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Marketing is not only conducted to sell consumer and business products. Even non-profits and
governmental agencies market their products and services. The Salvation Army, for instance,
promotes itself when their marching band performs in parades like the Rose Parade in Pasadena -- as shown here!
(Music playing)
In addition, the Salvation Army earns revenue through their
retail stores by selling used goods. Why do they market themselves? Clearly, this increases
their brand awareness, which in turn, increase their chances of attracting charitable donations
and volunteers. Less obvious is why some governmental agencies would conduct marketing. For instance,
why do you suppose the IRS spent millions of taxpayers' dollars to "re-brand" themselves
several years ago? Clearly, every taxpayer is aware of who the IRS is; plus, there's
no avoiding doing business with them! So, why did they try to develop a positive brand
image by using marketing? First of all, research had indicated that taxpayers many years ago
hated the IRS so much, that it was motivation enough for them to cheat on their taxes! By
developing an image of a kinder, gentler tax service, tax receipts went up well beyond
the amount of money that was spent on the advertising campaign. People felt better about
the IRS and consequently were less likely to cheat on their taxes. A side benefit was
that people did not mind working for the IRS, whereas before, working for them carried with
it a certain kind of stigma. People were sometimes embarrassed to admit they worked for the IRS.
Nowadays, people who work for the IRS feel a greater sense of pride. As a result, recruiting
is easier and the quality of people working at the IRS has improved as well. In other
words, it was money well spent!