Consumer Survey Uncovers variables in CSR Communications

A new consumer survey uncovers variables that drive successful corporate responsibility communications.
A US consumer trust survey has looked into why some corporate responsibility communications drive consumer trust while others fail.

The survey was carried out by researchers DDB Brand Integrity Group in conjunction with Ideal Bite an eco-friendly online resource.

Answered by more than 700 Ideal Bite subscribers, the survey highlights the urgency of values-driven corporate citizenship initiatives and straightforward communications.

Key findings include:

• Respondents cited insincerity with first-party seals of approval and rejected campaigns that lacked specificity and transparency.

• Respondents did not find donation-with-purchase programs compelling. Instead, aligning a corporate cause with a company’s DNA received a favourable response.

• Partnerships between corporations and Not for Profits were often seen as self-serving efforts.

Jen Boulden, cofounder of Ideal Bite says these ‘new environmentalists’ are not wearing Birkenstocks, and they are not living in yurts. But they are consuming with a conscience. They are guided by their values and vote with their dollars.

The survey examined 14 different companies through side-by-side comparisons of expressions of similar corporate responsibility initiatives. Respondents were asked which examples were more trustworthy or credible and why.

Examples included comparing companies with similar products and campaigns, different brands focusing on a similar issue, different approaches to corporate social responsibility communications, and endorsements and partnership programs.

Ideal Bite (www.idealbite.com) is an online source for connecting good companies to appreciative consumers by sending out free eco-living tips to an opt-in database each weekday, via e-mail. Ideal Bite launched in the U.S. in June 2005, and has since introduced the concept of "light green living" to tens of thousands of daily readers.