David Batstone, in a posting to the Worthwhile blog, recounted the findings of Rob Anderson, executive vice president of the ad agency GolinHarris, who delivered a keynote address recently at the annual conference of the Cause Marketing Forum in New York City. (David was a presenter also.) Anderson highlighted the drivers that determine public recognition of a company as a good corporate citizen.
Anderson first established that corporate citizenship has a significant impact on consumer behavior - 40% of American consumers say that they are more likely to try a company's product if the company contributes to the well-being of their community. Now the bad news: only 25 percent of consumers surveyed believe corporate America is doing an "excellent" or "good" job in its commitment to corporate citizenship.
So what constitutes a good corporate citizen?
GolinHarris consumer research identifies the following as the top 7 key drivers that determine a company's performance as a good corporate citizen (data reflects the percentage of consumers that identified a specific business practice as a major factor in judging a company's reputation):
1. Values its employees well and treats them fairly (85%)
2. Executives and business practices are honest and accountable (83%)
3. Goes beyond what is required to provide safe and reliable products and services (75%)
4. Responsibly markets its products and services (72%)
5. Committed to social responsibility, economic opportunity, environmental protection, etc. (72%)
6. Listens to community or customer input before making business decisions (68%)
7. Is active and involved in the communities where it does business (68%)
To read more, click here.
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