Memo to CEOs: People care about causes

New research out from the Cone and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business shows that people will pay more attention to your advertisements if some sort of "cause" is associated with them.

The study was conducted on 182 individual who viewed either a cause-related or generic corporate advertisement for one of four brands, and then entered a mock convenience store where they could actually buy products.

The result? There was a 74% increase in actual purchases for a shampoo brand when it was associated with a cause, and there was a 28% increase in a toothpaste brand purchases when the product was associated with a cause in the earlier advertisement.

The lesson here? People care, or at least they want their brands to care. Or maybe it's just that the ads stuck out in their head because the message wasn't just the same old corporate jargon they're exposed to constantly.

Capitalists to the core would say "duh," this is how capitalism should work. Corporations are rewarded with $$$ by helping out a "cause." It pays to care, people.

So who needs non-profits, or governmental organizations? Riiiight.... well, maybe someday everyone will have all that they need...

What do you think? Have you ever made a purchase because of a cause-related ad that you saw?

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Above see two of the products that immediately came to mind when it came to "cause marketing" - GAP's participation in the RED product line, and Cheerios' heart disease donations.