On Monday, I received an email with the subject line – “The Death of Cause Marketing? Edelman releases 2010 goodpurpose Study Findings.” Of course, I had to read it, after all, mainstream PR has long suggested cause marketing as a useful “three-for” tactic to bring attention to a product, to promote sales, and to make a company “look good.”
Those of you who know me, either professionally or from a class (especially my Corporate Social Responsibility course), know that I never promoted simple cause marketing. So when I came across the following quote from the Edelman news release https://files.edelman.com/courier/1000@/mail_user_download.html?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffiles.edelman.com%2Fseos%2F1000%2Fmpd%2Fx4604f0^90f102666d2c9e3853436b9250f06055^2010-11-24%2011%3A59%3A59^*%2F4604%2Ffiles%2F4cd80b9a%2FEdelmangoodpurposeUSpressrelease.pdf , I said – “Finally!”
“Cause related-marketing, as we know it, is dead. Purpose must now be ingrained into the core of a company or brand’s proposition. It is no longer enough to slap a ribbon on a product. It must be authentic, long-term and participatory,” said Carol Cone, proclaimed ‘mother of cause marketing’ and managing director, Brand & Corporate Citizenship, Edelman.
A few outlets that covered the story are USA Today (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/11/carol-cone-to-corporate-america-cause-marketing-as-we-know-it-is-dead/1 , the New York Times (http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/support-for-do-good-advertising-but-skepticism-too/?pagemode=print), and The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitchell-markson/give-purpose-a-chance-its_b_778923.html).
So, consumers want to support causes, and consumers want to support companies that help society (interesting note, more consumers do in Brazil, China, India, and Mexico than in the US according to the study) – but – the cause can’t be irrelevant to or separate from the rest of the company’s operations. It can’t be an add-on to otherwise socially irresponsible actions.
The study is one of percentages – as all studies are. Most people, some people. But the lesson is that although random cause marketing sometimes works as a ploy to lure consumers, finally there is evidence that its days are numbered. And savvy and socially responsible PR practitioners - and students in training – will not use cause marketing as just another tactic, but rather will recommend cause marketing only when the company or organization backs it up with authentic, integrated actions supporting that cause in its everyday operations.
