Millennial and Gen Z consumers are highly passionate and prefer to do business with brands that are like-minded in terms of values and causes. Despite this fact, the numbers are showing low associations between causes and brands that have supported them. Why?

According to DoSomething Strategic, a social impact consultancy, marketers are struggling with putting the ideals of cause marketing into practice as brands focus on individual campaigns and not deeper meaning. In a recent survey conducted by dosomething.org, 66% of respondents said association with a cause they are interested in would influence positively their opinion of the brand and 58% said it would sway their propensity to purchase the brand. However, only 12% of consumers made a positive association between the 88 brands tested (i.e. Nike and Dove) with the cause they are linked with.

While the numbers contradict what consumers say they want, it doesn’t mean brands should shy away from cause-related marketing. It does mean they need to commit and make that messaging present in an evergreen fashion. Simply having a POV at a key moment might have a temporary impact, but in order to drive long term results, brands need to inject that stance into their DNA. Patagonia is a great example of this. They continually find ways to creatively support causes that are important to them in a way that feels authentic and meaningful. Patagonia consistently donates 1% of annual profits to environmental groups, donated their $10M Trump tax refund to green charity organizations, and in 2016 donated 100% of Black Friday profits to environmental groups. They are a perfect example of a brand embracing an ongoing cause-based strategy layered with pulses throughout the year.

Today’s customers are savvy and see through efforts to temporarily benefit from a hot topic. In order to win, brands must be authentic and action-driven, because there are few things young consumer find more irritating than empty bullshit promises or statements like #thoughtsandprayers.