Adetem Study Shows Marketers’ Views on CSR: Business Opportunity or Brake?

Purchasing power at half mast, difficult supply of raw materials, global warming… Faced with these challenges, how do marketers see their role in the societal and environmental commitment of their company? Do they see CSR as a brake or a “business” opportunity? To answer these questions, Adetem, a marketing network, conducted the survey with the OpinionWay institute. 164 marketing & communication decision makers and business leaders were interviewed. Result : 8 out of 10 managers (84%) say they have implemented “a CSR action plan” (whether under development or already completed). Nearly 7 out of 10 formulated a purpose and 6 out of 10 (57%) obtained CSR labels or certifications (Ecovadis, B Corp, Lucie 26000, RSE Afnor, etc.).

Deeds… more than words?

Beyond environmental commitments, 75% of companies are involved in “consumer and customer respect projects” and 63% in local development projects (local supplier and service provider partnerships, employment in local areas, etc.). In this context, 57% of marketers believe that their company does more than it says in its communication actions on the subject.

A feverish marketing function on CSR?

Have marketers appropriated their company’s CSR challenges? Can do better, according to them! They are thus 41% to think that the marketing and communication functions have not been able to take on CSR issues in a satisfactory manner.

And yet, the marketing department ranks in the Top 3 of the departments most involved in CSR topics with 49% commitment, behind the general management and strategy (71%) and ahead of the communication department (39%). . For marketers, the place of CSR topics will become essential in 2-3 years for marketing functions, both on the social and societal (90%) and environmental (93%) level. Today, 78% of marketers develop the environmental subject in their communication discourse and 77% develop a responsible design project for the offer.

This approach of “more responsible design of offers and services” is also seen as an opportunity by the marketing functions. For 95% of marketers, this allows them to develop their image, their reputation and create trust, for 79% this brings real economic value to the company, and for 75% it allows them to differentiate themselves from their competitors. In addition, 79% believe that CSR-related regulations are an opportunity for the company to reinvent itself.

A change of business model?

Marketers today have the feeling that companies’ business models are incompatible with the conduct of responsible marketing. 36% believe that we must completely review our economic model and get out of the myth of infinite growth and 60% that we should review part of our economic model, while keeping its basics. Realistic, in total, it is 96% who agree that their company’s business policy needs to be changed to conduct an optimum responsible marketing strategy. They are also 96% to think that CSR and marketing & communication managers must work together to change imaginaries and behaviors towards more responsible models.

Methodology: OpinionWay survey for ADETEM on a sample of 164 marketing & communication decision-makers and business leaders, interviewed by self-administered online questionnaire, from April 8 to May 19, 2023.