Having a Voice?

Just like how I previously mentioned there are few small time bloggers writing about social entrepreneurship, there are even fewer that written in such a way that I feel like I’m conversing with the author. So following links from blogrolls to blogrolls, I came across Selfish Giving, a blog written by Joe Waters about cause marketing. I saw of the page an About/For Hire page which indicated this wasn’t an amateur-ish blog. But hey, the posts looked interesting and the writing caught my eye. I could tell this blog is more of a conversation between blogger to reader(s) and sometimes reader to reader.  Looking through the category list of posts, I saw “Causerants” and thought, “Hmm rants? This should be interesting.” And it was. I eventually landed on a post entitled “Komen’s Cause Marketing Program Isn’t ‘Finger-Lickin’ Good.”  What got me reading this blog post was a) fried chicken and b) fried chicken in a PINK KFC bucket. What kept me reading was this sarcastic yet relatable and informative voice that I found to be funny and entertaining to read.

Obviously, as this series of posts are “rants,” sarcasm and cynicism is to be expected. For example, after a brief background introducing KFC’s Buckets for a Cure campaign and all the awesome things that the campaign is meant to do, Joe steps down from the clouds and says:

Bear with me while I collect myself…heading toward the light…too beautiful, too wonderful…. ZZZAAAPPPP!

            This reference from a Bug’s Life, complete with link to video, is a metaphor as the campaign is a shiny, attractive light that pulls you in but really ends up being terrible and death-inducing (just kidding…?). Joe continues to pick apart KFC’s campaign and points out the irony that “a bucket of extra crispy KFC should include the wig you’ll need for cancer treatments after eating this crap for years.” The cynicism in his voice concerning “this crap” points out the absurdity that Susan G. Komen, a nonprofit focused on finding a cure for cancer, to be paired up with a fast food chain notorious for its fatty and salty food.

            Another feature of Joe’s writing is his cultural references in his blog posts. Linked above, you’ll find a video clip from a Bug’s Life. A more recent blog post called “How Nonprofits Can Stop a Zombie Apocalypse” refers to 8 rules to survive a zombie apocalypse (from the movie Zombieland in case you were wondering) and translates them into how to (as a nonprofit) avoid a nonprofit  apocalypse. My favorite of the 8 rules?

2. Double Tap. What a waste to die at the hands of a zombie just because you were too lazy and didn’t shoot them twice. Just like it would be a waste to give up on a program or project after the first try because someone said no, a company pulled out or because the a campaign had mixed or poor results. Like W. C. Fields said: “Try, and if you fail, try again. Then quit. No sense being a fool about it.” But try again! Don’t give into the zombies and just give in after one shot.

          It’s one thing to simply list a bunch of guidelines for nonprofits to follow, but to connect them to a topic as completely out of left field as zombies? That’s just a whole other level. Adding these cultural references makes Joe seem more relatable and the content much more enjoyable to the average reader (After all, Joe did write Cause Marketing for Dummies). 

Add Selfish Giving to blogroll. Check.