"A portion of the sales from this item will benefit XYZ Charity." We have all seen this kind of thing all over our social media feeds.  This practice of selling items with a give-back is called "cause marketing." In 1983, American Express was one of the first brands to embrace cause marketing by donating 1 cent for every time the card was used to a fund to restore the Statue of Liberty.  Sounds great, right?  The customer gets to feel like they are doing something good every time they go out for dinner or buy themselves some new shoes.  It was a huge success for the brand. Brands/retailers of all sizes are finding that cause marketing is more lucrative than ever.  We will be untangling the reality of cause marketing and helping you decide when you should participate.
And for some extra shade about the American Express/Statue of Liberty project, read this article from 1986!
Do you have your experiences with cause marketing (either as a consumer or working for a brand)?  Drop us a line at [email protected].  Or DM via instagram @clotheshorsepodcast.
Special super thanks to Dustin Travis White for our excellent music and for editing out all those times I said "preast cancer" instead of "breast cancer."