Cause Related Marketing - Charitable Partnership Advice

Cause related marketing, or social marketing as it is often now called, is not new; businesses have been linking themselves to charities or social issues for a very long time. As more and more products and services come on to the market and competition increases, the need to differentiate products and services is becoming increasingly difficult. Social marketing allows businesses and charities to join forces, gain competitive advantage and address social issues.

• 83% of consumers have bought a cause – related product or service. (Source: BITC)

• 67% of consumers think that cause-related marketing should be a standard part of company activities. (Source: BITC)

• In the Government’s second annual CSR report, 50% of consumers saw it as an important factor affecting their purchasing decisions.

The facts speak for themselves; consumers are increasingly demanding greater social awareness from companies selling their products and services and are taking this into consideration when making purchasing decisions.

However, finding the right partner is often difficult and is critical to the success of any cause related marketing activity. The wrong partnership will often end in disaster - usually for both parties.

A good partnership must have two key elements:

• a strong alignment between the charity and the business, services or products; and

• meet key aims and objectives for both parties.

Positive Media has considerable experience in this area and can help you create a cause related marketing campaign that delivers results for both parties.