Cause-Related Marketing

Cause-related marketing typically involves a partnership between a for-profit business and a non-profit organisation, benefiting both parties. It differs from corporate giving (philanthropy), which often involves tax-deductible donations. In contrast, cause-related marketing is a promotional campaign that integrates a contribution into the product's selling price rather than making a direct donation.

A significant challenge arose when AgriTrade, the dairy farmers' buying consortium, sought assistance to increase the price supermarkets would pay for their milk. The primary issue was that consumers and supermarkets viewed milk as a commodity. Therefore, the task was to elevate milk from a basic commodity to a premium brand.

As the milk sold by the farmers was essentially the same as any other, the solution was to create a cause-related milk brand. The key to cause-related marketing lies in connecting a cause to the brand in a way that resonates emotionally with customers and aligns with the product.

The concept for this cause-related brand of milk was inspired by the idea of supporting wildlife conservation through farm-based habitat creation. This approach linked the milk brand to environmental efforts, offering farmers a premium for managing their hedgerows in a nature-sensitive way. This initiative, known as White & Wild, featured the tagline "Milk on the Wild Side." At the time, this was an innovative approach, as sustainability and nature-sensitive farming were not yet prominent on the government agenda.

With the formation of DEFRA in 2001, the environmental policies supported by White & Wild gained broader governmental support. However, as DEFRA embraced these ideas, the brand needed to find new ways to differentiate itself. This search led to the establishment of Tree Appeal, which expanded the environmental focus of White & Wild by incorporating tree planting initiatives.

White & Wild Organic and White & Wild Scotland adopted tree planting as a central cause, marking a further commitment to environmental sustainability. Over a seven-year period, Tree Appeal facilitated the planting of 66,500 trees through partnerships with these brands.

Building on this success, Tree Appeal expanded its focus to help other companies integrate environmental causes into their marketing strategies. With over two decades of experience in cause-related marketing, Tree Appeal now assists companies in linking tree planting to their products and services.

The growing urgency to address global warming and the shift towards more sustainable environmental practices have made eco-sustainable cause-related marketing a timely and impactful choice. Tree Appeal can help businesses incorporate tree planting into their marketing efforts, aligning their brand with environmental sustainability.

As part of this strategy, the Tree Appeal team expanded their business by taking on a printing.com franchise. This allowed the opportunity to integrate tree planting into the printing sector, similar to the approach used with the White & Wild brand. The success of this initiative led to an exclusive partnership with printing.com, where the company committed to planting 10,000 trees annually across their 300 UK stores. Over the course of their partnership, printing.com planted a total of 90,000 trees.

Eventually, the decision was made to sell the printing franchise and fully focus on the continued growth and impact of Tree Appeal, reinforcing the commitment to environmental sustainability through cause-related marketing.