The flagship publication of the advertising industry, Adage, recently ran this article about ROI (return on investment) in what it calls cause marketing. The article speaks for itself.

“While the cynical outlook, repeated endlessly across the blogosphere, is that cause marketing is all about making money, perhaps the more mature, post-cynical outlook is, yes, of course it is, and, well, it should be.”

So the author, and Adage, believe that a “mature, post-cynical outlook” is one in which corporate charities like Ronald McDonald House are and should be “all about making money”? I got a chuckle out of that. This attitude is post-cynical in the same way that donuts are good for your prostate.