Should brands signal their support for social causes? (Beyond :30 Report)

  • Beyond :30 Study 80
  • Steven Bellman, Amy Rask, Daniel Bulgrin & Duane Varan

Abstract

Do brands benefit from adding a logo supporting a social cause? 

Often, consumers forget which social and environmental causes a brand supports. This in-home study compared the effects, for a minority audience (in this case African-Americans) versus others, of signalling support for the cause by adding a logo to a brand’s TV ad.

Key Findings

  • This study used a controlled in-home experiment (i.e., not a survey), to test the effects of adding a logo to a TV ad showing support for a social cause.
  • The social cause in this study was minority education scholarships, which had heightened relevance at the time of George Floyd’s funeral (June 8/9, 2020), when this study was conducted.
  • Ads for 10 brands were seen by 3 groups: (1) a no-logos control group, (2) a logo-present group, and (3) a logo-absent group, in a context where half of the other brands had logos signalling their support for the cause.
  • The results were mixed, suggesting individual brands need to test whether adding a support logo is a good idea. 

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