Iris, an independent company, has promoted Claire Glennane to head the division. In the last few years, Glennane helped to win and manage Iris's business from the Department for Transport and the Department of Health. Its recent Sex Lottery campaign for the DoH won the Best of Europe Promotional Marketing Council Award in October.
Iris is moving into cause-related marketing on the back of a marked increase in the sector. It points to Business in the Community's Cause-Related Marketing Tracker survey, which found that 67 UK businesses raised £58.2m for good causes in 2003, up 15% on 2002.
It has already won its first client, a charity called Street League, which is looking to raise its profile as well as secure funding and support from commercial partners. Street League give disadvantaged men and women the chance to play football as part of a programme to help integrate them back into mainstream society.
Glennane said: "I-care has conducted proprietary qualitative research that gets to the heart of supporting and giving behaviour. The most valuable aspect of the research was understanding what brands and issues need to do in order to activate support from a mainstream audience -- what is it that tips people from conscious into active citizens?
"At a time of decline in the number of supporters and donors, in which it is only the loyal few giving more, engaging the mainstream has become the key for effective CRM. The same old tried-and-tested formulaic methods don't appear to be working anymore. We understand what the consumer wants to get back from giving to, and supporting, issues, and therefore what organisations need to do in order to effect positive change."
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