“Purpose” a purchase trigger and CSR still a focus – according to latest research

Cause related marketing is dead, long live Responsible RoI…

OK this isn’t quite true, but two interesting pieces of research allude to this as a possible new state of marketing affairs (and are also testament to what I’ve been saying for some time now):

According to The Global Edelman Goodpurpose Study http://www.goodpurposecommunity.com/ just released, more than half of consumers have more trust in a brand that is ethically and socially responsible. And crucially, 57% believe brands need to integrate good causes into their day-to-day business, with 90% of consumers feeling that brands needed to do more than just give money to charities and should consider society's interests as much as the business'.

Juxtapose these findings with global consulting and research company BSR’s http://www.bsr.com/ - which found that business leaders are still focused on sustainability and increasingly on social issues, despite the recession – and my suggestion of new marketing order is justified.

I could of course bore you with countless academic studies that further endorse both sets of findings, but as I keep saying in these blogs, actions speak louder than words. So instead I suggest you acknowledge what is fast becoming good business practice in terms of engaging corporate citizenship, and examine how this might apply to your brand.

If the current economic climate has not dampened global business leaders’ consideration of sustainable and CSR-related issues, then there must be some similar resonance or at least reason, with all commercial enterprise, regardless of size. Because what both reports illustrate is that the consumer and the public view have shifted significantly over the last few years. This is more a consumer-driven shift than a recessionary one, with the facilitating catalyst being the internet.

The domino effect of new consumer attitudes and rising social issues, has led to new consumer behaviour and therefore an alternative marketing paradigm, that’s worth serious consideration. Because, to quote a UK businessman, “if you see a bandwagon, you’re too late”