NEW YORK—DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) is bringing its Specify With Care (SWC) cause-related marketing program on the road this fall. The initiative invites companies to donate a percentage of sales from designated collections to benefit DIFFA in its fight against HIV/AIDS. Specify With Care affiliate products will be displayed at both NeoCon East in Philadelphia (October 28 to 29, Booth #100-A) and BDNY in New York City (November 8 to 9, Booth #178). Current participating affiliates include Blanco, Bolon, Ege, Maya Romanoff, Laufen and Wolf Gordon.
DIFFA Executive Director Johanna Osburn, comments, “Specify With Care is a great way for us to gain support for our cause, while extending valuable benefits to our generous participating manufacturers. NeoCon East and BDNY draw influential designers and architects from across the workplace, retail, and hospitality design industries. Our participation in these tradeshows allows us to expose those audiences to Specify With Care, increase awareness of DIFFA’s mission and showcase the product lines of its affiliates. Support of SWC helps us ensure that we have the resources to help HIV/AIDS organizations year-round and respond quickly to their needs.”
As Specify With Care grows, DIFFA plans to exhibit at numerous tradeshows throughout the year and support participants through a number of strategic activities and marketing and PR efforts.
Wolf-Gordon is Pioneer Participant
Rick Wolf, whose company Wolf-Gordon Inc. is a pioneer of the program and DIFFA’s single largest sales contributor, states, “Specify With Care is a win-win proposition. It associates manufacturers’ names with a good cause and effectively differentiates their products. The interior design and architectural communities are supporting Specify With Care with overwhelming enthusiasm and optimism.”
Jennifer Block, VP East Coast Operations at Maya Romanoff, adds, “Maya Romanoff has been honored to help promote DIFFA’s mission through the Specify with Care program. We have been able to raise funds for the organization and at the same time engage designers in this important dialogue. An increasing amount of interior designers are looking for ways to give back. This program helps them achieve this humanitarian goal while preserving the integrity of their designs.”
In addition to the goodwill a company generates by participating in Specify With Care, DIFFA offers its affiliates PR and marketing opportunities, as well as exposure at tradeshows and events. Interested companies can contact Steven Williams at swilliams@diffa.org or visit www.diffa.org for more information.
