Six branding lessons from Stand Up To Cancer
When I spent time with Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) a few days ago, the expression “live the brand” came to life.You’d be hard-pressed to find two people, anywhere on the planet, more energetic, committed and passionate. They’re inspiring, entertaining and driven - cyclonic forces of nature.
If you’re not familiar with SU2C, it’s the organization that launched itself publicly on September 5, 2008 in a one hour star-studded TV show simultaneously broadcast – commercial free - on CBS, ABC and NBC. The program aired in over 170 countries and featured lots of big-name celebrities, including Sidney Poitier, Meryl Streep, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Patrick Swayze, Jack Black, Sheryl Crow and Beyonce. Network news anchors Katie Couric, Charles Gibson and Brian Williams, reported on stage about cutting-edge cancer research.
Rusty is one of the top marketers in the U.S. She’s also an impassioned advocate, having founded the Margaret Thatcher Foundation and Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure®, the global leader of the breast cancer movement. Rusty lost her mother to lung cancer.
Sue has an innovative marketing background with leading companies like Revlon. Like Rusty, she’s worked hard to make the world a better place. She helped create the Noreen Fraser Foundation and experienced the pain of cancer having lost her mother to multiple myeloma.
Sue, Rusty and seven other women form the leadership team behind SU2C. The organization has raised more than $100 million to date for cancer research. And it’s just getting off the blocks; SU2C turns one year old in May.
“Nearly everyone’s been touched by cancer,” Rusty said. "One out of every two men and one out of every three women will face this disease in their lifetime. Cancer claims one person every minute of every day in the United States alone. Every year, it takes the lives of more than half a million Americans and seven million people worldwide. The moment is now.”
How has a 501(c)(3) been able to have so much positive impact in such a short period of time? Crisp differentiation.
While there are many phenomenal cancer-fighting organizations, SU2C isn’t competing with any of them. “We’ve all had enough with divisiveness – just give – no matter which cause. Just give,” Rusty said.
The purposeful efforts of Stand Up To Cancer can teach lessons to every organization attempting to build community, raise money, gain public support and differentiate itself:
- Move fast. Rusty & Sue repeatedly drop words like “accelerate treatment,” “rapid funding” and “without bureaucratic delays.” SU2C isn’t a black hole funding effort; the projects it funds will have measurable impact within three to five years.
- Be pragmatic. SU2C isn’t raising money to help fight cancer in a general pot, it’s focusing on a few “Dream Team” projects. They started with 237 project ideas, then narrowed the list to the top 25, then to 16, then 8 then 4.
- Take risks. Unlike other organizations which fund institutional entities, Stand Up To Cancer is funding
biomedical researchers directly who will address critical cancer research areas. Monies will be used to support innovative cancer research projects often deemed “too risky” by conventional funding sources. - Build a movement. SU2C is engaging Americans – and increasingly the global community – at all income levels and walks of life to join together to end cancer. “This is a movement,” Rusty said, “together we become a force unmistakable.”
- Leverage the entertainment community. Arguably, no movement or organization has tapped so many famous people in one fell swoop. SU2C is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. More than 100 celebrities were involved in the Sept. 5 event.
- Build powerful partnerships. SU2C has leveraged media companies to join the fight against cancer. Its partners include Facebook, AOL, Condé Nast Media Group, Hearst Corporation, The New York Times company, Time Inc. and WebMD among many others.
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