Cause-related Marketing Product Research Articles

What Do Consumers Like to See in a Cause-Related Marketing Campaign Board?

The purpose of this study is to discover elements or contents of a Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) campaign’s communication board that may attract consumers to participate in the CRM program. This study focuses on the design of a CRM campaign communication board exclusively based on the perceptions of Malaysian consumers in the hypermarket context. Besides that, this study also identifies social causes applicable for hypermarkets in Malaysia. Employing a qualitative approach, the data in this study were obtained through focus group interviews and were analysed using a content analysis method. The study has identified seven themes that Malaysian consumers would like to see in a communication board, which were hypermarket initiative, communication, tagline and logos, timeframe, types of support (funds handled by NGOs), company-cause fit, and CRM products that are not limited to local products. These elements, if incorporated into a CRM communication board, will appeal to Malaysian consumers. The findings provide insights into the study of CRM communication board content that appeals to hypermarket consumers in Malaysia. This study also contributed to the CRM literature by exploring the applicability of a fairly new social cause (e.g. supporting underprivileged individuals) that can be championed and supported by the hypermarket. This research also offers practical implications for hypermarket managers. Hypermarkets can incorporate the seven elements (hypermarket initiative, communication, tagline and logos, timeframe, types of support, company-cause fit, and CRM products that are not limited to local products) while designing a CRM communication board.

The differential motivation and context effects of cause-related marketing in the hotel industry: The moderating role of consumption value

• The interaction between CM message focus and consumption value have a significant effect on consumers’ intent to recommend a hotel. • For hedonic consumption value, intent to recommend CM product is higher through the benefit-focused message than the cost-focused message. • For utilitarian consumption value, intent to recommend CM product is higher through the cost-focused message than the benefit-focused message. • The mediating role of consumers’ motivation (guilt/warm glow) to choose cause-related marketing product was examined. • Warm glow mediates the interaction between message focus and consumption value on consumers’ intention to recommend CM products. This study examined the effects of cause-related marketing (CM: when the consumer is both a donor and a buyer) on the hotel industry. It suggests that based on the double-entry bookkeeping model in which consumers consider the benefits and costs of CM products, two kinds of strategic CM messages were proposed: “benefit-focused” and “cost-focused.” The findings consequently showed that, for hedonic consumption, consumers have a higher intent to recommend CM products when they receive benefit-focused messages as compared to cost-focused messages; however, the opposite was found for utilitarian consumption. Additionally, factors that motivate consumers to choose CM products were investigated. Specifically, with regard to intent to recommend CM products, the respective mediating effects of guilt and “warm glow” on the interaction between message focus and consumption value were examined. Consequently, warm glow, but not guilt, showed a significant mediation effect in this regard.

Measuring the Impact of Cause-Related Marketing: A Meta-Analysis of Nonprofit and For-profit Alliance Campaigns

ABSTRACT Cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns are a type of joint venture between a business concern and a nonprofit organization. To determine effect sizes for these campaigns, a series of bivariate meta-analyses were conducted using a random effects assumption. Results included the effect of CRM advertising on brand attitudes, r = .248, 95% CI(0.189,0.373), and purchase intentions, r = .277, 95% CI(0.141, 0.404), and the effect of cause-brand fit on brand attitudes, r = .239, 95% CI(0.167,0.309), and purchase intentions, r = .319, 95% CI(0.206, .423). Unfortunately for nonprofit organizations, none of the seven meta-analyses conducted found any effect for the study characteristic, type of cause (generic or branded company). Thus, the contribution of a specific nonprofit organization’s brand did not have a significant impact on consumer attitudes or behavioral intentions to purchase CRM products.

Effects of cause-related marketing campaigns on consumer purchase behavior among French millennials

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns on consumer purchase behavior among French millennials contrasted with their international counterparts. Based on the regulatory-focus theory, the influence of the types of arguments and products is tested on French millennials’ attitudes, intentions and behaviors in the context of CRM campaigns.Design/methodology/approachThree experimental studies among French millennials examine the effects of a CRM campaign vs non-CRM one on purchase behavior (study 1) through varying the formulation of the argument (promotion or prevention – study 2) and the nature of the advertised product (utilitarian or hedonic – study 3).FindingsThe results reveal French millennials’ favorable attitude and greater purchase intention for products carrying CRM messages, displaying similarities with American and Dutch millennials. When exposed to CRM advertising with promotion messages for hedonic products, French millennials, similarly to their South African and American counterparts, show greater purchase intentions, exhibiting cause sensitivity with hedonic products to reach aspirational goals.Research limitations/implicationsInconsistent findings related to French millennials’ willingness to pay are linked to possible message formulation and product nature biases. The study contributes to the CRM literature by bridging regulatory focus and product type in a CRM campaign context, while contrasting millennials’ perceptions from diverse countries.Practical implicationsTo improve CRM effectiveness toward millennials, firms must ensure the consistency between the causes, types of messages and products.Social implicationsCRM campaign efficiency is enhanced when promoted by brands, thereby increasing millennials’ engagement toward the causes.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to explore, in a single study, CRM campaign regulatory focus and product type among French millennials compared with their international counterparts.

