can be generated simply from clicks and data retrieval. What if some of that cash could be diverted to your organization?

That question was on the minds of Ken and JJ Ramberg when they launched GoodSearch.com back in 2005. GoodSearch donates 50% of their ad revenue to nonprofit organizations…and the kicker is that users choose which ones. Here’s how it works:

On the GoodSearch homepage, choose from thousands of organizations or add your favorite cause to our list. Search the Internet just like you normally would — the site is powered by Yahoo!, so you’ll get the same high-quality search results you’re accustomed to. Fifty percent of the revenue generated from advertisers is shared with the charity, school or nonprofit organization of your choosing.

(more…)

When you read something, you remember it.
When you do something, you believe it.

That’s what Madrid agency Zapping must have been thinking when they created this awareness campaign for a European nonprofit. In order to rent these shopping carts, customers must insert a coin into the child’s mouth. The text under the child reads, “You can feed a child for two days with what you spend renting this cart, Help.”

This ad may be short on subtlety, but it makes up for that with an abundance of clarity and creativity. I love when ads make me act, make me think, and make me care - this one does all three.

via Houtlog