Effectiveness Of Cause-related Marketing Research Articles

Mitigating effect of providing specific information on consumers’ negative reactions to cause-related marketing

Cause-related marketing (CRM) has received attention from companies around the world in recent years. Companies in Japan use CRM, but they are struggling with it because Japanese consumers have little interest in social contribution and have negative attitudes toward CRM. This study addresses the reason why Japanese consumers display negative attitudes toward products related to CRM from the viewpoint of company motives toward CRM. An online survey was completed by 290 university students in Japan. We estimated the data using the Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) method. We found that Japanese consumers displayed negative willingness to pay (WTP) toward a well-known brand’s product with CRM information (β = −2.485, WTP = −106.7, p < .001). Providing information on the company’s motive for long-term commitment to CRM (the company’s positive motive for CRM) mitigates the negative effect of CRM (β = −1.721, WTP = −46.3, p < .001). Given this information, the overall assessment (WTP) of CRM (whether a CRM campaign has positive effects on product choice or not) is 2.6, which value is larger than the −45.2 WTP value where a consumer is not given this information. Our results contribute to the theoretical and practical aspects of CRM. Theoretically, we investigate the negative aspects of CRM, whereas many studies focus only on the positive aspects. We concluded that, in Japan, a company is required to demonstrate the motive behind their CRM campaign for it to have an impact on product choice.

The effect of cause-related marketing on the green consumption attitude–behaviour gap in the cosmetics industry

PurposeThe aim of the article is to analyze the effect of cause-related marketing on the attitude–behaviour gap of green consumption in the cosmetics industry. Specifically, the authors examine the relationship between attitude towards the environment, attitude towards green consumption, subjective norms of green consumption, green consumption intention, green consumption behaviour and cause-related marketing.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional research design was used to test the results of a random sample of 241 respondents and quantitative research was conducted using the data collected through an online questionnaire.FindingsThe research expanded the current knowledge on the effect of cause-related marketing on consumers’ green purchase behaviour and the findings suggested that green cosmetics producers and sellers should clearly define their target audience before choosing the type of cause-related marketing, as it mainly influences those consumers who have a positive attitude towards green consumption.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of the research are relevant for marketing specialists, managers and agencies who are looking to promote green cosmetics products.Practical implicationsBefore promoting green cosmetics products, it is important to understand who the target consumer is and whether they have a positive attitude towards the environment, green consumption and also if they are affected by acquaintances’ opinions.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the already existing academic literature by providing a greater understanding of the effect of cause-related marketing on the attitude–behaviour gap of green consumption.

The Effectiveness of Cause-Related Marketing: A Meta-Analysis on Consumer Responses

Cause-related marketing (CM), which links corporate donations to consumer purchases, has ongoing momentum in marketing. As the magnitude and direction of consumers’ response to CM are inconclusive, this meta-analysis synthesizes evidence on main and moderator effects from 237 studies. On average, the authors find a moderate effect for attitudinal response (d = .458) and a weak effect for behavioral response (d = .283; both ps < .001), both with high underlying heterogeneity. A multivariate meta-regression on CM moderators grounded along four conceptual pillars—transparency, signals of sincerity, purchase context, and consumers’ emotional attachment to CM—shows that attitudinal effects hinge mostly on emotional attachment. Suboptimal execution and poor communication of the donation appeal in particular can even have detrimental effects on attitudes. In addition, various moderators from other pillars play a relevant role. For behavioral outcomes, both emotional attachment and signals of sincerity are equally important. The visual prominence of the donation is the most relevant individual moderator, with only a few others related to the two pillars following at some distance. Therefore, CM requires different priorities depending on corporate objectives. This research further compares the effects of CM with those of discounts and other corporate social responsibility marketing instruments, simulates practical examples, and provides avenues for further research.

