onPhilanthropy reports Cause Marketing rising dramatically. According to IEG, Inc. reports, $1.11 billion was spent in 2005, an estimated $1.34 billion in 2006, $1.44 billion in 2007, and $1.52 billion in 2008, with the projection for 2009 being $1.57 billion.
According to the Cone Millennial Cause Study (2006), 89% of Americans (aged 13 to 25) would switch from one brand to another if the latter brand was associated with a good cause. A significant percentage would also prefer to work for a socially responsible company, which can be linked to the increase in workplace giving programs. Earlier studies by Cone indicate an upward trend in the number of Americans who associate their own buying habits with cause marketing as well linking companies involved with cause marketing with good corporate citizenship.
Current case studies of cause marketing can be followed at http://www.triplepundit.com/category/cause-marketing/, whose slogan is People Planet Profit. They cover cause marketing involving such biggies as Beyonce and Yahoo!, and also organizations such as OXFAM (Show Me, Show Me, Show Me: Causes Use Video to Captivate Consumers)
Pointing out that “social media has opened the floodgates when it comes to causes getting the word out to consumers, but that with the overwhelming amounts of information available online it’s often difficult to ensure message retention, or even that your issue will rise above the clutter…,” TriplePundit describes how causes are employing video to create an emotional connection to drive adoption and action, how it leads viewers to the call to action, and is more compelling than thousands of pages of text on a topic.
3P documents the remarkable way that video can generate mass exposure and support for an issue, showing how video draws users into issues, giving them meat they can sink their teeth into when it achieves a balance between creative execution and content, between information that will drive engagement with the cause and visually impactful imagery to capture and hold attention.
In short, don’t underestimate the entertainment factor in inspiring people to take action, and by doing their part, help change the world. Take your cause online, use video in a creative, inspiring way with the call to action. This partnership between causes and media, corporate and citizen is a must have for every organization in today’s ever changing marketing landscape.
