Ethical Marketing – Feat. Torchbox

As part of our “Inclusive Marketing” initiative, we showcase and champion approaches, businesses, initiatives, campaigns, organisations and service providers who understand how to craft inclusive marketing campaigns, reaching ‘all’ or having set out to specifically focus and tailor their comms and campaigns for audiences that some may see as ‘niche’.

As part of this, we’d like to feature a digital agency that works with those who are trying to make the world a better place. Here, our chat with Phil McMinn, Director of Digital Marketing at Torchbox.

ADLIB: For some background, who are Torchbox and what makes your business offering unique?

Phil: Torchbox works exclusively with organisations that are making the world a better place. Charities that do amazing, life-saving work, all day, every day—nonprofits, public sector organisations and NGOs across the UK.

Our offer includes Digital Product Development; we’re the founding developers of Wagtail CMS and continue to lead the open-source project; as well as bespoke, data-driven campaigns that achieve record-breaking results, across the full Digital Marketing spectrum.

I head up the Digital Marketing team, working on projects for amazing clients including Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, NHS Digital, Mind, Samaritans and Action for Children. We achieve record-breaking results through highly targeted, objective-focused digital campaigns.

ADLIB: In your opinion, what is the most important factor to consider when marketing to a niche audience?

Phil: I think it’s important to consider the viability of marketing something if you know the audience is niche, and that consideration shouldn’t come after a product or service has been delivered. If you’re brainstorming ideas for a new “thing” that you’ll eventually market, then ask yourself straight away who you can reach digitally. Who will buy this thing, and is it possible to reach those people through digital platforms? I’m often asked to market something where there just isn’t a big enough or clear enough digital audience.

ADLIB: What has been the key thing you’ve learned about working closely with charities and not-for-profits?

Phil: It’s often easy to see nonprofits as somehow different to commercial organisations and while there are obviously clear differences, in the marketing world a pound is still a pound and the people in charge of spending that £1 are under just as much pressure to justify return-on-investment as someone at a commercial org.

If anything, because that money was raised by someone doing something for a cause, it’s even more important that spend is justified. But at a fundamental level, the people working at charities, by and large, have pride in the work they’re doing that can’t be matched in someone who works for fizzy drinks or pet store. At Torchbox our team are no different: passion and pride are ultimately what we look for when we recruit.

ADLIB: And do you have one piece of wisdom for aspiring marketers that would like to use their talents to market for good specifically?

Phil: If you don’t care, don’t bother.

Thanks so much for sharing!