Research from Cone

Earth Day may be just around the corner, but consumers are buying with an eye toward “green” all year long. A record-high 71 percent of Americans consider the environment when they shop, up from 66 percent in 2008. Additionally, nearly half (45%) of consumers actively seek out environmental information about the products they buy, according to the five-year benchmark of the 2013 Cone Communications Green Gap Trend Tracker.

Cause marketing is already in full force this holiday season, but whether those promotions will translate into sales is yet to be seen. According to the 2012 Cone Communications Holiday Trend Tracker, just 16 percent of consumers plan to purchase, or have already purchased, cause-related gifts (a decrease from 49% in 2010). A substantial 41 percent are still undecided if they’ll participate in holiday cause marketing – signaling a significant opportunity for companies to appeal to the hearts and wallets of consumers.

When it comes to corporate social responsibility (CSR), consumers want more than aspirational mission statements. According to the newly released 2012 Cone Communications Corporate Social Return Trend Tracker, 84 percent of Americans hold companies accountable for producing and communicating the results of CSR commitments by going beyond the mission to robustly communicate progress against well-defined purpose.

Nearly all Americans (92%) believe breast cancer is a critical cause for corporations to support, but just 26 percent feel companies have had a significant positive impact on the issue. Moreover, only half (52%) of consumers believe their individual breast cancer-related purchases make a difference, according to the 2012 Cone Communications Breast Cancer Trend Tracker.

More than one-in-three (35%) moms admit dads have had more influence on grocery store purchases over the last few years. And, with 52 percent of dads now saying they are the primary grocery shopper in the household, dad could soon be taking over as king of the aisle, according to the 2012 Cone Communications Year of the Dad Trend Tracker.

Eight-in-ten Americans don’t believe companies are addressing all of their environmental impacts, and only 44 percent trust companies’ green claims. This skepticism may even affect sales. In fact, as many as 77 percent would be willing to boycott if misled, according to the 2012 Cone Green Gap Trend Tracker.

Welcome to the world of responsible business. And we mean that in the literal sense. The unequivocal takeaway from the 2011 Cone/Echo CR Opportunity Study, the latest in Cone Communications’ 18-year chronicle of consumer expectations of responsible business, is that consumers globally believe companies have an explicit responsibility to help change the world. Additional information is available at www.coneinc.com/globalCRstudy.