TO TRACE THE ORIGINS OF CAUSE MARKETING, look no further than the 1983 partnership between American Express and the Statue of Liberty restoration project. Each time American Express cardholders used their cards, Amex donated a penny to the historic landmark’s restoration project fund. In addition, the issuer donated $1 for each new card application. The result: American Express raised $1.7 million for the fund in three months. They also increased card usage by 27% and drove up new card application rates by 45%. In board rooms around the world, thousands of mental light bulbs suddenly flickered on, as marketers suddenly realized that it was possible to do well by doing good.