CMO Council activates ‘Pause to Support a Cause’ campaign.

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council announced a partnership with Op4G, Inc. that will enable companies and government agencies to field research more cost-effectively and efficiently while also supporting the work of non-profit organizations worldwide.

The CMO Council’s “Pause to Support a Cause” campaign, powered by Op4G, is a novel corporate social responsibility initiative that invites non-profits and their public service-minded members to take part in market research activities — conducted simply and efficiently online — as a new way to raise funds or earn income.

The cause-directed survey model will help market researchers connect with difficult-to-reach consumers and audience segments. It will lower research costs, shorten fielding times, heighten response rates and encourage more consistent survey feedback and participation. Additionally, by linking survey fielding to non-profit donations, marketers can add a powerful altruistic appeal and ensure market research dollars produce real social value while improving brand insight and perception.

“Each year, nearly $20 billion is spent on market research, several billion of which goes towards costly, time-consuming incentives rewards, giveaways and other gifts that gain or induce response,” noted Donovan Neale-May, the executive director of the CMO Council, which has more than 6,000 marketing executive members controlling an estimated $200 billion in annual spend. ”Deploying these dollars in a more socially beneficial way, the Pause to Support a Cause campaign invites global marketers to use a dedicated panel of highly-motivated, demographically diverse consumers who have elected to participate in market research as a way to raise money for their charities of choice.”

In developing Pause to Support a Cause, the CMO Council worked closely with Edward Martin, the pioneer of the corporate social responsibility partner-marketing model, who advanced ideas behind the campaign. Martin is the director of international insights and new methods at Hershey’s and has held similar positions at Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, Citibank and Ford Motor Company.