Cause Marketing: Why Should You Care?

If you want to see examples of excellent cause marketing campaigns, I highly recommend checking out the Halo Awards winners from the past few years. The Halo Awards annually recognize the best work in cause marketing -- both from non-profits and corporate partners.

You may be saying at this point - Katharine, this is all fine and good, but why should I care?

Here are some facts and statistics about cause marketing for you to think about:

• US spending on cause marketing is expected to hit $1.44 Billion in 2007 according to the IEG Sponsorship Report -- higher than sponsorships in the arts, festivals/annual events, and associations/membership organizations. It represents 10% of the sponsorship market - lagging only behind sports (at 66%) and entertainment tours/attractions (at 11%). Cause marketing is a key marketing tactic.
• A study conducted by the Promotional Marketing Association and the Gable Group, as quoted in Citizen Brand by Marc Gobe, found that "100% of the companies surveyed said their expectations [of their cause marketing program] were met and rated their campaigns as extremely successful."
• If your target market is the "Millennial" generation (born between 1979 and 2001 - a key demographic for many marketers), the 2006 Cone Millennial Cause Study might be of interest. 78% of this community-minded generation "believe that companies have a responsibility to join them [in making the world a better place]." The survey also concluded that this generation is willing to "reward or punish a company based on its commitment to social causes."
• Another finding of the Cone study was that 74% of respondents "indicate they are more likely to pay attention to a company's overall messages when ... the company has a deep commitment to a cause" and almost 90% are willing to switch brands based on association with a good cause. In a world cluttered with messages, being associated with a cause like Go Red can help you cut through the noise.
• In a 2004 study conducted by Harris Interactive, 72% of working Americans would "choose to work for a company that supports charitable causes" when other factors are equal. So a cuase marketing initiative can help attract the best talent.

And those are just a taste of the benefits of cause marketing. I urge you to get more information if it might make sense for your organization. For a professional organization focused on cause marketing (in addition of course to RAMA), check out Cause Marketing Forum.

One final thought ... if you are going to consider cause marketing options for your marketing program, remember the most important factor when considering a potential program (according to Marc Gobe) is "brand relevance; the cause must emanate from, be reflective of, and eventually contribute to the overall brand mission and core corporate belief."

Comments

[Joe]

Hi Katharine, Cause Marketing Forum is great! Also, check out my blog on cause marketing, Selfishgiving.com. Joe