• by Ray Schultz , February 11, 2021

Most B2C brands changed their strategies in 2020 in an effort to build consumer trust, according to a study by Iterable. 

Of the marketers polled, 87% say their firm felt the need to make such a shift. 

COVID-19 was the main cause of these moves, but companies also issued public statements on these issues: 

• Racial inequality: 47% 
• Public health: 40%
• Gender inequality: 34%
• LGBTQIA pride: 32%
• Climate change: 29%
• Politics/the 2020 election: 23% 
• Defunding the police: 21% 

To highlight these issues, B2C firms sent a plethora of emails on their values and how they were handling the pandemic, judging by anecdotal evidence. And Iterable says they employed the following tactics: 

• Partnering with an organization/non-profit/charity on an initiative to benefit those affected by the issue: 57%
• Creating social media content that advocated for the issue:57%
• Donating a portion of profits to an organization:46%
• Sending direct messaging about the issue to their customer base: 36%
• Giving employees paid time off to volunteer or protest: 22% 

But 51% don’t think their firms went far enough.

Yet 79% of firms are planning to conduct campaigns with messaging on social justice, gender inequality, LGBTQIA pride and climate change. 

At the same time, 83% agreed their companies should remain politically neutral, with 41% strongly agreeing. 

Iterable, a CX platform provider, surveyed B2C marketers from the U.S. and U.K.