Social sponsorship has proven to be a relevant tool to express a brand’s values and to add a social dimension to a brand identity. It has the potential to improve brand image, generate better attitudes toward a brand and increase purchase intents. Besides, it is a more powerful lever for brand image than commercial sponsorship.
Cause sponsorship is of great interest, regardless of its relatively small size. That’s because corporate social responsibility has become an indispensable tool for brands looking to set themselves apart from the competition.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an indispensable tool for brands looking to set themselves apart from the competition. Consumers today expect companies to contribute to the collective wellbeing by reducing the environmental impact of their activities and by doing their part to alleviate social problems.
A recent study conducted by the CROP research firm notes how such an approach influences the consumer perception of companies.
Relevent15 conference review
by Loretta Di Vita
He may exhibit a direct manner and the super-charged energy of the Tasmanian Devil on a sugar rush, but Pierre Ladouceur also has a sensitive side that doesn't take long to surface. Beneath the callous of drive and experience, he is somewhat of a—softie.
Hearing him speak easily of "emotional resonance," "a better world for all," and "developing sustainable environments," it quickly becomes apparent that he truly cares about everything that is worth caring about these days. So it's no surprise that even his marketing company has—as he puts it—"heart."
Indeed it was this social conscience, coupled with entrepreneurial flair that led him ten years ago to set up Turbo Marketing to "help companies define and communicate their social and environmental commitments."
Social sponsorship is no longer a bland vehicle for corporate social responsibility or philanthropy. Brands use it more and more to achieve marketing or corporate communication objectives. In that light, the authors discovered that social sponsorship, like its traditional counterpart, is most effective when strategically planned and executed. To achieve desired results, it is paramount for a strong natural fit to exist between the brand and the selected non-profit. Managerial implications are covered below.
Q. – The Save Mai Duong campaign was anything but traditional. What were the objectives? C. R. – The objective was both simple and complex: to find a donor for Mai. The “collateral benefits” were to increase awareness of stem cell donation and to conduct a successful blood drive campaign. But the real objective—the only one—was to find a match for Mai in the Vietnamese community.
