People aren’t stupid. The one major shift that the internet and social media has done is it’s made everything transparent. People can’t be sold on what they’re told via broadcast anymore. With yelp, tumblr, google, amazon, facebook, twitter and whatever the hot new network will be in a month or two, every user is empowered to be informed about their purchasing decisions. So big brands like Pepsi, can’t get away with doing dumb shit like this: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/kfc-selling-mega-jugs-of-pepsi-for-diabetes That news is gonna be blasted all over the internet and whatever you invested is working to lower brand perception. Today, people see cause-related marketing by big corporations as exactly what it is: a marketing tactic. It’s not philanthropy in your audience’s eyes, it’s throwing money at poor or unfortunate people to look good. Businesses that are finding success today are purpose driven brands, not brands with purpose driven advertising. Tom’s, Warby Parker, Neighborgoods, Getaround, all the new hot start-ups have good at their core. Word spreads fast when people feel like they’re backing something that is larger than just the material world. With business revenues of giants like Wal-Mart rivaling GDP’s of entire nations, capitalism can be used as a huge force for good, and people are starting to see that. So stop pretending to care, and start actually redesigning your entire business so that good is at the core. People want to follow leaders with a vision, be that leader and that catalyst for change and you will create not only loyalists but advocates.