We wrote recently about the larger scale projects that the NFL and others are doin. for breast cancer awareness this month, and how effective a marketing platform sports has become for Susan G. Koman and other groups to get support and raise funds, especially during the month of October. However sometimes some of the most impressive and effective and passionate programs can occur at the grassroots level, the small pebbles in the pond that can always lead to the bigger picture or set best practices for other groups in communities who may not know how effective they can be right at home unless someone shows them the way.
A case in point surfaced this week on the site High School Football America, which showcases many of the key small market stories involving students, schools and coaches both on and off the field across the country. The site focused on Lowell High School in Lowell, Michigan, which took the NFL pink initiative and went a hundred yards farther in their annual Pink Arrow Pride Game. The school raised over $300,000 in and around their gam. by bathing every aspect of the game short of the field in pink. Cheerleaders, every fan, every coach every player, wore pink as a sign of solidarity, with an auction to follow. All the proceeds went to Gild.s Club in Lowell, a windfall for the organization, with a local campaign started at the grassroots and activated by all those in the community.
The activation was not easy, and there was no big marketing budget attached to it. The word of mouth was phenomenal and the sense of community the program generated was as important as the dollars, and showed how the tribal nature of sport, when used for the good, can do wonders. Yes the NFL national platform is a huge awareness and activation opportunity for awareness, and is one that any charity or brand would love to have, if even for a few minutes in the national spotlight. However it is sometimes just as if not more important to remember to follow that activatio. up with the local efforts, which sometimes can have an even more long lasting effect than what the casual fan sees on TV. Lowell High School this past weekend served as a great reminder to all that sometimes the best programs grow at the grassroots, and that it is at the grassroots where perhaps the best activation can occur, especially when tied to a passionate cause or a smart brand.
