Cause Marketing to Promote Your Business

Today, more than ever before, consumers expect the companies from which they purchase products to be socially responsible. According to a survey by PR Week/Barkley Cause Survey, 74% of consumers surveyed say that they purchased a brand because it supported a cause and 64% would pay more for a brand they normally wouldn't purchase because it supported  a cause that was important to them. For full survey, visit: www.barkleyus.com

74% of consumers surveyed say they would purchase a brand because it supported a cause and  64% would pay more for a brand they normally wouldn't purchase because supported a cause that is important to them. 

According to the recent CultureQ 2012 study http://www.onesixtyfourth.com/thought-pieces , “Many companies believe they have a responsibility to ‘give back’ to society and to me this is wonderful - in the future....[businesses will] have to give to get.”

So what exactly is Cause Marketing?

There are some distinct differences in ways you can support a nonprofit:

1.    Donation/Philanthropic Giving. This is when the mission of the nonprofit is really close to your heart, so you give a monetary donation to the non-profit organization. You don’t expect anything in return except a thank-you note, of course, and a receipt for tax purposes. The nonprofit hasn’t made any commitment to do anything for your business in exchange for this donation. That’s an example of corporate philanthropy.

2.    Sponsorship. A non-profit organization is having an event or program, you give them a donation to help underwrite the cost. In exchange, you get recognition in return from the non-profit in accordance to the agreed upon corporate sponsorship giving level. That’s a sponsorship. It is not necessarily an act of charity because you expect some return on your investment. The sponsorship cannot be counted off of taxes as a charitable donation, it can however be deducted as a marketing/advertising expense. It is important to consider sponsorships in relationship to your overall marketing plan.

3.    Cause Marketing Campaign. This is more of a mutual partnership because not only will the charity promote you as a partner, you will promote the charity. Cause marketing has become such an important part of corporate marketing strategy that 97% of today’s corporate leaders believe cause marketing is a valid strategy to grow their business. 

History of Cause Marketing?

We may think of cause marketing as a relatively new concept, but it actually dates back to 1976 when the Marriott Corporation partnered with the March of Dimes to promote the grand opening of a 200-acre family entertainment center.  The Marriott’s objective was to generate cost-effective public relations and media coverage of their grand opening. The March of Dimes objective was to increase awareness of the March of Dimes and increase walk pledges.  It was highly successful for both partners.

In 1983 American Express coined the phraise “cause marketing” during its campaign to donate money to different arts organizations in San Francisco every time someone used their American Express card or opened a new account.  It was overwhelmingly successful for both the charities and American Express.

Cause Marketing, Creating Mutually Beneficial Relationships

Cause Marketing should be evaluated in the same way you evaluate other aspects of your marketing mix.  For example if you are trying to communicate to a target audience that listens to Country Music, you would most likely consider advertising on a radio station that plays Country music. Below you will find some examples of logical partnerships between brands and non-profits.

TIE THE PRODUCT FEATURES TO THE CAUSE BENEFITS

Dawn Saves Wildlife
This longstanding campaign is enough to make you believe in premonitions. Dawn was able to pull off a neat trick – parlay its product message into a cause slogan that has endured for over two decades. Many people may not remember the part Dawn played in the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but Dawn was on the spot once again during the BP disaster and people were reminded how Dawn soap is tough on grease (oil) but gentle on hands and wildlife.

TIE THE CAUSE BENEFITS TO THE INTERESTS OF YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

EDUCATIONGeneral Mills Box Tops for Education and
Campbell’s Soups Labels for Education

A large part of both General Mills Products and Campbell’s Soups customer base are families with school age children. In addition to developing a program that benefits a large population of their customers, both companies teamed up with schools to create programs to promote the collection of these labels.

 

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Yoplait

A large part of Yoplait’s consumer base are health concious women. Partnering with Susan G Komen to support breast cancer research is a logical and profitable cause marketing partnership.