Unless you’ve been in a total media blackout this week (or in a maple syrup-induced coma), you’ve likely heard that the iconic International House of Pancakes (IHOP) is changing their name (temporarily) to IHOb, or the International House of Burgers. Not only did this move send loyal IHOP fans running for their forks, it also drove people to social media where, according to the LA Times, just one tweet announcing the name change garnered more then 5 BILLION impressions!
So, what lessons can nonprofit marketers glean from what seems to be a successful for-profit marketing initiative? Here are just a few:
1) Don’t be afraid to stretch your marketing muscles. It’s easy to get into a rhythm with our marketing – to keep thinking inside the same box, focusing on the same thing year after year. This isn’t all bad because it’s great to be consistent with our efforts, but if it starts to lull us into sleepwalking through these efforts instead, that’s a problem. While it may not be right for your nonprofit to make as drastic a shift in its communications as IHOP when it chose burgers over pancakes this week, you should be looking for opportunities to shake things up. This could be as simple as focusing on a really moving story you’ve never shared with your audience before, finding and entering into an unusual partnership or having your organization show up in unexpected places (think malls, parks or a local event). Stretch those marketing muscles and be creative!
2) Don’t limit your marketing planning to marketing people. Inviting non-marketing people into marketing conversations can bring new ideas and opportunities to the table. I’m guessing the idea for focusing on burgers over pancakes came from a business leader, but the execution likely came from marketing. Your executive director, development director and program leaders are on the front lines of your organization and can often bring to light new ideas to stir things up in the marketing mix. Look for ways to invite them into the conversation on a regular basis. Maybe it’s a once-a-month meeting or just an email with a prompting question to which they can respond. As marketers, part of our job is to bring out the best in our team so they, and the organization, can shine.
3) Use Design Thinking. One of the most effective ways IHOP has generated buzz is by “rebranding” to IHOb. It was a simple visual cue that shouted, “WE’RE DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT HERE!” Design Thinking is a way to approach challenges and solve problems from a user-centered perspective. Through their rebrand, IHOP was able to solve the problem of how to quickly communicate to its customers that they were shaking things up on their menu and, at least temporarily, focusing on burgers rather than pancakes. The key to successful Design Thinking is knowing your audience/customer base. So, the better your organization knows its donors, board members, volunteers and sponsors, the more effectively you can develop ideas that move them. You can find out more about the Design Thinking process here at the Interaction Design Foundation.
4) You can move the needle without breaking the bank. While IHOP likely spent a decent amount on their IHOb initiative, relatively speaking, it was probably a fairly low-budget effort. Their biggest investments were in strategy, media relations, social media efforts and some graphic design, but they spent little, if any, on actual advertising. They didn’t need it. By relying on earned and social media, the campaign instead took on a greater degree of authenticity. So, don’t get hung up on needing to throw a lot of money at marketing efforts. It’s more about being wise about how you spend your dollars. Investing in strategy, messaging and graphic design will help you build the firm foundation you need to execute a successful, out-of-the box idea.
So, what’s your pancake right now? And what’s your potential burger? Where might your nonprofit be stuck thinking inside the same box and focusing on the same thing? Maybe it’s time for you to create an IHOb moment. You may not stir things up as much as IHOP did, but there are still opportunities out there for you to flip the script. Get outside of your comfort zone, invite others into the marketing conversation, utilize Design Thinking and invest wisely in the marketing essentials.
As always, we’re here to help, and mixing things up is what we do best!
– David Chatham, Senior Marketing Consultant
Angel Oak Creative
Marketing for Nonprofits
