Failed Marriages And Great Packages
The late David Ogilvy was among the greatest advertising geniuses who ever lived. He built a truly remarkable global agency and contributed more than his fair share to both the creative and management sides of the business.
Among Ogilvy’s more unconventional beliefs was that truly great agencies are built as a result of “high mortgages and failed marriages” – by people without today’s much-heralded ‘balance’ in their lives. Workaholics ignoring their families and placating their spouses with fancy homes and the trappings of suburban life.
David Ogilvy admired great creative and was a master creative himself. But, he couldn’t tolerate creative contests and the industry black-tie gatherings with their trophies and golden this and golden that awards.
In fact, he forbade any Ogilvy & Mather employee from entering such a contest. It was a firing offense.
Enter our semi-resident Ranter – Bob Levy. Bob is a copywriter. A strategist. A class act. Unlike David Ogilvy he has a thriving marriage and, as far as I know, a manageable mortgage. However, he does share Ogilvy’s mistrust over the business of placing too much emphasis on ‘great packages.’
Here, in his latest rant, Bob sets forth his views on the folly of looking for the Magic Bullet Package – what he calls the “Package Crush."
As Bob puts it:
“So let’s stop patting ourselves on the back for our favorite package … that doesn’t work. Rather, let us applaud the ugly duckling that may not win the beauty contest but turns into that lovely swan at the end of the day. Making fundraising work in today’s climate of retrenchment is difficult enough – too difficult by half to believe that one package, alone, will turn the tide of organization’s fundraising into a great tsunami of lasting success.”
Amen.
Roger
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
Read Full Answer
Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
Read Full Answer
Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
Read Full Answer
There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
Read Full Answer