Every year during Microsoft's Give campaign, I organized a blanket-making event for shelter animals at the Nebraska Humane Society. The secret to getting people to show up? Pizza. And a miniature therapy horse named Streaker.

Paid media buys attention. Cause campaigns build trust, credibility, and community that compounds over time. Here's the business case - with the data to back it up.

Gaming communities don't need to be activated. They're already organized, already moving, and already motivated around things they care about. The question for brands isn't how to engage them - it's whether your cause resonates with them.