MUD PIE LEVERAGED B2B
CAUSE MARKETING PARTNERSHIP
ACTIVATION TACTICS TO ACHIEVE A DOUBLE-DIGIT SALES INCREASE, HERE’S HOW
imbornto® is March of Dimes integrated cause marketing platform that connects March of Dimes mission with consumers and brands to celebrate the important role Moms and Dads play in raising healthy babies. Every year, 4MM babies are born in the United States, and March of Dimes helps every one of them by funding research and programs that help women have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. The campaign, which takes place during the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day shopping periods each year, is a fully-integrated communication platform including media, PSA’s, public relations, social media and in-store engagement. 2013 campaign results include 1.4 billion media impressions, record-breaking in-store campaign activations and partnerships boasting 20 – 30+% increases in sales revenue as a direct result of participation. In this blog post, I want to share a case study to illustrate a unique benefit of cause marketing – enhanced B2B (business-to-business) relationships and return on investment (ROI). 
Mud Pie’s imbornto activation approach focused on enhancing B2B relationships and ROI and achieved a significant double-digit increase in sales year-over-year (shipped and orders as of September 2013). Note: In full disclosure, FM brokered the Mud Pie and March of Dimes partnership; however the learning and insights are unbiased and unabashedly worthwhile! Many factors contributed to the success of the Mud Pie/imbornto partnership:
“When For Momentum came to Mud Pie with this opportunity, the synergies between Mud Pie baby socks and March of Dimes mission with consumers and brands were instantly clear. Through our partnership, we have empowered our retailers and consumers to join us in helping every baby have healthy first steps.”
– Ellen Fruchtman, Director of Public Relations, Mud Pie
Mud Pie’s B2B partnership activation tactics are showcased as best practices throughout the Cause Marketing Forum webinar “Take Your Retail or Consumer Products Cause Promotion to New Heights” and for good reason. Let’s take a look at how Mud Pie optimized its B2B activation efforts to generate significant ROI on this cause marketing partnership.
PARTNERSHIP OVERVIEW:
- A cause marketing promotion integrated into the March of Dimes imbornto campaign where Mud Pie marketed “helping babies start life on the right foot”
- From April 2013 through March 2014, a dime from every pair of socks purchased is donated (minimum commitment of $100,000)
- Mud Pie incorporated the partnership and promotion in all sock collateral including tags on every pair, toppers for displays, display cards, packing stickers, and sock catalog for retailers
- The partnership was promoted on the Mud Pie website, in sales team trainings, at trade shows, in public relations efforts, and through social media and email
- Mud Pie saw a significant increase in sales of socks (shipped and orders) YOY
- Mud Pie received more than 990,000,000 impressions from the campaign as part of the program (includes paid, earned and owned media generated through March of Dimes efforts)
EXAMPLES OF ACTIVATION ELEMENTS THAT LED TO CAUSE MARKETING PARTNERSHIP SUCCESS
Mud Pie is a business-to-business (B2B) brand with a sales force that sells its unique merchandise to independent retailers and premier department stores. By strategically leveraging this partnership, Mud Pie differentiated itself from its competitors, landing new and larger sales orders, by adding real value for its retail partners delivered through its imbornto partnership. Sales staff were trained to understand the stories and meaning behind the partnership and were given sales materials to assist them in presenting the mutual value of this opportunity to retail partners.
Robust Messaging Platform: You gotta make some noise!
Like the age-old saying about a tree falling in the forest…If a cause marketing campaign launches and no one knows about it, did it really happen? Answer: Not effectively.
Mud Pie invested in a variety of B2B sales collateral and consumer marketing elements to drive sales, donations and awareness:
- 16 page catalog featuring all Mud Pie socks, the March of Dimes mission and a mission story
- Sock hang tags with the March of Dimes logo
- Sock spinner toppers with donation information
- Point of purchase display (free with minimum purchase quantity)
- Custom landing page on mud-pie.com
- Home page banners on mud-pie.com
As outlined in the “Our Inspiration” story featured in program collateral, Mud Pie has a lovely personal story relating to some very specific teensy-tiny adorable preemie toes that motivated the brand to support the life-saving and life-changing work of March of Dimes. Storytelling elevated a transactional relationship to something much more personal and rewarding by presenting an opportunity to be part of something greater. Making it personal brought the cause to life for Mud Pie’s consumers and retailers and also showcases the authenticity and impact of the partnership!
Proactive B2B activation tactics have directly impacted the success of the Mud Pie and March of Dimes imbornto partnership. How are you working with your partners to maximize mutual success? Need some help getting started? Give us a call.
Related Post: March of Dimes’ imbornto campaign is also included in previous For Momentum blog post: “The Secret to Building Million Dollar Cause Marketing Campaigns.” In that post you can learn how teamwork plays an important role in the success of cause marketing campaigns.
