Buzz marketing is not only for commercial brands. The French Red Cross proves this with its new communication campaign entitled “Sans vous, comment ferions-nous?” (“What shall we do without you?”) which started on the 23rd of October 2007?

For the first time, the association communicates, not only in order to ask for donations, as it does it every year, but to create notoriety. For the first time, the association uses on- and off-line communication, mostly viral, to reach the largest possible target.

Or how can you otherwise appeal to citizens and present this association’s role which fights against problems?

The association innovates, not only with a TV spot to enhance notoriety, but, last but not least, by betting a lot on viral marketing. To raise the public’s awareness for the Red Cross missions, the association has launched an event website, sansvouscommentferionsnous.fr, to invite internet users to talk about the Red Cross with their friends and families.

To sustain the buzz “offline”, it will organize discovery days, but also the distribution of flyers by local opinion leaders (supporters, institutional and private partners, the public, press…).

An approach that merits being talked about.