This just in–cause marketing increases sales!!! And all this time writing about Marketing for Good, you thought I meant “good” as in good for your soul and not “good” as in good for your bottom line. Here’s the scoop as crafted by Ken Hein of BRANDWEEK:
Pier 1 Imports and Payless are likely to get a sales lift from their partnerships with Susan G. Komen during “Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” A series of new studies released today (Oct. 1) show that consumers are more likely to purchase brands that are associated with causes they care about.
The 2008 Cone Cause Evolution Study found that 79% of respondents said they would switch brands (provided price and quality were equal) to the one that is associated with a good cause. Cone, Boston, polled 1,100 adults polled online in August.Eighty-five percent of respondents said they have a more positive image of a company when it supports a cause they care about. The same percentage said it was acceptable for companies to promote their affiliation with nonprofit organizations in their ads. And, 38% have purchased a product associated with a cause in the last year.
Knowing that consumers are interested in cause-related branding, how can companies make it more effective? Eighty-four percent of those polled wanted to select their own cause, 83% said it must be personally relevant and 80% said the nonprofit associated with the brand matters.
Even though companies are struggling, more than half of respondents (52%) said companies should continue to give to nonprofits. More than a quarter (26%) felt companies should give more.
A separate study, conducted in conjunction with Duke University, sought to see if consumers would put their money where their mouth is. In the “2008 Cone/Duke University Behavioral Cause Study,” 182 consumers were exposed to print ads (cause-related or a typical corporate ad) for one of four focus brands in a regional magazine. They were then sent to shop in a mock store that featured 150 SKUs.
All you marketers out there, take note. Now is the time to ramp up your Marketing for Good activities. Many non-profits are getting hammered by the collapse of the financial institutions that used to underwrite their activities. Ride to their rescue, align with a cause that makes sense for your business and or your target, get your employees involved so they feel good about working for you and do it now while your competitors sit on the rears waiting for the market to recover.
