South Africa’spizza brand Roman’s Pizza have broken all sales records in May following its commitment to share R1 off every pizza sold with children’s care organisation Matla a Bana. Pizza sales exceeded all expectations as the brand rallied consumers to participate in raising much needed funds. Just under a million pizzas were sold during the campaign period with Roman’s Pizza contributing the balance of funds required to reach the desired R1-million.
“We are more than pleased with the outcome,” says Roman’s Pizza marketing director Bonnie Lee, “and it sets the tone for future endeavours.” Lee says that publics should expect increased cause related marketing activity across the brand landscape as a shift in consumer conscience will bring a wave of change in how products and services are marketed. Whether this shift in mindset is exaggerated out of an awareness of the impact of the recession or whether they are facing up to a broader sense of responsibility, more and more consumers are simply looking to corporates to do the right thing.
“In response, brand are increasingly realising that consumers are often genuinely attuned to and passionate about causes. Not only does linking a product to a worthy cause provide a sense of purpose for customers, but may also help consumers rationalise their spending,” says Lee. If companies can tap into these strong emotions through a cause-related campaign, they’re not only likely to differentiate themselves from competitors, experience an upsurge in sales, but also see their product recommended to others.
Matla a Bana will use half of the R1-million raised to open three child-friendly facilities around South Africa and the balance will be leveraged in a double-up challenge to be hosted across community radio stations until the end of July.
