By André Fecteau
In raising an estimated $1 million in the Ottawa area only, and with a number of participants close to 7,000, the Terry Fox Foundation’s events prove to be very successful. But with 30 paid staff across Canada, no marketing plan and $25 million raised nationally, any other business or charity can be envious of the foundation’s feats.
These accomplishments, however, are part of a marketing dream that even the foundation itself had no doubt of when it started 25 years ago: their head figure is a culture icon.
“This is the dream of any cause,” says Luc Dupont, professor of publicity, and public and media relations at the department of communication at the University of Ottawa. “There are not a lot of other [Canadian] organizations who are in this position,” he said in an interview conducted in French.
Dupont says the main problem for not-for-profit organizations is that people don’t know what they are about, because they are promoting very abstract ideas.
Al Albania, president of Acart Communications Design, a marketing consultancy in Ottawa, says it’s all about the media. In order to go on air, the cause has to “inspire the media.” He says the media has to feel strongly about the issue in order to connect to it.
The Terry Fox Foundation doesn’t have problems making this connection for four reasons, according to Dupont: first, the organization is well-known. Second, the foundation enjoys good will, because its cause is seen as noble and of interest to Canadians. Third, they have the non-abstract, very vibrant image of Terry Fox crossing the country on an artificial leg to raise awareness of cancer.
And this image, says Dupont, is part of our culture, which is “an extraordinary advantage.” Children learn about Terry Fox at school, which tells a lot about Fox being part of our culture.
He is the embodiment of Canadian values because he remained simple, says Dupont. “He was amputated, but he kept saying that we shouldn’t make a special case of him.”
But not everybody has the chance of having a hero as an icon, he says, and most non-profit organizations have to find ways to “convince the media.”
Take the Insurance Institute Canada as an example. This non-profit organization also has a product that is highly non-concrete: they promote public awareness of the insurance world and how to choose the best insurers. For the media and the people to connect to their cause, the institute has to put a face on their “product,” just as Terry Fox is associated with cancer research.
According to Carey-Ann Greenham, director of business development at the institute, they will launch a new newspaper and magazine campaign starting in October. It will feature pictures of average men and women, with friendly slogans inviting people to choose chartered insurance professionals as their insurers.
But to develop marketing campaigns, you need money, which is a scarce resource for not-for-profit organizations.
Bill Vigars, national public relations co-ordinator for the Terry Fox Foundation in Chilliwack, B.C., says marketing plans can be a major expense. He also says these plans tend to change image every year. “That’s good for T-shirts,” he says, but not more.
This year, the foundation launched a campaign for the run’s 25th anniversary. Two books about Terry Fox were published, a replica of Terry Fox’s shoe was made by Adidas, a Terry Fox one-dollar coin was produced by the Royal Canadian Mint, and CTV aired a documentary about the man.
He says that the success of the foundation relies on the commitment of the volunteers. “We are a grassroots-driven organization,” he says. “Volunteers seem to be our force … There are volunteers in every community.”
At the same time, he acknowledges that the foundation enjoys a very unique situation. “We can’t force people to run, but they do. What can I say?”