According to Barnes & Noble’s 2012 College Marketing Report, “70 percent of students say they’re more likely to buy from a brand that supports a charitable cause and the majority (63%) is willing to spend more on products tied to a charity.”
When it comes to spending, college students, as a majority, prefer to spend their hard-earned cash on more socially responsible brands. While big names still sell, brands that support causes, charities, or take a positive stance on certain views and policies will usually win out over others.
In a College Explorer Study conducted by Harris Interactive, students were asked about brands that drive their purchases. Thirty-three percent said they purchase brands that are environmentally friendly, support a cause, and/or give back to the community. In the same survey, 1 in 4 students said they had purchased a product in the past year specifically because it supported a cause.
By stocking products and carrying brands that display some sort of social responsibility, you can target the majority of college students who are drawn to supporting brands that fight for a cause.
In honor of National Breast Cancer awareness month The Douglas Stewart Company is recommending specific “Pink” products in the following categories:
Likewise, The Douglas Stewart Co. carries a variety of other socially responsible brands such as GreenSmart, Brenthaven’s Ecco-Prene products, or Pilot’s BeGreen products among many others.
College students want to make a difference in this world in every way possible. They have the influence and they know how to wield it. By offering brands that support causes you can partner with students to impact the world for the better.
retailconnection 
We have found this time after time. Students are often overlooked by strategists and never seen as morally conscious, but as you say this isn’t always the case and they are a very important part of the consumer demographic.