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%
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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.