American youths are "cause" conscious, and more brands are marketing themselves online as positive forces for social change. An article posted on Adweek written by Steve McClellan said 14- to 24-year-old consumers spend $1.2 trillion and brand marketers are quickly realizing marketing campaigns focused on social movements, such as the environment, education or other cause-related initiatives, may earn them more of those dollars.
The article highlights a survey by PTTOW of CEOs and senior marketers from such companies as Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric. Respondents said their companies are using social media and mobile devises, agreeing with the statement: online and social media will be the "most impactful media in connecting with Generation Y over the next two years."
While respondents said they were using more social networking Web sites to boast their companies’ social initiatives, the article noted some are unclear about the return on investment and they are still figuring out which ones are effective at reaching the youth market. And, they also question the best practices when it comes to these new marketing outlets.
However, McClellan noted most of these executives don’t feel social media platforms will replace traditional media.