Nonprofit

Learning from Wendy’s marketing misstep

3 min read

Mar 7, 2024 2:28:44 PM

071: Learning from Wendy’s marketing misstep

Last week, Wendy’s announced that it planned on rolling out “dynamic pricing” with digital menu boards, hinting that prices would change based on demand. After receiving some serious public pushback, Wendy’s backtracked and clarified that prices would not be increasing — just discounted during slower business hours.

What lessons can nonprofits draw from this PR nightmare? Be clear with your messaging, and don’t hamper the trust of your audience. Trust is a motivating factor in their decision to back your cause, often influencing whether they stay or move on elsewhere.

Noticing more lapsed supporters? Continue leaning into community and experience. To dig into that a little bit more, this week’s brief spotlights how events can engage new supporters and recapture older ones.

Nhu Te headshot

Snackable snippets

Call out the loss of exclusive membership benefits 📖
Research from NextAfter finds that communicating the benefits members will lose if they don’t reactivate their membership is a powerful motivator for lifting conversion rates.

The Heritage Foundation saw a 103.5% increase in donations. While the experiment had a smaller sample size, this technique shows that a loss aversion tactic can be effective at recapturing members on the brink of lapsing.

Ways to use events to steward peer-to-peer participants 📖

Peer-to-peer experiences, like an endurance event or a fitness challenge, can be a pretty effective acquisition and retention tool. The experience of events is evergreen — creating a space for people to learn more about your cause, bond over shared interests, and feel about the community they’re involved with.

NonProfit PRO rounds up some peer-to-peer boosting tips from the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum. A couple of my favorite tips: find major donors to matching gifts and use influencers as ambassadors.

The nonprofit guide to events 📖
Hosting nonprofit fundraising events can be a lot like herding cats, especially if you’re new to the nonprofit world. Qgiv’s Ultimate Event Guide will help you become a master of ceremonies with helpful advice on how to host more successful fundraising events.

Download today — it's free!

How to make your audience feel engaged 🎧
Bringing his wealth of experience in fundraising, Jonathan Meagher-Zayas joins Noah in this episode of Good Marketing Unplugged to explain the value of creating spaces where people feel empowered.

Engaging supporters and making them feel a part of something bigger is more than data; it’s creating real, meaningful relationships with your community.

LinkedIn becoming a hot spot for influencer marketing? 📖
LinkedIn, the networking platform for working professionals, has been labeled the least interesting of all the social media apps. But thanks to content creators like Corporate Natalie, it’s becoming a hot spot for influencer marketing.

In November, the platform reached a milestone of 1 billion users, accompanied by a 24% jump in content sharing from 2022 to 2023.

In the news

There is growing frustration among marketers over Meta’s account management services — or lack thereof.

Despite significant ad spend, customers are noticing drastic changes in account management, like leaner teams and AI replacements, leaving them with restricted access to analytics.

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Remember, nostalgia marketing? Brands like Pepsi and Jell-O are leaning into that trend but adding a modern spin to it. Retro designs bring up feelings of the past, and people connect to it.

“It’s an emotional tie,” says Miles Marmo, Co-Founder of Agency Squid. “You want to be present in that moment. I think that’s where nostalgia can really find its groove.”

For your inspiration folder

Influencer marketing isn't going away anytime soon. It's a useful peer-to-peer tactic: People follow content creators whom they identify with and trust.

In this episode of We Are for Good Podcast, Jon and Becky dive into this a little more with Nick Lynch, Co-Founder and CEO of Collidescope.io. For nonprofits unsure of where to start, Nick recommends starting with your existing supporters and identifying any content creators.