Mapping the Research Pattern of Cause-related Marketing: A Bibliometric Analysis of Publications during 2000-2020

ABSTRACT When it became clear that cause-related marketing (CaRM) is a primary driver of a company’s marketing strategy, CaRM as a research domain developed rapidly. Despite the fact that CaRM has received a lot of attention, only a few authors have done bibliometric analysis on it. As a result, an additional bibliometric analysis of CaRM is required to bring together the additional contributions, developments, and current research lines. Thus, this research aims to use bibliometric analysis to better understand the CaRM concept in marketing literature. In this study, 443 articles from Scopus, a widely used electronic database, are retrieved for the years 2000 to 2020. The authors used VOSviewer to perform citation analysis, co-citation analysis, keyword analysis, and bibliographic coupling. Our findings revealed that the field’s development is dominated by authors and institutes from the United States and Europe. The presence of Asian countries indicates that the topic of research is becoming increasingly important. The data support the claim that the majority of current ideas in the field are derived from publications published in prestigious journals. Bibliographic coupling resulted in the identification of five clusters: (1) mechanism of CaRM, (2) attributes of CaRM, (3) CaRM and consumer behavior, (4) role of different factors in the effectiveness of CaRM, (5) cause and brand in CaRM. The findings of this study will be relevant not only to scholars working in the CaRM field but also to practitioners and policymakers who want to improve their understanding of CaRM.

Price discrimination through cause‐related marketing

AbstractA common form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by firms is to agree to donate a fixed portion of private good revenues to a charitable cause. In this paper, we explore a new rationale for such CSR known commonly as Cause‐Related Marketing (CRM). We argue that linking private good purchase with charitable donations to a partnering nongovernmental organization (NGO) allows the firm to price discriminate between altruistic consumers who wish to make charitable donations out of their income and nonaltruistic consumers who do not place any value on such donations. The disparity in altruistic propensities translates into a difference in private good value which limits the firm's ability to extract consumer surplus in the private good market. Linking private good sales to charity brings down the variation in private good value and enables the firm to appropriate greater surplus. At the same time, by inducing nonaltruistic consumers to donate through their purchase of the charity‐linked good, CRM may also increase charitable donations to the NGO beyond the level that would be achieved under the standard voluntary contributions equilibrium. We extend our model to consider the effects of CRM on profits and donations when altruistic consumers can choose between donating directly to the NGO out of their income and donating through their purchase of the charity‐linked good. We consider this choice in the context of CRM advertising where firms make the altruism of their consumers public and thus provide exhibition value to donations made through the charity‐linked good. We find that the case for CRM strengthens when we allow the firm to appropriate exhibition utility through advertising while enabling greater donations for the NGO through direct donations as well as CRM.

The impact of consumers’ perceptions regarding the ethics of online retailers and promotional strategy on their repurchase intention

Cause-related marketing (CRM) has become increasingly popular and widely adopted by large companies. However, not much attention has been paid to the effect of CRM on small or unknown online retailers. As ethical concerns about the Internet continue to rise, consumers' perceptions regarding the ethics of online retailers (CPEOR) become important when making a purchase decision. This research uses the self-signaling theory to examine how online retailers’ information management and promotional strategy (CRM vs. Price Discount) may emit signals and impact on the consumers’ repurchase intention. It was assumed that a high CPEOR would work better with a CRM-based strategy, which is fundamentally aligning in ethics. However, the experimental results surprisingly revealed that when CPEOR was high, the consumers’ repurchase intention increased in the case of a Price Discount-based promotion when compared to a CRM-based promotion; the effect was the opposite when consumers’ CPEOR was low. ANCOVA was used to analyze the data while setting certain variables as covariates. This research is a meaningful contribution to the literature and serves as an important reference for e-commerce practitioners to understand how they can wisely manage the information on the online storefront to signal their consumers and create an incremental value for the business.

Effect of Cause-Related Marketing in the Chinese Market: Moderating Effects of Product Type and Regional Characteristics

Although companies perform societal marketing activities across different cultural regions, previous research was predominantly centered on a specific cultural region-the West. To address this limitation in the literature, the current research examines societal marketing in the Chinese market considering cultural characteristics. China has become the largest market in the world with great potential growth for its vast consumer base. Since there is heterogeneity among regions in China, it is imperative to divide China into several markets for better understanding. Thus, this study investigates different responses of Chinese regional (coastal vs. inland) consumers toward Cause-related Marketing (CM). Our findings reveal that Chinese consumers, in general, prefer utilitarian CM products compared to hedonic CM products, which is the opposite result of findings of the previous research. Further, this was truer for consumers in inland regions, while coastal consumers did not display any preference by product type. The academic and practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Effect of Cause-Related Marketing in the Chinese Market: Moderating Effects of Product Type and Regional Characteristics

Effect of Cause-Related Marketing in the Chinese Market: Moderating Effects of Product Type and Regional Characteristics

Point of Time and Effectiveness of Cause-Related Marketing: Strike While the Iron is Hot

