Tonight I saw the power of authentic and it was simultaneously humbling and energizing. The kind of energizing that makes you want to stay up all night talking to the other people that saw the same power and want to harness it, direct it and create something greater.
I was attending #Cocktails4Causes - an event my social media agency created for our client, The Drake Hotel.
The idea behind the effort is that Chicago area folks, mostly in the social media arena, can volunteer to host a cocktail party at The Drake. The Drake donates the appetizers, provides the space free of charge and then donates 50% of the gross cash bar tab to the host's selected charity. Simple, straightforward. You come drink, mingle, have a good night and a worthy cause gets awareness and money.
Tonight I listened as more than a few folks "pitched" -- sorry I can't think of a better word to describe the feeling I got when I was in those conversations -- why they should get to be one of the 10 hosts of future parties in 2011.
There was such pasison, such caring and such a personal investment. I heard stories of mothers with diseases, father's that had passed and in one case, the story of a five year old son that died in his sleep of SUDEP. Because word spread that I was involved with the party, these folks sought me out to inquire about being a host. And in conversation after conversation, what struck me was the passion.
And I watched as our host of tonight's party, Sean McGinnis told the story of being a bone marrow donor and how that lead him to host and pick BeTheMatch. As I listened to him, I finally understood why he had worked so hard for the last few weeks to drive attendance at the party. It was the passion.
For Sean, and the folks I talked to tonight, it wasn't a marketing campaign. It was a calling. A chance to do something important for something they thought mattered in this world. And in Sean's case, it went beyond just helping his cause. He wanted to make sure his party rocked, so the Drake would continue to believe in the effort and thus continue to offer more parties. He didn't just want to improve his part of the world, he wanted to do his part to make sure others could receive the same opportunity. And what's really interesting is that I saw the same thing in December when Lisa Petrilli and Lisa Diomede hosted.
There was a passion to deliver for the cause they cared about.... and for the brand that was making it possible.
Think about that the next time your crafting your cause marketing campaign.
Maybe think about doing something that's less about votes and more about change. Maybe think about doing something that relies less on process and more on passion. Maybe think about sitting on the sidelines versus being the star. Maye think about creating honest to goodness change versus driving a metric or ROI.
Think about it and you might just discover the power of authentic.
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photo credit: By PinkMoose
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