Global Cause Awareness: Tracking Awareness Through Electronic Word of Mouth

ABSTRACT

The primary goals of social-service nonprofits are typically to raise money, increase behavioral participation, and raise awareness. The first two issues are easily measured with secondary data analysis; however measuring the effectiveness of marketing efforts in accomplishing the third objective has proven challenging. This research evaluates the ability of global awareness programs to raise awareness and initiate social change by examining the social media discourse that occurs during their awareness events. The findings show that events can create a short-term increase in discourse, however the nature of that discourse is affected by the disease’s brand personality. Additional findings are presented and discussed, in addition to suggestions for the implementation of social media tracking by nonprofits.

KEYWORDS:

• Brand personality
• consumer awareness
• content analysis
• eWOM
• global marketing
• nonprofit
• social-cause programming
• social media
• Web 2.0