Pricing Cause-Related Marketing Products

The broad takeaway from the literature on cause-related marketing products, where firms donate to charities when consumers make a purchase, is that can increase demand. However, recent field results show that embedding donations increases demand only if the price of the product is high enough. Otherwise, demand can diminish in the donation amount, implicating mechanisms beyond warm glow, specifically reputation for generosity. However, there is no extant work informing firms' cause-marketing choices given these non-monotonic demand effects. We seek to close this gap. Drawing from identity theory models, we write a consumer model that incorporates reputation concerns in addition to warm glow. We solve analytically for optimal product prices and donation amounts under a differentiated duopoly as well as a monopoly setting. Our results are surprising. First, equilibrium profits can increase despite reputation concerns reducing consumers' utility. Second, warm glow and reputation concerns play complementary roles: warm glow drives the firm's choice to participate in cause marketing (i.e., embed a positive donation amount), while reputation concerns drive the profitability of the campaign. Third, firms may find it optimal to endogenously design cause marketing campaigns that induce negative reputation effects. Finally, surprisingly, it is in competition, not monopoly, that producers reap the most benefits from reputation concerns.

The Effects of Featured Advertising and Package Labeling on Sustainability of Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) Products

This paper seeks to examine the relative efficacy of cause-related marketing (CRM) product package labeling versus featured advertising efficacy on market performance. One natural setting using scanner data from a grocery store chain and an open-ended survey were conducted to evaluate the financial performance of featured advertising and product labeling in terms of sustainability of cause-related marketing products. Our findings suggest that cause-related marketing product package labeling without featured advertising appears to provide a competitive advantage resulting in superior financial performance. Also, featured advertising without product package labeling boosts products sales. However, when featured advertising is applied to cause-related marketing product package labeling, the effect of such labeling is diminished. Based on our findings, we suggest that final and intermediate sellers of cause-related marketing products should deliver a persuasive message about the sustainability of cause-related marketing products in the context of a conspicuous environment (e.g., Facebook and Twitter). Although featured advertisements and product package labels are two of the most widely-used tools to promote cause-related marketing products, the cause-related marketing literature has largely neglected a meaningful comparison between the two. This paper seeks to fill the gap in the literature.

Impact of Consumers’ Self-Construal, Empathy, and Moral Identity on Purchase Intention toward Cause-Related Marketing Goods: A Perspective of the Moderated Mediation Model

This study examined whether the impact of consumers’ self-construal on purchase intention toward cause-related marketing (CRM) goods was indirectly affected by empathy and moral identity. A total of 524 valid samples were collected, after which the moderated mediation hypotheses were tested using Process software. The research data were segmented into three score groups to compare the differences between the high score and low score groups. The empirical results revealed the following findings. 1) Moral identity internalization and symbolization resulted in positive moderation effects on the direct impact of interdependent self-construal on purchase intention toward CRM products. However, under the mediating effect of empathy, the “low/low” and “high/high” groups from moral identity internalization and symbolization each produced positive and negative moderation effects. 2) Regarding the direct impact of moral identity internalization and symbolization on independent self-construal toward purchase intention toward CRM products, the “low/low” and “low/high” groups from internalization and symbolization produced positive moderation effects. However, under the mediating effect of empathy, only the “low/low” groups from internalization and symbolization produced significant positive mediating effects. Within the consumers’ self-construal and its impact on purchase intention toward CRM products, the mediation role of empathy and moderated mediation role of the two moral identity dimensions in the influence relationship were constructed. In terms of practical aspects, companies are recommended to conduct market segmentation based on consumers’ moral identities and develop distinct marketing strategies accordingly. Future studies are recommended to explore the factors behind the impact of these two groups from moral identity on purchase intention toward CRM products.

Millennial consumers' perception of sportswear brand globalness impacts purchase intention in cause-related product marketing

Our purpose in this study was to examine the structural relationships among the perceptions of college-aged millennials of brand globalness, brand–cause fit, firm motive, and purchase intention in regard to cause-related marketing (CRM) of a product in the sportswear industry. A convenience sample of college students (N = 382) at two universities in a metropolitan city of South Korea participated in the study. Results showed that the college-aged millennials' perception of brand globalness influenced their perceptions of brand–cause fit and firm motive and, subsequently, their purchase intention of a CRM product. In addition, we found that college-aged millennials' perceived brand–cause fit had a positive influence on both perception of firm motive and purchase intention toward the CRM product, and, that firm motive perception partially mediated the relationship between brand–cause fit perception and purchase intention. Consequently, the findings extend previous studies on CRM effectiveness and provide a useful rationale for making managerial decisions when implementing a CRM campaign in sportswear firms.

