The latest edition of C&R Research's syndicated YouthBeat report finds that even children as young as 6- to 10-year-olds are more likely to buy a product if a portion of the price goes to a cause they support. The 20 percent who do in the YouthBeat survey panel represent the start of a trend line that grows more pronounced with each age group - to nearly 40 percent of tweens (age 9 to 12) and almost half of the teens.
"The youth market is one that most brands want to crack, and small wonder," said Brenda Hurley, an SVP of Chicago-based C&R Research.
"Some studies put this segment's annual spending power at $43 billion, and that doesn't even factor in children's ability to influence their parents' spending.”
"In fact, that influence should be considered as businesses sharpen their cause agendas, since 20 percent of the teens in our panel said they had asked their parents to buy particular products because of their support of a cause," she added.
The YouthBeat report notes that even brands whose footprints just touch on worthy causes, without an explicit tie-in to sales, will see it pay off in a stronger relationship with this market. Nearly 40 percent of teens and tweens (and more girls than boys) say they have bought a product because it was made from recycled materials, for example. Their top concerns include child abuse, animal welfare, drug abuse, world hunger and the environment, among others.
Hurley cautioned, however, that marketers should plan their strategies carefully before playing the social responsibility card, particularly with the youth market.
"This is a group that's well-informed and not without some degree of cynicism," she said. "The authenticity factor is critical here. It can be hard to recover if that's compromised."
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