There’s no doubt about it, cause marketing has matured—or, at least it is in a massive growth spurt! Industry studies abound that illustrate the ever-increasing demand for authentic corporate-cause partnerships. There is also some exciting NEW DATA about the return on investment (ROI) that can be realized if organizations get their cause and social impact strategies right – particularly around employee engagement.
Image Credit: “The Importance of Employee Engagement” Infographic – Dale Carnegie Training and MSW Research
For instance, companies with engaged employees outperformed those without by up to 202% and a key driver of employee engagement is employees being proud of their company’s contributions to society -according to Dale Carnegie Training & MSW research.* Pretty impressive.
KEY TAKE-AWAY:
Cause-related employee engagement strategies have HUGE potential. What are you doing to capitalize on this opportunity?
Image Credit: “The Importance of Employee Engagement” Infographic – Dale Carnegie Training and MSW Research
CAUSE MARKETING APPEALS TO KEY GROUPS: MOMS, MEN, MILLENNIALS
Across the board –including important sub-groups: moms, men, Millennials – people want to make a difference by participating in campaigns. But, they are savvy. They want to know that they are supporting authentic initiatives making real change. By now, people are wise to cause-washing, superficial partnerships and to corporate misbehavior. Stakeholders reward or punish accordingly with their wallets, with their ever-growing social media voices, and via the opportunity cost of unrealized potential at their jobs. Here are a few more numbers to absorb…see downloadable document below for many more:
America’s Charity Checkout Champions – Top Campaigns That Inspired Consumers to Donate at Point of Sale in 2012 by Cause Marketing Forum
More than $358 million was raised in 2012 by an elite group of 63, million-dollar-plus charity checkout campaigns.
2013 Cone Communications/Echo Global Corporate Social Responsibility Study
- Given similar price and quality, 91% of consumers are very or somewhat likely to switch brands to one that is associated with a good cause.
- 90% If I learned of a company’s irresponsible or deceptive business practices, I would stop buying its product
2012 Cone Communications Corporate Social Return Trend Tracker
- 82% say they are more likely to purchase a product that clearly demonstrates the results of the company’s CSR initiatives than one that does not
- 40% will not purchase a company’s products/services if CSR results are not communicated
2011 American Millennials: Deciphering the Enigma Generation by Service Management Group, The Boston Consulting Group and Barkley
- More Millennials than non-Millennials attempt to buy products from companies who support the causes they care about (52% versus 45%).
- Millennials, more than Non-Millennials, prefer active engagement in cause campaigns, such as volunteering their time (31% versus 26%), cause-support purchasing (37% versus 30%), encouraging others to support a cause (30% versus 22%), and participating in fundraising events (27% versus 16%).
PUT THE RESEARCH TO WORK
Wise companies will be more strategic about creating integrated cause partnerships and they will also do a better job of communicating specific impact effectively. On the flip-side, savvy nonprofits will do a great job of measuring and reporting impact and creating new and innovative ways of working with companies.
To save you some time, we’ve compiled a categorized list of studies, “Cause Marketing – It’s In The Numbers,” that showcases the demand and the business case for effective cause-related initiatives. This convenient compilation points to the huge opportunities that exist for pro-active organizations. Download it here for FREE.
Need some help getting to work on your organization’s “good work?” For Momentum helps many leading corporations,non-profits and agencies to do just that with an array of services to meet your needs. Give us a call.
