The Win
Cronin and Company, a full service agency in Glastonbury, Conn., was selected by The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to develop its second corporate video.
The short film will be used to attract corporate sponsors, recruit volunteers and increase the Foundation's overall awareness.
Main Competition
Cronin competed with six other agencies that were on Komen's RFP (Request For Proposal) short list. Komen would not reveal the names of the other agencies that submitted proposals for confidentiality reasons.
Pitch Team
Elizabeth Vogt, SVP/director of strategic planning; Pamela Soisson, account executive; Steve Wolfberg, SVP/creative director and Lester Ayala, broadcast producer.
Assignment
The Komen Foundation - which has carved out a strong brand name synonymous with cancer research and fundraising through efforts like the wildly popular "Race for the Cure" - had outgrown its corporate video that was more than five years old.
Its new video, says Susan Carter, Komen's director of communications, needed to convey:
- the breadth of the Foundation;
- what differentiates the organization from other breast cancer nonprofits;
- how corporate support is used and why sponsors are more like partners.
The agencies were given a few weeks to respond to the RFP issued in late August. By late September, Komen selected Cronin for the film project.
Homework
Cronin spoke with several of Komen's corporate sponsors to get their perspective on Komen's strengths, says Elizabeth Vogt, the agency's SVP. These sponsors highlighted Komen's community visibility, targeted reach to women and attractive partnership opportunities as key reasons for contributing to the Foundation.
Cronin also became more intimately aware of Komen's original mission - Nancy Brinker founded the organization as a promise to her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died of breast cancer, to raise funds for research, awareness initiatives and eventually a cure for the disease.
Presentation
Cronin proposed that Komen take a documentary film approach to convey the organization's compelling story. The film, the agency suggested, would show how the Komen name developed a highly branded image closely affiliated with national efforts to find a cure for breast cancer.
Starting with early footage of the two sisters playing as children, the film would also include Komen's impressive track record with generating thousands of volunteers, raising more than $145 million in the past year and its image-propelling fundraising efforts for corporate sponsors.
The agency would develop different endings to target Komen's core audiences of corporate sponsors, volunteers and the media.
The proposal also included reels from potential directors whose work demonstrated the talent and film quality Komen could expect.
"We chose directors who would be moved by Komen's story and committed to the breast cancer cause," says Vogt.
Nationally-acclaimed director Maureen Foley, whose recent will appear on Lifetime Television, was among the directors the agency selected.
Pitch Tips
Komen selected Cronin's short film proposal because it "captured the organization's emotional appeal that started with a promise made to a dying sister," says Carter.
What also worked in Cronin's favor was the agency's thorough creative concepts, content focus and the proposal's overall professional and slick presentation. "We could tell that Cronin had done extensive research on how the film could appeal to all of our key audiences while working with limited resources," says Carter.
Pitching a nonprofit like The Komen Foundation requires becoming intimately involved with its cause and culture, says Vogt. She also suggests:
- Leveraging the agency's experience in the healthcare category of the organization's cause. Cronin has extensive experience in branding efforts for breast cancer initiatives involving hospitals and the state's health department.
- Responding to what the nonprofit need instead of simply what it asks for, particularly in the key areas of branding and positioning.
- Getting int to the mindset of the target audiences. Research the nonprofit's current fundraisers, volunteers and corporate sponsors to get their perspective on the nonprofits strengths and weaknesses.
(Cronin, Liz Vogt, 860/659-0514; Komen, Susan Carter, 972/855-1689)
Cronin and Company
Headquarters: Glastonbury, Conn.
Established: 1947
Billings: $35 million
# Employees: 50
Healthcare Clients: Connecticut Department of Public Health, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare