Majority Of Surveyed Consumers Are More Likely To Purchase A Vehicle Brand If Promoting A Social Good Campaign, According To Kelley Blue Book

However, Overall Automotive Corporate Social Responsibility Awareness Lags

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May 17, 2016, 09:00 ET

IRVINE, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporate social responsibility can make a strong impact on how and where car shoppers spend their dollars, but only if they know about it. Many automotive companies have campaigns that seek to inspire social good, and when correctly promoted, the organization's investment in charitable causes can resonate with consumers by strengthening brand awareness, humanizing the organization and even affecting the bottom line. In fact, corporate social responsibility campaigns can be so influential that the majority of consumers say they are more likely to purchase a vehicle brand if it is promoting a social good campaign, according to a new survey from Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry.

"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," said Karl Brauer, senior director of automotive industry insights at Kelley Blue Book. "Awareness, however, may be the bigger challenge, with a majority of consumers unaware of any social good efforts sponsored by automakers."

Highlights from the Kelley Blue Book Social Good Campaign Survey:

Sixty-two percent say they are more likely to purchase a vehicle brand if that brand is promoting a social good campaign.
However, the majority of respondents (60 percent) are unaware of any automotive social good campaigns.
- For those who have heard of specific social good campaigns, Subaru had the highest percentage of recollection at 61 percent, followed by Honda at 44 percent and Ford at 29 percent.
- Millennials are more aware of the Helpful Honda Dealers Campaign than any other age group.
Ford, Chevrolet and Subaru are the top three brands that come to mind when consumers first think of social good campaigns.
Fifty-six percent of respondents who support these types of campaigns say they would like auto manufacturers to support army, military and/or veteran organizations, followed by children's charities at 42 percent.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64 percent) expect auto manufacturers to carry out social good campaigns.
Seventy percent say they would like to see more automakers promote social good campaigns.
Seventy-seven percent of those surveyed personally donate money and/or goods to charities.

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

To discuss this topic, or any other automotive-related information, with a Kelley Blue Book analyst on-camera via the company's on-site studio, please contact a member of the Public Relations team to book an interview.

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About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2015 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for four consecutive years. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive™ brand.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, vAuto®, Xtime® and a host of other brands. The global company has nearly 30,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of $18 billion and approximately 55,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

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SOURCE Kelley Blue Book