This document discusses the importance of taglines and hook statements for celebrity charity websites. It notes that charities cannot assume everyone knows who they are or what they do. Taglines and hooks allow visitors to understand the charity's mission quickly from the homepage within 10-15 seconds. The document provides examples of celebrity charities and how their websites could be improved with clearer taglines and hooks that concisely communicate what issues they address and who they serve. It emphasizes that nonprofits, like all brands, need messaging that is crystal clear.

1. Celebrity Charity Websites:
The Importance of Taglines & Hook Statements
presented by
MAD MARKETEER
Marketing Fitness creating mean & lean organizations
Katharine Coles
Katharine@MadMarketeer.com
310-947-8511

2. The “Celebrity” Pitfall
Nonprofits have to avoid the “looking poor” pitfall on
which they erroneously believe that because they
are a nonprofit, they must look “poor”. But looking
poor oftentimes equates with being poorly run.
Donors that value their money DON’T want to
donate to a place where their dollars will be
wasted.
In a similar vein, celebrities/celebrity organizations
may operate under the assumption that everyone
knows who they are and what they do. Thus,
achieving marketing fitness may take a different
route.

3. USA Today Top Celebrity Charities
Here are some of the celebrities, according to
USA Today, that made the largest donations
to charities.*
 John Belushi
 Jimmy Buffet
 Doris Day
 John Denver
 Arlo Guthrie
 Paul Newman
 Will Rogers
* http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/2001-12-18-celebrity-donations-chart.htm

4. In their day they were celebrities….
But TODAY, there’s a good chance that anyone
under 30 may not likely to know who they are.
Do you think that’s ok because your donors
are over 30, so you don’t need to worry about
the people under 30?
Well, yes, you do…They are your donors of
the future!

5. What does this have to do with
Marketing Fitness?
It’s all about BRANDING….
You can never make the assumption that because
you are a celebrity brand that:
1. Everyone knows who you are. (Even Oprah,
when traveling cross country, encountered a
hotel clerk that didn’t know who she was.)
2. That everyone will always know who you are.
(Take a look at what happened when Jimmy
Kimmel asked kids if they know who Elvis is:
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdHdel39Tvo)

6. What does this have to do with
taglines and hook statements?
It’s all about first impressions and quickly
communicating your BRAND!

7. Which Magazine Do You Buy?

8. You scan each magazine cover for
approximately 10-15 seconds!
Here is what catches your eye:
 Brand
 Headings
 Sub-Headings
 Design
And so it is with websites!

9. But don’t take my word for it!
Marketing Experiments
Bringing you solutions based on sound research.
Want to learn more about our approach to
taglines and hook statements? It based on the
work of Marketing Experiments. Watch this:
http://www.marketingexperiments.com/images
/multifiles/articulate/webclinic-11-12-
08/player.html

10. An organization without a
tagline...looses an opportunity for
another touchpoint.

11. What do all these organizations do?
Without a tagline attached to the name/logo,
it is often difficult or impossible to know who they are
or what they do (hint: these are all nonprofits).

12. What about these organizations?
These taglines give you a quick clue that starts to
create a “story” about these organizations …
and starts to plant the BRAND in the visitor’s mind.

13. Let’s look at some real-life examples!
Here is what you’ll see in each example:
1. What you see now when you go to the
homepage.
2. How adding a tagline helps your
understanding.
3. How adding a hook statement helps you
understand quickly what they do.
We’ll also show you which celebrity founded the
organization!

14. Remember….
No one will ever donate or care about your
organization unless they know who you are
and what you do.
You only have a few seconds to tell them…

15. What you see now: (Don Imus)

16. Now imagine instead!
Tagline- this would help tell their story:
A working cattle ranch for kids with cancer
Hook Statement – this would help tell their story:
Our ranch provides the great American cowboy
experience – which instills a sense of
achievement and price - to children suffering from
cancer or serious blood disorders, as well as
children who’ve lost brothers and sisters to
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

17. What you see now: (Paul Simon)

18. Now imagine instead!
Tagline- they got it right!:
Health Care and Advocacy for America’s Most
Vulnerable Children
Hook Statement – this would help tell their story:
We help to provide health care to the nation's most
medically underserved children through
supporting a national network of pediatric
programs in disadvantaged rural and urban
communities. Thousands of children now have
access to health care.

19. What you see now: (Christopher Reeve)

20. Now imagine instead!
Tagline- A bit vague, so needs a hook statement
to clarify:
Today’s care. Tomorrow’s cure.
Hook Statement – this would help tell their story:
Through our Paralysis Resource Center we’ve been
able to support and help thousands of individuals
living with spinal cord injury. Through funding
research and providing grants, we hope to
improve the quality of life for all people living with
paralysis.

21. What you see now: (Paul Newman)

22. Now imagine instead!
Tagline- this would help tell their story:
Global camps & programs serving seriously ill
children
(it’s ok to leave “founded by Paul Newman” ..it adds
credibility)
Hook Statement – they got it right!:
“Imagine if kids with serious illnesses had the
chance to, as Paul liked to say, “Kick back and
raise a little hell.” A camp was born. And so was
a global movement.

23. What you see now: (Bette Middler)

24. Now imagine instead!
Tagline- this would help tell their story:
Transforming the landscape in New York’s neglected
neighborhoods and parks
Hook Statement – they got it right!:
“ …dedicated to transforming open space in
underserved communities to create a greener,
more sustainable New York City…NYRP is also
leading MillionTreesNYC – an initiative to plant
and care for one million new trees throughout
New York City’s five boroughs by 2017.”

25. What you see now:

26. Now imagine instead!
Tagline- this would help tell their story:
Committed to fight hearing impairment. Empowering
disadvantaged youth with opportunity & education.
(Most would probably assume the organization is about vision
– not hearing - impairment!)
Hook Statement – this would help tell their story:
As a result of Ray Charles own challenges, we are
committed to supporting educational and social
program for disadvantaged youth, as well as focusing
on the causes and cures for diseases and disabilities
of the hearing impaired.

27. As a nonprofit, whether a celebrity is
involved or not, the BRAND
message needs to be crystal clear.
The following are examples on how clarity helps
with branding.

28. What you see now:

29. Now imagine instead!
Tagline:
We tell you the truth about energy disasters
Hook Statement:
We tell you the real truth about the impact of
energy disasters when corporations and
government organizations won’t!

30. What you see now:

31. Now imagine instead!
Tagline- they got it right!:
They have a tagline that communicates what they do:
“Making AIDS History”.
Hook Statement – this would help tell their story:
amfAR plays a catalytic role in accelerating the pace
of HIV/AIDS research and achieving real
breakthroughs.

32. Finally ….
Here are some examples of sites that “get it”.
Clear messaging.
Quickly absorbed.
Visitors more engaged.

33. This is great! Right away we know who
they serve and how they help. Well done!
http://www.ihadcancer.com/

34. Well done! (Gildna Radner)

35. Yes! I want to help the oceans!

36. Look how engaged the audience is!

37. Taglines. Hook Statements.
The nucleus of branding ….
for mean and lean organizations.