How a Big Plan Makes a Big Difference
Mar 16th, 2010 by David Svet
A few weeks ago I wrote a series of posts that explored using nonprofit planning tools as a new lens for examining the financial services sector. This post is about a firm that did just that. The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank in Australia has created an online social community site for their customers and everyone else to launch and participate in plans to make the world a better place. It’s called PlanBig and it’s a startling departure from business as usual for a bank.
PlanBig is a completely altruistic endeavor. Rhys Ryan, a member of the communications team for the site explained, “The idea behind the site is that by adding value to the community and building something that helps people achieve their dreams, people will have a positive experience with the bank.” The site invites anyone and everyone to post a plan to benefit a community and invite people to participate in making your plan a reality. Plans cover a wide range of topics ranging from the, “Illawarra Light Railway Museum Track Extension Project,” to, “1Egg1World,” a group of 3 guys trading from a single egg to try to get to $1 million for 3 charities. Other projects include getting sleeping bags for the homeless, developing community gardens and bringing music education to remote Queensland. The site helps planners solicit support for their plans by letting people elect to follow a plan, tell their friends and give it a thumbs up. The site also enables supporters to promote a cause on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s up to the planner to generate enough excitement to make their plan a reality. So, it’s possible some plans will stall. But some are getting real traction, like 1Egg1World. Yes, the guys trading the chicken egg for $1 million are making progress. They’ve been published in multiple magazines and on numerous websites. They’ve managed to move from their egg to thousands of dollars. The press is obviously helping their cause, but it’s not bad for the bank either.
I asked Rhys Ryan what sort of metrics were being tracked pre and post launch and got an answer that’s as surprising as the site. Emphasizing the altruism of the community bank, Ryan replied, ”The site is not designed as a marketing tactic, and so the normal measurement around brand tracking etc. does not apply.” It’s simply part of the culture of the bank. That’s quite a culture!
Image by Heather Ford under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States license.
David - Great example of putting the cause first. Too often, I see companies and orgs anxious to put some sort or branding or call to action in their cause marketing. People are smart, they can sense instantly if a good cause effort is sincere or just a cause wash. Looks like this band did two things right:
1. Had conviction that the mission was much bigger than their bank.
2. Trusted that their customers and prospects (and all people) want to do good in the world.
John
John - Very good point. These folks have been great to talk to about their effort. They put the ‘community’ in community banking. Fantastic attitude!
David