Change Minds and Elevate Your Brand - Excerpt From "For Immediate Release" from PR executive Ronn Torossian

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent book excerpt from "For Immediate Release", according to PR executive Ronn Torossian, the best cause marketing can maintain good feelings or improve the feeling consumers have about your brand.  It can also help get people to think about bigger issues they would not normally entertain either because they are not exposed to them during the course of their day, or they don't even know the issues exist.  When a brand helps educate people about important issues, it may be the first or only exposure a consumer has to that cause.  This puts brands in a very powerful position to change hearts and minds, and get people talking about global, regional, local, or social and other issues.

Always, the female hygiene brand, tackled girls' confidence and self-esteem.  It did research that showed 72-percent of girls believed society limits them, particularly in tween or puberty years.  To help build their confidence, the company created the #likeagirl campaign to demonstrate that girls are unstoppable and can shatter the limitations they face. The empowering message and its accompanying hashtag went viral quickly.  94-percent of girls surveyed after the campaign spread to social media, said it encouraged them to be more confident. 

AT&T addressed the major issue of texting while driving, which causes almost 400,000 car crashes per year in the US alone.  The "It Can Wait" campaign encourages drivers to take a pledge, vowing not to text and drive. To date, they have more than 25 million participants, and AT&T has become part of the ongoing conversation about mobile devices and driver safety.

Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's 2019 #LiftTheBan campaign raised awareness about the ban on UK asylum seekers' ability to work while their claims were being reviewed by the government. To highlight the cause, Ben & Jerry's advertised designs of unappealing ice cream flavors as a metaphor for 'things not making sense'.  It also encouraged their customers to sign a petition to lift the ban, while creating engagement with their product.

The Red Cross joined forces with HBO's Award-Winning Series, Game of Thrones to encourage viewers to bleed #ForTheThrone. This partnership raised awareness about blood shortages and the importance of giving blood, especially in times of health crises and helped to drive greater blood donations across the country.  It also helped brand awareness for the Red Cross (and of course, the uber-popular Game of Thrones) and the dire nature of the cause.

When you support a social cause or issue be ready for pushback because you will always have customers who will not agree with you. That means you have to feel very sure of your stance and be confident that it is the right thing for your brand to stand for.  You also have to make sure the cause you are supporting is done accurately and with compassion. If not, you'll be called out on it and you'll have to pull back.

Ronn Torossian has 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific Public Relations professionals. A NYC native, Torossian lives in Manhattan with his children. He is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and active in numerous charities.

SOURCE Ronn Torossian