Cars and Drivers

Social Responsibility Campaigns More Attractive to Car Buyers

Paul Ausick

Published: May 17, 2016 2:19 pm

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 7:55 am

The good news for automakers is that 62% of car buyers say that they are more likely to purchase a vehicle brand if that brand is promoting a social good campaign. The bad news is that 60% of buyers are not aware of any automotive social good campaigns.

That data comes from a survey conducted by Kelley Blue Book, and the researchers uncovered a number of interesting consumer opinions as well:

• Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) along with Subaru are the top three brands that come to consumers mind when they first think of social good campaigns
• For those who have heard of a specific campaign, Subaru earned the highest recall with 61% followed by Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) with 44% recall, and Ford with 29%.
• More than half (56%) of those surveyed who support these kinds of campaigns say they would like automakers to support army, military, and veteran organizations, while 42% think campaigns should support children’s charities.
• Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed (64%) expect automakers to carry out social good campaigns.
• More than three-quarters of respondents (77%) say they themselves contribute to charities and 70% say they would like to see carmakers promote social good campaigns.

Kelley Blue Book’s senior director of automotive industry insights said:

It’s clear consumers appreciate automakers that give back to the community through charitable work, and they like to spend their hard-earned money with a company that is making a positive impact in the lives of others. Awareness, however, may be the bigger challenge, with a majority of consumers unaware of any social good efforts sponsored by automakers.

Kelley Blue Book fielded this survey to 1,172 respondents visiting the KBB.com mobile website from March 18-21, 2016.