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It is more important than ever to incorporate social good into the heart of brand marketing. Promoting social good is not only the right thing to do, but it is also the smart thing to do. In fact, choosing to stay silent about any cause can be diminishing to your business. Consumers are more inclined to support brands that use their platforms to promote social good or social responsibility. According to a study by Cone Communications, 87% of Americans will purchase a product because its company advocated for an issue they cared about. This doesn’t only refer to widespread social issues, and can be unique to what your niche values.
At times like this, being tone-deaf to social issues or even simply ignoring them can break your brand’s success. So let’s take a look at three brands that did exceptionally well in their social good marketing efforts to refer to as an example.
Nike
Nike’s “For Once, Just Don’t Do It” campaign is an excellent example of a brand steering their marketing efforts towards social change. In this instance, Nike’s campaign’s purpose was to acknowledge and stand with the supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. They changed their famous “Just Do It” slogan for this campaign to “For Once, Just Don’t Do It,” which was a response to the BLM movement and more specifically, the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.
On top of supporting social good and spreading awareness towards the very real, racial turmoil in America, Nike gained a lot of positive responses to their campaign, furthering the brand’s success. Regarding the campaign, a study has shown that the general population of consumers ages 16 to 49 perceived the campaign as more empowering than 98% of all other ads.
Warby Parker
Incorporating social good into your marketing campaigns doesn’t have to focus solely on the particular issues highlighted in the current media. Take Warby Parker, for example. They’ve incorporated social good into their brand and their marketing by supporting the distribution of prescription glasses to those in need. The brand implements influencers to spread both brand awareness and awareness towards the cause they are benefiting.
The company has seen exponential growth in consumers and sales due to the implementation of social good in their brand’s values.
Lyft
Lyft is another exceptional example of a brand that implements social good at the heart of their image. Over the past few years, Lyft has made it their mission to support accessible and affordable transportation for all. Their efforts towards supporting communities makes them a consumer favorite against their biggest competitor, Uber. This goes to show that social good intertwined with marketing pairs well and successfully. Advocation and responsibility are key ways to drive up your business’s support and success.
In times like these, the best way to gain consumer support is to place a cause at the heart of your marketing. To begin with this implementation, you must deeply know your niche, what they value, and what motivates their support. Remember, your brand’s platforms not only exist to serve your success, but to serve your community and shed awareness and light.
