Mixing profit and purpose is well into its thirties, but that doesn't mean it is set in its ways. Here's how cause marketing evolved in 2014:

#1: Impact-Focused Alliances
The traditional one-company-one-nonprofit partnership lives on, but wider strategic alliances are on the rise. With a focus on creating lasting, quantifiable social impact, prospective partners are inviting more players to the solutions table to attack an issue from all sides.

Example: The Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation launched a joint cause marketing program called Hunger Is. While the campaign execution was traditional, on the back end, an advisory committee made up of nonprofits including Share Our Strength, Feeding America and the Food Research and Action Center are pooling their expertise to optimize food distribution -- primarily in the form of school breakfasts.

#2: Tackling Tough Issues Kids and puppies are the consumer-friendly causes companies love to support but they aren't the only important issues facing our society. If done authentically, companies brave enough to tackle more sensitive social issues can earn big consumer trust points and meaningfully differentiate their brand.
 
Example: Canadian communications company Bell has committed over $67.5 million since 2010 to the issue of mental health. Each January, Bell Let's Talk day gets consumers sharing awareness messages in exchange for donations to mental health charities and research. Celebrities help reinforce the message and the company has adopted internal standards for psychological health.

#3: Gaming for Good Consumers spent $21.53 billion on electronic gaming last year so it's no wonder that this industry has begun to produce measurable impact for causes. While gaming can take a variety of formats, so too can the cause integration.

Example: Target has released an interactive, in-store mobile experience for the holidays. Bullseye's Playground is a series of mobile games including sledding, ice fishing and snowball fights. Users can play the games on their mobile device and then unlock characters and new game levels with their mobile phone in-store. For every game played, Target will donate $1 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, up to $1 million.

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May your holidays be merry and bright!