An Examination of Cause-Related Marketing in the Context of Brand Attitude, Purchase Intention, Perceived Fit and Personal Values

Abstract

Cause-related marketing has emerged relatively recently in Australia, however, companies are beginning to make sizable investments in this strategy and the level of involvement is expected to increase. As nonprofit organisations face decreased government funding and corporate philanthropy, the growth of this strategy presents new opportunities. Although both academic and practitioner research has indicated strong consumer support for the concept of cause-related marketing, there has been limited research to date regarding the effectiveness of this strategy in terms of actually changing brand attitude and influencing purchase intention. There has also been limited research in Australia. In addition, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to an effective cause-related marketing campaign. This exploratory research examined these issues using an experimental design where subjects were randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the control group, and data were collected using selfadministered surveys. The findings indicate that cause-related marketing can be effective in positively changing attitude to the brand; however, the research did not indicate an influence on purchase intention. Further, personal values were not found to affect change in brand attitude or purchase intention. Finally, perceived fit between the brand and the cause can positively influence consumers’ attitude to the cause-related marketing strategy.