As a business, showing support for social causes and charities is a great way to give back and show your customers your caring side and it can certainly help draw in new custom – but it’s important to make sure that your support is genuine as it seems that consumers are now starting to question the authenticity of brands aligning themselves with popular causes.

New research from student marketing agency Hype Collective and experiential agency The Park, reported on by The Drum, has just revealed that 59 per cent of people aged between 18 and 24 years old think that the majority of brand support isn’t genuine, while 15 per cent look at it as a way of avoiding criticism.

Take a look at the concept of greenwashing as a reason as to why some may be starting to question a business’s objectives when it comes to shouting about their values.

Also known as green sheen, greenwashing is a kind of marketing and PR spin where companies or organisations spend more time making themselves seem eco-friendly than they do on actually minimising their impact on the environment, all in an attempt to endear themselves to certain demographics.

The Generation Cynic report highlights how younger markets are now waking up to corporate self-interest, with marketing and advertising campaigns facing increasing scrutiny as people become increasingly cynical about the information they’re presented with.

However, 71 per cent of younger adults in the UK believe that supporting causes is the right course of action for brands, even if they are motivated to do so for commercial reasons or to avoid public criticism… so do it – but make sure you’re genuine and that you walk the walk, and don’t just talk the talk.

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