Is there a real link for a business between "doing good" and "doing well?" The answer appears to be yes, according to new data collected by The Schapiro Group. A brand gains a definite edge if consumers associate it with community involvement.
The Schapiro Group initiated a study to test whether membership in the local chamber of commerce or broader community involvement has a positive influence on how consumers feel about a business. Using its proprietary Georgia Legislative Poll, The Schapiro Group invented a company called Wallace Products Group and created various "reputation profiles" for this fictional business. One profile included 20 years of local chamber membership, one featured unspecified "community involvement" and one combined the two. A fourth profile simply said that Wallace Products Group was celebrating its 30th anniversary in business. Respondents were randomly divided into four groups, one for each profile.
The project showed two interesting results. First, respondents were more likely to think they had heard of Wallace Products Group when it was identified as being involved in the community, a 14% increase in "awareness." This effect was less for chamber of commerce membership.
When the question shifted to "willingness to try a comparably priced new product" from Wallace Products Group, a slightly different pattern was evident. This time, involvement in the community had no impact at all, but membership in the chamber of commerce did have a positive effect.
How much of an effect, you ask? The study found that membership in the chamber of commerce increased consumers’ willingness to try a comparably priced new product over its competitors by 10%. An easy opportunity for a 10% increase in sales is something that no business wants to miss.
Senior Strategist Alex Trouteaud of The Schapiro Group says these results are significant for any company concerned with shaping its reputation and increasing its revenue. "The public has expectations and feelings about community activity, and a business must take this into account."
"They gave us a lot more"
Marsha Anderson Bomar, founder and president of Street Smarts, was facing an enviable challenge - managing growth that was running 40 percent a year. Yet explosive growth can fray the relationships that made it possible in the first place. So Marsha wanted to understand the effects on clients and employees of the transportation engineering and planning firm. Last year The Schapiro Group was commissioned to conduct a survey to gauge the mood and identify opportunities for improvement. Says Marsha, "I expected an approach of 'We asked this, we heard that.' But they gave us a lot more."
What Street Smarts received was deep analysis, based on quantitative and qualitative research, that reached well beyond Marsha’s initial goals. "The difference was how The Schapiro Group digested and analyzed the data, and synthesized it in functional categories," she says. Today she is using the findings for both broad strategy formulation and concrete action.
Since Street Smarts opened 17 years ago, one of the firm's strengths has been a close-knit, non-hierarchical culture that draws and retains outstanding talent. "Our company character is a big asset," says Marsha, "and protecting it as we go through these changes is very important." One upcoming change is her own leadership transition that began five years ago and is targeted for completion in 2012. Through The Schapiro Group’s work, Marsha now has valuable insight about how to keep Street Smarts attractively flexible while continuing a pattern of robust growth as she moves toward retirement.
We're Proud of Our Clients
Rinnai Corporation, the nation's leading provider of tankless water heaters (www.foreverhotwater.com), was selected as a Finalist for the 2007 AMY Award Corporate Marketer of the Year.
The Titan Agency, which provides custom designed communications and marketing programs (www.thetitanagency.com), was selected as a Finalist for the 2007 AMY Award Direct Response Marketing Campaign.
Mayor Shirley Franklin convened a press conference to receive the recommendations of her Arts and Culture Funding Task Force. The Task Force, under the leadership of chair Penelope McPhee of the Blank Foundation and co-chair Dr. Andrea Barnwell of Spelman College, prepared a comprehensive set of recommendations for increasing the city's investment in arts and culture.
Malaika Rivers, Executive Director of the Cumberland Community Improvement District (www.cumberlandcid.org), was recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of 40 under age 40 "Up & Comers".
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (www.atlcf.org) received the 2007 Harris Wofford Award from Youth Service America for a program that helps foster-care children become adults.
John Tibbetts ran an impressive race for a first-time candidate in his effort to unseat a long-time incumbent in Georgia's House District 153.
Pat Willis, Executive Director of Voices for Georgia’s Children (www.georgiavoices.org) and Janet Rechtman, Principal of Rechtman Consulting Group (www.rcgroup.net) had scholarship funds established in their honor. The funds will be housed in the Destiny Fund of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation and the gift was made by Betsey Russell, founder of WordOne.
TSG Serves the Community
Individually and as a firm, we are involved in the community and use our expertise to make a difference. TSG President Beth Schapiro recently spoke on strategic planning at the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) public policy conference in Washington, DC.
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TSG Continues to Grow
Welcome to Suvi Sonchaiwanich who has joined TSG in the position of Project Analyst.
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