“Cause” is the word of positive-valence stimuli and increasing the like-hood intend to be a pair with it. Linking of consumer purchase with social cause is common and in rising trend. It’s a favorable tool of an organization to engage consumer and make his emotional attachment in charitable cause and increase sales volume. Previous Cause Related Marketing (CrM) literature has examined the CrM in term of consumer or in term of brand or purchase, we could not find any study which is investigating the mediating role of specific time between CrM and attitudes of consumers towards brand, ad, offer and cause involvement. Present study examines the best use of CrM according to time in beverages industry on soft drink on a holy occasion of Muslims (i.e. Ramazan). An already established questioner was used for collection of data. Mall intercept convenience technique is use to gather data. It’s a multiple group analysis study, data was collected two times, once during event and once after the event, sample size was remain same both times. Morgan’s formula is used to select the size of samples. Results of study show that CrM has influence on customer attitude which was being measured in three types, furthermore these attitudes has positively influence individual’s intention to buy a specific brand in a specific time period. This study will be provided a best use of CrM campaign according to time. Research will also direct the marketers to use of CrM on a specific time to tackle their customer’s attitude.

Attribution and Effectiveness of Cause-Related Marketing: The Interplay between Cause–Brand Fit and Corporate Reputation

In cause-related marketing (CRM) programs, the fit between the cause and brand is an important factor influencing consumer perceptions and behavior. However, the literature demonstrates that there is disagreement regarding the effect of cause–brand fit on consumer responses with varying corporate reputation. This study aims to examine the influence of cause–brand fit on consumer attitudes, attributed company motives, and the moderating role of corporate reputation. With a two (fit: high/low) by three (reputation: low/medium/high) experimental study, we reveal that consumers hold positive attitudes toward companies that engage in CRM campaigns. The effect of cause–brand fit on consumer-attributed company motives is moderated by corporate reputation. For low-reputation companies, a high cause–brand fit CRM campaign resulted in consumers attributing more negative motives to companies than low-fit campaigns. The opposite was true for medium-reputation companies. Meanwhile, high-reputation companies with a high cause–brand fit elicit greater value-driven attributed motives from consumers than other motives. Recommendations for implementing CRM programs and for future research are discussed.

A Tale of Two Evaluations: The Dynamic Effects of Cause-Related Marketing

Firms are increasingly engaging in socially responsible business practices, such as cause-related marketing (CRM) where firms partner with nonprofits to improve sales and brand value. Such activities, however, often fail to create positive spillover effects on firm outcomes. Building on dual-processing models, we distinguish between different firm outcomes and posit that CRM is more likely to influence brand evaluations relative to product evaluations because the former are made affectively and the latter cognitively. Consistent with the notion that a processing mode activated in one task can carry over to subsequent tasks, we show that when customers first evaluate the brand, the positive effect of CRM extends to subsequent product evaluations. However, when customers first evaluate the product, there is no positive effect of CRM on subsequent brand evaluations. These findings illuminate when and why CRM and other socially responsible business practices can have robust dynamic effects for the firm.

Cause-Related Marketing and Purchase Intention toward Team-Licensed Products: Moderating Effects of Sport Consumers’ Altruism

Cause-related marketing (CRM) has been a crucial concept of sport marketing literature in the professional sport context. However, there is little evidence available to address the effectiveness of CRM when the levels of sport fans’ embedded psychological characteristics helping others are considered. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of sport fans’ perceived CRM motive of a sport team on fan attitude and purchase intention for the team-licensed products, and the moderating effects of sport fans’ altruism on the relationships among these variables in the context of the Korean professional baseball league. A total of 164 Korean baseball fans participated in the present study. Results revealed that sport fans’ perceived CRM motive significantly affected fan attitude and purchase intention for the team-licensed products, and fan attitude also had a significant impact on purchase intention. Moreover, sport fans’ altruism had significant moderating effects on the relationships between perceived CRM motive and purchase intention, as well as team attitude and purchase intention for the team-licensed products. Consequently, the present study might demonstrate that professional sport fans with high altruism are more likely than fans with low altruism to evaluate the motive of a team’s CRM campaign as cause-oriented and show their support for the campaign.

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.

