FRIEND,
What will it take for corporate social impact programs to become mainstream?
Perhaps our polarizing political climate, although tumultuous, will help clarify organizational boundaries and values, driven by the demands of both employees and consumers as their voices increase in number and volume.
But in reality, how many consumers would actually choose, switch, avoid or boycott a brand based upon a stand it takes on a controversial issue?
According to Edelman, a full 50% of consumers (yikes!) Tweet This
In their survey of 14,000 consumers (no small sample), the 2017 Edelman Earned Brand study has dubbed these consumers “belief-driven buyers”.
The one things brands should absolutely NOT do?
Stay silent on critical social issues issues (see the data here).
These “belief-driven buyers” are willing to both buy a brand for the first time (67%) Tweet This as well as pay a premium (23%) Tweet This for brands that support their position on an issue.
Unsurprisingly, this “belief-driven” buyer phenomenon is especially true for millennials. In the U.S., 66% of millennials are belief-driven buyers. Tweet This
This propensity for millennials to act on social issues they care about is also supported by Achieve’s 10-year longitudinal study on millennials. Their latest data focused on millennials’ cause-focused actions in and after an election year.
Their findings?
The actions millennials were willing to take leaned toward political activism but also included purchase-focused actions (for much more on this, get a free webinar here – simply log in using the email to which we sent this message).
So what’s a brand to do?
Excellent question and one we’ll definitely be discussing at this year’s Engage for Good conference in May (save the date: May 23-24, 2018 in Chicago).
Got ideas about how to address this challenge or other topical issues? Be sure to share it with us via the Call for Submissions.
The deadline has been extended until Monday, November 13th to accommodate the Veterans’ Day Holiday this Friday.
And speaking of holidays, if we don’t connect prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday, we hope you enjoy it surrounded by friends and family!
Gratefully yours,
David Hessekiel
President
Engage for Good