TBWA\Spain has presented the results of research that reveals great opportunities to connect with young people, helping them to channel their desire to engage with social causes.

This internationally study has been carried out by TBWA\Spain on behalf of Atresmedia, a leading company in the media sector in terms of promoting and developing corporate responsibility policies.

Examining the views of young people aged between 19 and 29, the research supports the CSR activities of the companies, brands and NGOs and shows that social causes are an important asset when connecting with this generation.

Jesus Fuertes, Strategic Director at TBWA\Spain, said: "This study helps us to understand how a committed generation encourages, guides and feeds the CSR strategies of the companies. The more the brands understand this opportunity, the more they will be able to build relationships with this generation. "

Moral obligation to add value
Two out of every three young people think that companies have a moral obligation to help deal with social problems.

An even greater percentage of young people (68.5%) believe that companies should use their knowledge to help society to resolve its problems.

The difference between this generation and the previous one is that not only do they point the finger at companies that behave badly, they also demand that companies play an active role as part of the solution, which TBWA\Spain has called CorporActivism.

They're talking about you
This generation, characterised by the use of social networks, has redefined activism by combining support for social causes, the use of social networking and entertainment.

83% of young adults would talk to their friends and share content on their social networks about a company that supports a cause they care about.

Social causes generate preference, and preference generates business
73% of young adults prefer to buy products from a company they perceive as socially engaged. It is a strong competitive differentiator.

"This generation is unlike any other and sets the tone for those that follow," says Jesus Fuertes. The Strategic Director of TBWA Spain argues that "we need to understand their motivations, which are much more engaged than any generation we've seen before."

"We must understand that they have grown up in a world characterised by an unsettled global environment and by the importance of social networks and that enhances the importance of social causes as a way to define yourself to others," says Fuertes.

TBWA\Spain highlights five lessons emanating from the study to help organisations implement the CorporActivism strategy.

1 - Add social inclusion issues to the company’s agenda, supporting either social causes outside the company or its own internal behaviour.

2 - Create content worth reporting in the media and sharing via social networks. Content that stimulates their behaviour and is easy to share with their friends.

3 - Connect with their closest concerns, finding local opportunities, especially if you are a big company, with which they can identify and interact.

4 - Convert involvement in a socially responsible cause into something more entertaining and that they can share in their social network.

5 - Help young people to realise that their support is making a difference, reporting on the achievements you are making thanks to them and creating elements that make their level of involvement tangible.

These principles have for a long time been part of Atresmedia's work and its way of understanding social and corporate responsibility, where brands can have a role and a responsibility that is compatible with the creation of content that actively involves the audience.