Consumer skepticism towards cause related marketing: exploring the consumer tendency to question from emerging market perspective

There has been an increase in number of skeptical consumers who do not trust the actions of the marketers. Cause related marketing (CRM) is primarily being used by companies to position themselves on a social platform to develop a positive image in the mind of their customers. It is being increasingly used in several countries to build long term relation between the company and the consumer. The growth of CRM is not restricted to developed countries but has been gaining increased attention in several emerging countries. Knowledge and awareness are necessary ingredients to increase effectiveness of CRM, lack of which may result in consumer skepticism. This study explores consumer awareness and skepticism towards CRM which so far has received little attention from researchers. Statistical analysis was employed to examine the role of socio-demographic variables on both these variables. Data was collected through a survey of 500 consumers from five cites. The findings suggest that higher awareness could lead to higher skepticism. Younger consumers and females were found to less skeptical about CRM. Important implications for researchers are drawn in this study in the area of consumer skepticism towards CRM pertaining to emerging markets like India.

여행업 공익연계 마케팅 효과에 대한 진정성과 적합성 인식의 상호작용효과

여행업 공익연계 마케팅 효과에 대한 진정성과 적합성 인식의 상호작용효과

Does the global vs. local scope matter? Contingencies of cause-related marketing in a developed market

Many multinational corporations (MNCs) have adopted cause-related marketing (CRM) to improve their market positions, but CRM effectiveness in the international business context is less understood. Particularly, the findings on how the cause scope (global vs. local) impacts consumer responses to CRM have been mixed. Informed by social impact theory, this research examines how the cause scope interacts with the MNC’s origin (emerging vs. developed markets) and the host market consumers’ cultural orientation (individualism vs. collectivism) to influence perceived consumer effectiveness (consumers’ perceptions of their purchase impact), and consequentially purchase intention. Across two studies using U.S. consumers, this research found that a local-scoped CRM strategy works more favorably than does a global-scoped CRM strategy for MNCs originated from emerging economies. Further, collectivistic consumers tend to favor a local-scoped cause than a global-scoped cause, suggesting that a nuanced understanding of subgroup cultural differences is needed in devising an effective international CRM strategy.

Cause-related marketing, brand loyalty and corporate social responsibility

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer’s attitude towards cause-related marketing (CRM). In detail, it aims to assess the relationship between CRM and consumer’s brand loyalty, and whether this relationship is moderated by consumer’s perception of corporate social behaviours. Moreover, the research looks for differences in the above relationship on two samples of consumers born and living in different countries and therefore with different cultural backgrounds.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts a quantitative methodology using a survey conducted among Italian and Japanese consumers. Ordinary least square regressions models are developed to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings of this paper indicate a positive relationship between the consumers’ perception of CRM and their brand loyalty perception, regardless the country of origin. Accordingly, the authors found a similar pattern of CRM perception among Italian and Japanese consumers. In addition, the authors found that CRM and the consumers’ perception of corporate social behaviours are not complementary, in the sense their joint effect does not affect consumer’s brand loyalty.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies addressing the issue concerning the CRM perception of people with in different cultures. In this regard, this study suggests that CRM impacts on brand loyalty regardless the country of origin (Italy and Japan), and consumers’ characteristics such as age, gender, background. In addition, the study indicates that the perceived corporate social responsibility does not increase the effect of CRM on brand loyalty.

Millennial Consumers’ Responses to Cause-Related Marketing in Support of LGBTQ Homeless Youth

This study explored Millennial consumers’ responses to a cause-related marketing (CRM) initiative for a sensitive social cause—lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) homeless youth. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed to examine the effectiveness of CRM in generating financial support for LGBTQ homeless youth. Findings revealed that self-cause congruence may be an important factor in determining Millennial consumers’ responses to a CRM initiative for LGBTQ homeless youth; whereas, message frame/appeal may be less important for generating response to such an initiative. Findings also indicated that gender, information processing, guilt, and skepticism influenced Millennial consumers’ attitudes toward brand, attitudes toward cause, and behavioral intentions toward the CRM initiative. These findings offer implications for brands/companies that may wish to engage in CRM initiative in support of sensitive social causes. By addressing a sensitive social cause—LGBTQ homeless youth—findings provide an original contribution to the CRM literature. Findings reveal that self-cause congruence is an important predictor of behavioral intention toward the LGBTQ social cause. This provides an implication for marketers who want to target their relationship-building efforts toward individuals who have demonstrated prior engagement with a social cause. Findings also have implications for brands/companies that wish to develop CRM initiatives for controversial causes.

The effect of cause related marketing on consumer purchase intention

the effect of cause related marketing on consumer purchase intention