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Multi-Cultural and Cross-Cultural Cause Marketing

Results released yesterday from the ‘Dynamics of Cause Engagement’ study show that Hispanics and African Americans in the United States are more likely than Caucasians to support causes online than offline, more likely to feel social sites networking help causes raise visibility, and more likely to feel that they personally can help causes through online social networks.

The study comes from Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication, and took place in late 2010. Several results have been reported in the last month from the analysis of ‘Dynamics,’ survey, which was funded by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.

Another study, which also took place in 2010, found that among the 12 countries surveyed, 85 percent of Mexican nationals were likely to buy a brand that supports a good cause, the highest percent of any country surveyed. In that effort, called Edelman’s Goodpurpose Study 2010, Brazil, China and India followed closely behind Mexico. The United States finished fifth, with right around 70 percent of American saying they were likely to buy a brand that supports a good cause.

Between them these two studies address a question I’ve been raising in the Cause Marketing Blog since 2007, namely, how do you effectively cause market multi-culturally in the United States and how do we expand cause marketing across the cultures of the world?

The Goodpurpose study suggests if you have a consumer-facing product that targets Indians, Chinese, Brazilians, and Mexicans cause marketing is certainly worth exploring.

The Georgetown study means that if you want to maximize the trust that Hispanic and African American consumers have for your cause, you should utilize social media.

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