This is good news for corporations, who are finding it harder to out innovate and out advertise their competitors in a marketplace increasingly saturated with new brands. Strategic cause programs provide companies with valuable leadership and differentiation strategies as well as enhanced brand equity and credibility, greater reach and significant resources and relationships. Now, more than ever, companies are realizing the power of aligning with causes. As cause marketing gains momentum in Corporate America, companies are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their efforts. Although companies are supporting causes more strategically, they are not investing in the communications resources needed to best meet their long-term business objectives.
Companies also fall short in leveraging internal marketing resources in their support of causes.
Companies that keep quiet about their cause efforts leave a critical opportunity untapped. As cause marketing continues to evolve, so too will the public s expectations about how companies address social issues. Take Charge of Education and The Home Depot s Team Depot - become an essential part of companies brand personalities. These programs also represent the increasing sophistication of cause marketing efforts today and how strategic philanthropy initiatives will continue to evolve. Traditionally, companies supported causes simply because they felt it was the right thing to do, so there was little need to communicate their efforts.