NEW YORK—Burson-Marsteller has launching a “caring consumer” specialty group, a sub-practice of its consumer and brand marketing offer. The sub-practice, which draw on experts in consumer and brand marketing, corporate social responsibility and corporate reputation, is designed to build emotional connections between organizations and consumers who care and to help companies communicate good deeds at the corporate level, from philanthropy to sustainability, ethics to community service.

“Consumers are looking for a relationship that goes beyond the transaction of products and services. They have higher expectations of what brands should deliver to them and to their communities,“ says Carline Jorgensen (pictured), managing director, Burson-Marsteller, consumer and brand marketing. ““Companies and organizations eager to connect with social- and civic-minded consumers must appeal to the specific needs and expectations of their target audiences, such as caring moms, caring boomers, caring teens and other discrete groups.”

The new offering is built around The Consumer Care Package, a diagnostic tool and methodology that evaluates an organization’s current socially conscious activities, audits the competitive landscape, captures its aspirations, and defines a unique value proposition that resonates with its target audiences to create a stronger connection with its brand.

A recent online survey conducted by Penn Schoen Berland, in partnership with Burson-Marsteller, Landor and Forbes, measured perceptions of 100 consumer facing top brands and found that consumers are more likely to purchase products and services from companies that understand and address their customers’ unique needs; care about the issues that matter to their customers; are honest and trustworthy; and positively impact the everyday lives of their customers.