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Stellar Partnerships

Stellar Partnerships: Corporate & Community Partnership
A world without cookies

A world without cookies

Can you imagine a world without cookies? It’s enough to give our favourite cookie monster palpitations. But what if it turns out to be a big opportunity for you and your non-profit?

Experts in digital advertising tell us there are major changes underway to online customer identification. Concerns have been growing about online security and the way in which customer information is captured by corporates. That includes information on what you and I view every day and who’s monitoring it.

For years, our online activity has been monitored using cookies and trackers. We’ve accepted it as the trade-off for being online and watching all those free puppy videos. The trail of cookie crumbs we leave behind has been 24 carat gold for brands and advertising, who use the information to target us with their online campaigns. I accidentally clicked on a power tools advert last week and I’ve been bombarded daily with special offers for angle grinders and drills.

But now governments have started to tighten rules around the use of cookies and how corporates can gather, use and store personal information about us. Advertisers may have to get used to a world without their precious cookies. Why does that mean an opportunity for your non-profit and your corporate partners?

First party data will be the most valuable commodity for corporate marketing teams. That means a new focus on quality media and communications, rebuilding trust with consumers and creating direct relationships with audiences. It incentivises corporates to explore relationships that will give them access to the audiences they seek. Who already has trusted, direct relationships? Your non-profit has them in abundance.

Your audiences are the most attractive and valuable asset for corporates- not your logo. But how do you ensure you extract the maximum value from a corporate partner?

  1. Know your audience

I mean really know your audience. Research it, survey it, segment and describe it. Create profiles and personas. It’s not enough to say, ‘our base is women aged 25-55’. Corporates will want to know where they live, what they buy, what makes them tick and, most importantly, what makes them click. You need to understand what gets them excited and engaged. A tiny non-profit won it’s first corporate partner by describing in detail their young and engaged audience- which was a key target for that corporate’s growth plans.

  1. Build content

You may already have a terrific bank of emotionally compelling content that your audience loves. You need to work with your corporate partners to help them build content that will deliver them results with that audience. It might drive sales, but it will more likely drive brand awareness and loyalty with their target consumers. It will give your partner the first party data and insights that they’re missing from cookies.

  1. Provide a meaningful relationship for your corporate partner

Audiences + trust = opportunities for corporates. Your non-profit brand usually has a strong position of trust with your audience. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, non-profits are the most trusted institutions in Australia. That unique combination of desired or target audiences plus brand trust enable you to deliver new opportunities to corporate partners. Opportunities that provide a valuable, direct relationship for corporate marketers. It doesn’t mean allowing corporates to spam your database. It’s using your key assets- your audience and your channels- in a way that delivers value. It’s especially attractive to marketing driven corporates like retailers. Movember has done this well by defining its core male audience and creating opportunities for brands like Gillette, L’Oreal Men and Stihl. (Oops, I’m back to power tools again!)

So, when cookies are finally off the table, make sure you’re well positioned to fill the gap for a corporate partner’s marketing objectives. The more insight you can provide about your audience, the more valuable your asset becomes- and it positions you for a more significant corporate partnership.