How to go green: unraveling green preferences of consumers

Purpose – Although a company can manifest its corporate social responsibility (CSR) effort through various strategies, the challenge this presents is that not all CSR activities have identical attributes with respect to the consumers’ perception. The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of four CSR initiatives – regulatory compliance, green cause-related marketing (CRM), green product, and a combination of green CRM and green product – on consumer attitude and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach – An experiment is conducted to investigate how consumers in an emerging Asian market like Thailand respond to different environmental CSR tactics. Findings – The results of this study demonstrate that a specific environmental CSR strategy elicits more favorable response than a general approach of complying with regulations. In addition, engaging in green CRM and offering a green product concurrently is perceived as more appealing than employing only either of the two strategies. The key finding is that in the eyes of Thai consumers, green CRM and green product CSR initiatives are substitutable. Originality/value – The paper conceptualizes the difference between four environmental CSR strategies from dimensions of the firm’s discretion and commitment level and highlights the importance of using specific voluntary environmental CSR strategies over involuntary regulatory compliance. Firms are recommended to engage in either green CRM or green product initiatives. The choice depends on a firm’s resources and opportunities. The addition of green CSR initiatives increases the positive impact on consumer attitude and purchase intention.

The Effects of Consumer Value and Conspicuous Consumption Tendency on the Attitude toward and Purchase Intention of Fashion Cause-related Marketing Products

This study examines how consumer value and conspicuous consumption tendency influence attitudes and purchase intention toward fashion cause-related marketing products. Survey questionnaires were distributed to 326 women in their 20`s to 50`s living in Seoul January 2012. The instruments included measurements of consumer value, conspicuous consumption tendency, attitude toward fashion cause-related marketing products, intention to purchase fashion cause-related marketing products, and demographics. Factor analysis, correlations, and multiple regressions were conducted using SPSS 12.0. The results of this research are as follows. Consumer value affected attitude toward fashion cause-related marketing products as well as intention to purchase products. Those with a higher conspicuous consumption tendency showed a higher intention to purchase fashion cause-related marketing products, regardless of attitude toward fashion CRM products. This indicates that and association with famous prestige brands will increase the possibility of success of cause-related marketing products. The research helps establish a marketing strategy to launch new fashion cause-related marketing products by discovering the relationships between consumer consumption patterns and attitudes toward fashion cause-related marketing products.

Shopping to save lives: Gender and environment theories meet ethical consumption

Much of the current work in the field of ‘gender and environment’ has been developed around case studies of environmental roles, rights and responsibilities at the community or household scale in the South. This paper asserts that the theoretical insights developed through these case studies can be of great use when examining issues of gender and environment in the North, particularly when it comes to issues of ethical consumption. In this paper I examine the promotional discourses of two cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns (where consumption of a CRM product triggers a donation to a development cause) using two such insights: (i) the mutual constitution of gendered subjectivities and environments and (ii) a gender and environment approach to questioning neoliberalization. This approach highlights the ways in which – through consumption – gender is constituted transnationally at the same time that it is constituted in relation to environments. This approach also emphasizes a series of questions about the neoliberal aspects of CRM campaigns that are usually hidden behind discourses of motherhood and responsibility. Overall, I argue that bringing gender and environment and ethical consumption research together allows us to advance both areas of study in critical and insightful ways.

Cause related marketing in New Zealand

AbstractFundraising methods by charitable organisations are changing. Fewer collectors and increasing costs have imposed pressures on the traditional method of envelope appeals. Thus, charities have sought alternative means of gathering necessary funding. Recently in New Zealand, as in other developed countries, there has been a proliferation of charitable organisations linking with a company to raise funds. The company promises a certain monetary donation each time the product is sold. This approach is cause related marketing (CRM).From the literature it is evident that, although there are numerous trade publications discussing certain campaigns, there is a paucity of empirical research in the area of CRM. This study sought to develop an understanding of consumers' behaviour and perceptions towards this promotional activity. A majority of consumers had purchased a CRM product with some switching brands or increasing the quantity usually purchased. Overall, consumers express a favourable attitude to this form of fundraising. However, non‐purchasers in particular are more likely to agree that charities should use other methods for their fundraising. There were no significant differences in attitudes based on gender and income. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications