Cause marketing campaigns help companies boost brand perception, by aligning their brand in support of a non-profit or a cause.
Companies spend millions every year on cause marketing. In fact, it’s grown to be a $2 billion annual market as of 2016. This growth is fueled by numerous studies that have shown that over 90% of consumers would be more willing to purchase a product if it aligns with a cause. Great brands know that corporate responsibility ultimately adds up to increased sales.
However, it’s not a guaranteed win: efforts to tap into the emotion (and wallets) of consumers can unfortunately fall flat. Some very well-intentioned companies have run into big problems with their cause marketing campaigns:
- Rushing to the message without understanding the underlying issues. If you’re trying to simplify the problem into a 30 second ad spot, you risk missing the mark.
- Your product is not related to the solution of the cause/problem you’re associating with. For instance, a can of soda can’t actually help build bridges between protestors and the authorities.
- Lack of transparency/action. An automaker touts that they support gender equality, without providing any information about the actions they are taking within their own organization to make it a reality.
When companies get it right, they put action behind their message, by taking measurable, provable steps to align their business around the cause.
Some helpful tips:
- In your campaign, provide consumers with easy-to-follow links to details on your website that describe how your business is going beyond the marketing campaign to help solve the problem.
- If you’re aligning your product with a cause, consider making a charitable donation as part of each sale to support a non-profit.
- Share data open and transparently about how your company is making a difference in this area.
We believe products like Same Role Same Pay can companies create measurable outcomes that will build trust with consumers. When you back your words with action, your words hold meaning.