You’ve seen ads like this parody. The genre is called “choddy,” and it’s a big favorite of nonprofits:
Or watch it here on YouTube.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ll never criticize a marketing message just because it’s derivative, or clichéd, or boring. All we should really care about is whether it’s effective. If a choddy is doing the job, then thumb your nose at the ridicule and go for it.
But I have a feeling they don’t work, at least most of the time. Because they’re usually self-centered, unemotional, abstract, and confusing. Not great qualities for motivating response.
Like this grim example for UNICEF USA, which is so unfriendly, navel-gazing, and self-righteous that it makes 3-1/2 minutes seem like a long morning at the dentist:
Or watch it here on YouTube.
So think twice before committing a choddy. If you want to motivate action, you’re going to have to be clear, literal, and specific.
Thanks to Who really gives a toss? for the tip.
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 35 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com.
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