Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

Through Pause to Support a Cause, participants can choose to participate in surveys about a variety of products. In return a donation will be sent by the company to the charity designated by the person taking the survey.

Participating companies like Ford and Hershey, gain access to a diverse and global panel of consumer attitudes and research, as well as an engaged panel of participants--people who are motivated by their charity of choice rather than for points or rewards. So far, dozens of charities such as American Red Cross, March of Dimes, and the Humane Society of the United States are registered in the program.

Ed Martin, of The Hershey Company and senior fellow at the CMO Council, directs Pause to Support a Cause. I spoke with him yesterday about the initiative. He said the idea came to him after discovering that the global marketing space spends $1 trillion per year to get people's opinions on products. He thought, why not instead put that money toward helping to support a cause? "We are trying to tap into something on the cause side that is deeply personal," he said.

The appeal to businesses is that they get engaged participants while adding an altruistic appeal. Martin says the concept is the same as giving participants coupons, but this helps to monetize something they care deeply about. "More and more it's challenging to get to the right person with the right message. If you can find a way to do it for a little less money you might be able to resonate with the consumer," he explained.

Martin said that he expects thousands of non-profits to eventually participate in the campaign and he's in the process of attracting a "significant" number of corporate and research suppliers. "I believe this is a nice way to help the business side.... At the end of the day there is only so much money. This really taps into a larger business need."