Keeping it Real

Cause-based marketing has long been a favorite of companies with strong points of view. Consumers respond to brands willing to share what motivates them to be good corporate citizens, and in many cases, will seek out a brand based on its core values. Today more than ever, consumers demand authenticity and transparency from the retailers they support. Whether a brand is creating dialogue surrounding the outcome of the recent presidential election, taking a stance on climate change, LGBTQ rights or gender equality, brands doing good to do well are enjoying unprecedented attention.

Take Toms Shoes (Santa Monica, Calif.) as an excellent example. The company was founded on the notion that corporations can make peoples’ lives better as a byproduct of doing business. For Toms, that began with the pledge that for every pair of sustainably crafted shoes you buy, a pair is donated to a person in need. Today, Toms donates eyewear, helps improve access to safe drinking water and even works to increase the number of safe births in developing countries.

But as quickly as a company can find itself riding the wave as “the next big thing” for its corporate social responsibility efforts, it can experience a fall from favor just as quickly. So if your brand chooses to take a stand on a particular issue or support a non-profit effort, make sure the commitment aligns with your company’s DNA and speaks to the core of your business. Communicate your point of view consistently across consumer touchpoints – including through store design. Show customers your passion and determination to succeed in these efforts, and they will join you.

Because, you see, after 18 months of being bombarded by countless campaign promises, we consumers have become a bit jaded as of late. But give us something to believe in, give us hope for the future wellbeing of our global citizens, and we’ll continue to stand for the causes we believe in.