The FINANCIAL — Cause marketing has a special appeal to some demographic groups, like moms and millennials. But guys can get on board with a good cause too, and are willing to open their wallets.
An August 2010 survey by PRWeek and Barkley found that this year three-quarters of companies engage in some form of cause marketing, up from 58% in 2009. Marketers agreed that women were overall the most receptive target to such campaigns, but 88% of men said it was important for brands to support a cause.
Further, 55% of male internet users surveyed said they would pay more for a brand or product that supported a cause they cared about. Two-thirds said they would try a new brand because of a cause.
“The Boomer generation has carved out the path toward looking at cause marketing as an important way to connect with consumers,” said Mike Swenson, President, Barkley Public Relations, in a statement. “But even more so do Gen X and Gen Y Millennials, who view it as something that must be done. That’s why we’re seeing the numbers we do with men. It’s no longer a gender issue.”
Child-related causes were most important to men, followed by those dealing with health.
Marketers have an opportunity to target men with cause campaigns that they are already conducting, and to optimize those campaigns to appeal to the male demographic. But the study found that despite widespread brand activity in the cause marketing arena, 68% of marketers said they had no plans to target men because of their perceived indifference and the greater importance of causes to women.
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