More than seven in 10 consumers have purchased a brand because it supports a cause they believe in, according to PR Week and Barkley Public Relations' "2007 Cause Survey."

Nearly two-thirds of corporate respondents said that they saw positive public relations as a result of their cause marketing.

“Companies are beginning to clearly understand that there is a return on their reputational investment,” said Mike Swenson, president of Barkley Public Relations, in a statement.

More than one-quarter of businesses that had engaged in cause marketing said their sales or retail traffic had increased, and 52% said they gained an enhanced relationship with their target demographic.

A plurality of companies (34.7%) with cause programs funded them through their marketing department, versus 4% who did so through human resources, and 14.7% who had their public relations departments run their cause marketing. The news release that accompanied the study did not detail the remaining 46.6%.

PR Week and Millward Brown surveyed 225 consumers and 143 marketing professionals online in August and September 2007 for the Barkley-commissioned survey.