Doing good is not the primary driver of brand choice, but it plays a meaningful supporting role.
Delivering on core category benefits should always come first.
Across every category we looked at, ESG associations are not the lead driver of brand desire. Trust and Empathy consistently rank higher.
In Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) for example, "I trust completely" ranks 3rd as a driver of brand choice, while "socially responsible" ranks 18th and "active on the environment" ranks 23rd.
But ESG is not irrelevant. Broader benefits, such as contributing to communities and the world people live in, connect strongly to "shares my values“, which is a core empathy driver. And empathy is a significant driver of brand desire across categories.
Done well, cause association is also often a route into being a more dynamic, differentiated brand in your category.
The chart below shows how ESG, Empathy, Dynamism, Price/Value and Trust rank as drivers across all seven categories. Trust leads in most. ESG consistently sit lower, but its relationship with Empathy means its influence is greater than its rank alone suggests.