Twenty Years Later, Cause and Social Impact Reign

This week we are proud to share the 2013 Cone Communications Social Impact Study. In the twenty years since Cone Communications first started researching American attitudes and actions around corporate support of social and environmental issues, the verdict is clear: cause is here to stay.

But marketers shouldn't rest on their laurels just yet. Although cause purchasing has increased an astounding 170 percent since 1993, consumers are increasingly looking for proof of progress toward companies' social and environmental commitments; in fact, just 16 percent believes companies have made significant impact around these issues.

The study also reveals new socially engaged consumer segments, including multicultural audiences and Millennials. Enthusiasm for companies to address social and environmental issues reaches new highs when polling Hispanic and African American audiences. Millennials, a generation that's grown up with cause marketing, brings its own nuances to the table. These populations are critical stakeholders and essential partners as companies look to drive meaningful social impact.

Here we've outlined four key takeaways from the study:

To read more on Cone's Prove Your Purpose blog, please click here.