GFK: Most Americans Oblivious To Purpose Campaigns, Except For Democrats

The good news if you're a cause-related marketer is you stand a good chance of Democratic voters being aware of what you're doing. The bad news is it's unlikely Americans affiliated with other parties will.

That's the finding of a new study from GFK tracking the impact various purpose-based marketing campaigns have with American consumers.

While the study doesn't explain why Americans of different political affiliations of demographic segments are more or less aware of brand marketers supporting causes, it does suggest that it might be related to an embarrassment of cause-related riches: That cause-related marketing has become so ubiquitous among brands that it's hard for any of them to stand out and resonate with consumers.

“The truth today is that purpose-driven efforts and campaigns have become commonplace – even mundane,” GFK Client Solutions Director for Marketing Effectiveness Eric Villain explains, noting, "If a brand were to completely shun causes, that would likely be noticed; but supporting them is not a differentiator anymore. This means marketers and brands need to work harder – in keeping with their brand essence and the category – to really make an impression with their purpose efforts.”

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Overall, the purpose marketing of retail marketers -- especially Amazon, Walmart and Target -- stood out the most among all Americans, followed by Tesla, Google and Apple.

"In the end, we should not be surprised that, when no salient brands stand out in consumers’ minds, they default to the names they know the best and rely on every day. Amazon and Walmart – as well as brands like Target and Apple – get credit simply for showing up in people’s lives," the report notes, adding, "With so many seemingly identical or remarkably similar purpose claims and efforts competing for people’s attention every day, nothing is standing out – and the effects are a kind of marketing static in which broad brand awareness becomes a deciding factor."

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