Toronto, April 24, 2014: Canadian marketers almost universally believe that purpose marketing is important to brand-building efforts, according to a survey released by the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA). The survey was completed in concurrence with a global study conducted by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) which uncovered similar results.

The findings of the Marketer’s Pulse report are based on a survey conducted January 7 – 31 among 52 senior Canadian marketers representing a cross section of industry sectors and MarCom spending levels. Participants were asked questions about their current business conditions, perceptions and strategic priorities related to purpose marketing, which is defined as supporting a good cause, producing a product that addresses a societal issue or adopting ethical business practices.

“Consistent with the global perspective, dramatically few Canadian marketers believe that it is possible to measure impact on quantifiable financial measures like sales and share price,” said Susan Charles, Vice President of Membership Services at the ACA. “Conversely, almost 95% of both groups feel it is possible to measure the impact of purpose marketing on positive PR and reputation and consumer engagement.

Interestingly, while 74% of Canadian marketers believe social media is essential to engaging consumers with their brand purpose marketing, this shows a disconnect as over half (60%) have experienced consumer backlash.

In terms of brands who lead in purpose marketing efforts, Tim Hortons dominated marketers’ minds. In response to an open ended question, the Canadian brand came out with a whopping 27% of all mentions. Globally, Apple, McDonald’s and Unilever took the top three spots.

The full results of the Marketer’s Pulse survey are available at no charge to ACA members and panel participants, and by subscription.