Social impact is something that’s becoming required and expected of brands, especially when it comes to events. Consumers are expecting brands to want more than just profit and are relying on social impact to be a huge factor in that, whether the brand is standing for a mission, donating, or just being impactful in other ways. Standard event marketing is facing a huge gap when it comes to driving emotional connections; this is where social impact and cause-driven activations come in. Let’s talk more about cause-driven activations and how you can start engaging customers through social impact at events. 

What Are Cause-Driven Activations? 

To start implementing this into your event marketing, it’s important to understand exactly what cause-driven activations actually are. Essentially, they are event activations that tie in the brand experience to an impact, whether that be social, environmental, or community causes. These types of activations help to invoke an emotional reaction and overall connect more with those who are attending and contemplating purchasing from you. A few different ideas for this type of activation are a charity tie-in, donation-based participation, or volunteer-based events. 

Why Cause-Driven Activations Resonate with Audiences?

As we stated above, cause-driven activations resonate more with audiences due to the emotional impact that it has on them. Most consumers are looking for more when it comes to choosing a brand to purchase from, a brand to support, or an event to attend. Here’s a breakdown of why this type of activation resonates with audiences: 

Authenticity Builds Trust: Consumers are looking for brands that they can trust, not just one that’s trying to sell to them. Many markets seem saturated due to the number of businesses that are out there, which means that you need to have a real impact on them. Having a cause-driven approach shows that you are committed. 

Storytelling Potential: Storytelling is a great way to connect with people and help them to see things in a different light. Social causes provide storytelling opportunities that are meaningful, relatable, and help with connecting to your audience. 

You Have a Purpose: Having a purpose is important when it comes to choosing your brand or your event over another. Experiential marketing and cause-driven activations show purpose for more than just profit. 

Shareability: Cause-driven activations are shareable, which means that many people who join your event and see what you’re doing will be more likely to share. In return, this can help your event and brand reach new audiences and more people. 

Best Practices for Designing a Cause-Driven Activation 

When it comes to designing your cause-driven activation, it’s important to take into consideration many different aspects to ensure that it’s set up for your target audience. Here’s a deeper look at the best practices for designing a cause-driven activation: 

• Pick a cause that aligns with your brand values and resonates with your target audience, not just a random cause that you decide on. 
• Make the activation participatory by creating opportunities for them to take action and be involved. 
• Balance fun and purpose by showcasing the impactful areas of the event, while making it exciting and fun for those who attend. 
• Be sure to keep the event authentic to your brand and be transparent about aspects of the cause. 
• Measure impact by showcasing what you’ve been able to accomplish. Some examples could be “meals donated,” “money raised,” or something similar that falls in line with your event and social impact area. 

What You Get Out of Cause-Driven Activations 

Although you are doing this for a cause and to showcase your social impact, it’s important to still understand the ROI for events like these. When you look at experiential marketing, there are mainly three different areas that you can get a return on investment, which include social, emotional, and business. 

Social ROI: This measures the shareability and media earned through the storytelling aspect. Sharing, reposting, and social media can help you to gain social ROI, which can boost your visibility. 

Emotional ROI: This measures the emotional impact that you have on those who are attending your event. Having an emotional impact builds brand trust and loyalty, creating loyal customers and audiences at the same time. 

Business ROI: This measures the actual numbers that you might be familiar with when it comes to customer retention and brand preference among consumers. 

The Future of Cause-Driven Activations

With social impact and cause being the center of many purchasing and supporting decisions, it is expected that there will be a popularity in these types of activations. Eventually, they will most likely evolve into the standard of experiential marketing and activations. With that said, there is also a technology piece that will allow you to bring even more depth to the activation with gamification and AR/VR. As people continue to support more than just material aspects, there’s going to be a need to focus on a mission, impact, and value within each business, which should be showcased in activations like cause-driven activations. 

Are Experiential Marketing and Cause-Driven Activations for You?

There’s a need for every business to explore the opportunities when it comes to experiential marketing and cause-driven activation. Ultimately, this will be a standard for marketing, and businesses that are interested should incorporate it into their marketing strategy sooner rather than later. If you’re a business that is looking to expand your marketing strategy and make more of an impact on your audience, then experiential marketing is a great place to start. At Factory360, we offer expert help in implementing experiential marketing into your business, as well as planning out events that are cause-driven and make an impact. Contact us today if you are ready to take the leap to invest in this marketing strategy, connect with your audience, and truly make an impact on those who are exposed to your brand.