Cause Marketing Can Be Risky Business

We typically associate cause marketing with feel-good, warm and fuzzy partnerships that do well by doing good for society.  The latest research from Cone is in supporting your suspicion that yes, indeed, you should probably take a look at cause marketing if you're not already...consumers are expecting it more and more.

We talk about how critical it is to have an authentic campaign that resonates with customers and employees, partners and stakeholders.

A Secret About Cause Marketing You Should Know
Someone should also probably let you know there are some serious risks involved with engaging in a cause marketing campaign, cause-related initiative or cause branding effort.

Here's how it plays out.

Contrast cause marketing to pretty much any other marketing campaign or initiative.  What's the worst that could happen if your marketing campaign doesn't resonate with your consumers or employees (beside the fact that you might lose your job or a big chunk of change for the company)?  You get ignored.  A marketer's worst nightmare.  Not a blip on the radar screen.  No change in sales.  No additional awareness.  Nada.

Not true with cause marketing.

You mess up on your cause marketing campaign by choosing the wrong non-profit partner or throwing together a campaign that's inauthentic or politically charged and your downside is this:  people WILL talk about you, but not favorably.  The risk in an ineffective cause campaign is your very reputation.

We know 80% of consumers will switch brands (about equal in price and quality) to one that supports a cause.  But how many of those people are also willing to switch away from your brand because of an ineffective and inauthentic campaign?  I'd wager a good number of them would (hey, Cone, would you add that question to next year’s survey?)

Customer Service to Cause Marketing
It's similar to the old adage about customer service: One satisfied customer tells 3 people.  One unsatisfied customer tells 3,000.  Why is this also true for cause marketing?

Here's my theory:  it's personal.

You wrong a customer and your playing field has suddenly gone from an impersonal business relationship to a personal slight.

Same thing with causes.  It's personal.  Maybe it's our drive to stand up for "the least of these" or because we personally relate with charitable undertakings in some way, shape or form.

Regulating Cause Marketing
It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that the Cone study also revealed that 53% of Americans believe that corporate cause marketing should be regulated.  Message?  Don’t mess with our causes.  As consumers, we’re ready to stand up and defend them, even if it means passing regulation.

So should you consider cause marketing?  I think you know my answer.  Of course you should.  Just remember that cause marketing done carelessly or inauthentically can be risky business.

Why do you think we, as consumers, are so particular about causes?  What examples have you seen of cause marketing gone wrong?  Take a minute and drop a comment.

When I'm not blogging or working on client projects, you can find me on Twitter.  Let's chat!

Subscribe to receive this blog via RSS or email.

Image credit to kyz.

Comments

[Joe Waters]

Great point, Megan. Cause marketing is risky. But what may be even riskier these days is being a brand and company that doesn't do cause marketing. While you may screw up cause marketing, if you don't try--at least in the eyes of consumers (especially moms who do most of the shopping)--you really are screwed.

Joe
@joewaters

[Megan]

Thanks for the comment, Joe. I guess I'm not totally convinced that ALL companies are well-suited for cause marketing (and you and I may differ on this point). Is it better to take a run at cause marketing because you feel it's the tactic-du-jour or is it better to sit it out if you can't execute it authentically?

For me, there are some parallels between cause marketing and social media. If you're going to undertake a social media effort (and I fundamentally believe every company should have a presence if their customers are there), you need to do it right or risk being skewered in that very environment. My stance on that? If you can't execute it well, don't try it at all. Nothing is more irritating to me than a shell of a corporate presence on a social media site.

As I said in the post, I think ALL companies should be looking at cause marketing. My point is just that don't bother entering into the cause space if you're in it for the wrong reasons or you can't pull it off authentically.

As always, I appreciate your thoughts - thanks for taking the conversation to the next level.