Cause Marketing: Coming Of Age

At the still-young age of 35, cause marketing has matured into an important component of the business and nonprofit relationship. What started off as an experiment in 1976 (Cause marketing’s unofficial birth date) with a partnership between Marriott and March of Dimes has evolved over several decades to become a $1.7 billion life-support machine for nonprofits of all missions and sizes. Businesses seek out nonprofit organizations to support their CSR programs, while consumers say they increasingly care about the causes the companies they buy from support.

A win-win?

Yet of 96% of respondents in a new survey (conducted by communications company MSLGROUP) who say they identify with two or three causes, be it cancer prevention or fighting African hunger, or anything in between, only a little over one third of those individuals end up buying from companies linked to those issues.

That equation doesn’t stack up, so what’s going on?

Getting into bed with the right partner

Let’s start by looking at the relationship: It is absolutely critical for both entities to forge the right relationship, not just any relationship. In an extreme example for instance, imagine the public reaction if the American Cancer Society were found to be working alongside Big Tobacco to fight, let’s say, lung and esophageal cancer – two deadly forms of the disease strongly linked to cigarettes and other nicotine products? It would be a disaster for sure.

While a scenario like this is quite unlikely, many lower-level faux pas happen regularly –think Kentucky Fried Chicken and its partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure – leading to consumer skepticism and wariness over the legitimate altruism of profit-non-profit

partnerships. Just type the phrase “cause marketing fraud” into a Google search and you end up with 3.4 million hits. Feeling lucky? Try the phrase: “cause marketing bad decisions” and the hits jump to 27 million.

Wow, talk about a strategically bad decision.

Altruism goes beyond the marketing, it’s about “heartshare”

Beyond just doing your homework, a recent post on Selfishgiving.com offers another often-ignored tip: appeal to hearts, not heads. Statistics are great, the theory goes, but at the end of the day, trumping your emotional card may be the best way to win over consumer support. One in 10 women age 70 and over may develop cervical cancer, according to a new study, but if it’s your relative or loved one who is sick, the stats can go right out the window. Personalizing and individualizing your cause evokes empathy from a consumer.

These common sense tips can go a long way to ensure that cause marketing’s historic success will not be overshadowed by public skepticism or recent case-by-case blunders.

It’s hard enough in today’s business and giving climate without getting in to bed with the wrong partner.