The easiest way for a company to build a good public image is to support a good cause. The advantage they get out of this is not only does the company look good, but they also get a chance to show off products if the cause they are supporting has public facing events.
Two different companies invested in projects like these, and then set up shop at events, giving out samples and spreading awareness they were involved in the event. To no ones surprise, it worked. One of the companies saw consumers were over four times as likely to purchase the product when compared to a national population study (43% vs. 9%). Not only that, but consumer response to the sponsorship was overwhelming, with most consumers stating they would recommend the product to others.
The other company had consumers three times as likely to purchase, based on whether or not they knew about the sponsored events beforehand (13% vs. 39%). In addition, eight in ten (79%) consumers felt the sponsorship was important. While we can’t say definitively yet whether or not the importance of sponsorship is directly influencing sales, its something we intend to keep an eye on.
With these types of numbers, it appears that socially responsible and fiscally responsible may in fact be the same thing. These companies found an event that appealed to their target demographic, sponsored it, and now they get to watch as, by all appearances, it has a massive influence on likelihood to purchase.
Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53771866@N05/6165902218/