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David Hessekiel  //  David Hessekiel is the founder and president of the Cause Marketing Forum, a business dedicated to helping companies and causes succeed together.

Mar 17 / 6:01am

Are Cause Marketing Games Serious Business?

Cause marketing is serious business, not a game.   But it is striking how many start-up companies are building cause-related game platforms.

CauseWorld is a mobile app that enables consumers to earn karma credits they can donate to charity be photographing UPCs of participating products when shopping.  It has received major sponsorship from Kraft, Procter & Gamble and Citibank.

GamesThatGive.net sums up its business proposition as: "You play games for free and we sell ads.  70% of our our ad revenue goes to your favorite charity." GamesthatGive.net offers numerous

Meez, the online virtual playground for kids, recently announced the launch of a virtual blood drive directing kids to learn about the American Red Cross.  The reward for participating?  A virtual t-shirt for your avatar, of course!

It remains to be seen which of these -- and other platforms -- will generate big audiences and dollars for cause-related initiatives.    GamesThatGive, for example, has generated under $25,000  in donations since it launched its beta version last summer.   Consumers using Causeworld, on the other hand, are reported b Ad Age to be generating $200,000 in donations per month.

What's your experience been with game-related cause marketing?