Perceived altruism in cause-related marketing

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how corporate image may mediate the effects of cause-related marketing on consumer behavior, aiming to expand existing literature in the field of corporate social responsibility. Altruism was used as a moderator of the proposed relationships. The conceptual model presents 7 hypotheses, and the testing is based on a sample of 463 valid respondents from Brazil and Portugal. Data was collected through an online survey and statistically analyzed using the structural equations modeling. The Ekos line of the Brazilian brand Natura is used as an object of study in this research. Brand-cause fit, consumer-cause identification and trust in cause-related marketing (CRM) campaign showed evidence of a positive relationship with corporate image. Corporate image showed a positive relationship with purchase intention, life satisfaction and brand attitude. However, results show how different levels of altruism may affect consumer perceptions. The study has several limitations, in particular due to the use of a convenience sample. This research finds evidence of relevant impacts of brand-cause fit, consumer-cause identification and trust in CRM campaign in the construction of a credible corporate image, which in turn influences greatly purchase intention, consumer satisfaction and overall attitude towards brand, giving precious clues to how to redirect marketing campaigns. The research offers a model that depicts the chain of effects between a CRM campaign and customer decision, introducing the possible impacts on life satisfaction and the moderation of consumer altruistic values.