Bcauz Marketing

How could it be that in this land of plenty, there are more than plenty of children (over 16 million) suffering from hunger? From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans …  one in five children in our own backyard is trying to sleep on an empty stomach. They’re also falling behind in school, unable to concentrate, hungry at that very moment, while also wondering where — and when — they may have a decent meal.

You may know one of these children, or worse, you may know them, and yet be unaware of their desperation because –  like adults – children too have pride and shrink from the stigma of poverty. This is sad, and shameful for our society. Really? Who would not give to a hungry seven year old? Potentially, our congress, but that’s another story.

For over a year now, Bcauz has had the great, good fortune to join in the movement to end childhood hunger in America. Yes, we’ve advocated; yes, we’ve donated, but our most meaningful efforts have been realized through our cause-related work on behalf of the Arby’s Foundation, the charitable arm of the Arby’s brand. With passionate and dedicated leadership, the Arby’s Foundation created a task force and engaged Bcauz Marketing to help them reinvent the 25 year old foundation with a goal to better align the foundation’s work with the Arby’s brand voice, and to create a new mission, which would  resonate with all stakeholders in a meaningful and readily understood way  - from the corporate office, to the brand customers, suppliers and franchisees. More than anything, the foundation was determined to have significant impact on a pressing problem.

This blog is not the case study … it is a celebration of commitment from the Arby’s Foundation and the partner that Bcauz brought to the table: Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, who intends to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.  It is a celebration of belief and hope in the No Kid Hungry mission, and the beginning of the Arby’s Foundation partnership with a $1 million pledge in 4th quarter 2011 ($1 dollar can help connect a child to 10 healthy meals). Can you say TEN MILLION MEALS? And this is just the beginning — of the end.

 Take the No Kid Hungry Pledge - no money required, just a chance to join a movement of people who believe that no child in America should go hungry.

Bcauz Marketing was engaged to help reinvent the Arby’s Foundation to better align with and reflect the Arby’s brand personality. They were passionate, professional and systematic as they performed deep due diligence in every respect in order to recommend an appropriate and achievable new mission. With finesse and creativity, they thoughtfully guided the foundation’s taskforce in the creation of viable philanthropic and marketing goals to  inform the selection of an appropriate cause-related partner for the future.

Bcauz identified, vetted and negotiated with prospective partners on the foundation’s behalf and made an inspired proposal that met our goals and received unanimous support by the many stakeholders. Their proposal that we partner with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign has proven to be the perfect partnership for the foundation and the Arby’s brand.

Contribution Helps Connect Children Struggling with Hunger to Millions of Meals

Atlanta and Washington, D.C. – December 15, 2011 – More than 16 million children face hunger in America today, but help has proven to be a collective “good mood” away. With the generosity of Arby’s customers, employees and franchisees over the past several months, the Arby’s Foundation has contributed over $2 million to the No Kid Hungry Campaign, a national effort to end childhood hunger in America. The recent Share Your Good Mood restaurant fundraising program benefiting Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign more than doubled the Arby’s Foundation’s original pledge to raise $1 million during the fourth quarter.

Deep Customer and Cause Engagement is the Goal

ATLANTA – (November 11, 2011) – Whether a customer is checking in, or checking out, the Arby’s Foundation is providing incentives for their guests and social media community to learn, care and donate to help the 16 million children in America who are struggling with hunger. Arby’s Restaurant Group is leveraging its digital and social media properties on behalf of the Arby’s Foundation, Inc. and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry, in a 360-degree promotion activation that bridges the virtual and in-store experience, including:

Bolsters Sustainability of Creative Economy

ATLANTA – (August 30, 2011) Arts organizations and creative enterprises across the nation have taken fiscal hits threatening their sustainability, but a physical hit the likes of a hurricane, earthquake, computer system failure, or unexpected loss of a leader could take an additional and potentially catastrophic toll on their sustainability. ArtsReady, a national initiative of South Arts, is a new readiness, response, and recovery Web-based platform designed to help ensure post-crisis business continuity for arts organizations. The online tool will be unveiled to the arts community nationwide via a free webcast on Thursday, September 15 at 1:00 p.m. EST.