To celebrate the 25th year since American Express first coined the term 'cause-related marketing,'  Cone is excited to release our newest research report:  'Past. Present. Future.  The 25th Anniversary of Cause Marketing.'  Download it here . 

Not only have we updated our 15 years of longitudinal data examining Americans’ expectations of companies to support causes, but for the first time, we have captured actual behavioral data in a consumer study conducted with Duke University.  Findings from both surveys, as well as a timeline of the most significant cause-related milestones of the past 25 years and a look into the Socially Responsible Consumer, are available in the complete report.

A few key findings include:

• Exponential sales increases (74% and 28%) in two cause-related product categories
• Participants spent nearly twice as long reviewing cause-related ads as general corporate advertisements
• 78% of Americans feel companies should maintain their philanthropic giving or even give more during tough economic times
• 79% of Americans would be likely to switch brands to one associated with a good cause (compared to 66% in 1993)
• Education, economic development and health and disease topped the list of priority issues for companies to address

Comments

Frank Scarpaci	October 1, 2008 9:22 PM Thank you for acknowledging the 25th anniversary of Cause Marketing. I happened to work for American Express in their Wellesley, MA travel office at the time. I remember being so proud to work for them at the time.
Amy McIntosh	October 9, 2008 9:02 PM I was at Amex in 1983, and I definitely remember cause related marketing. Not sure if it was the first, but the Statue of Liberty campaign and later Hands Across America are the two that stick out in my mind. I was a young marketer with the corporate card and business travel businesses. Amy

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