< Précédent | Suivant > |
---|
Abstract
As part of their corporate social responsibility, many organizations practice cause-related marketing, in which organizations
donate to a chosen cause with every consumer purchase. The extant literature has identified the importance of the fit between
the organization and the nature of the cause in influencing corporate image, as well as the influence of a connection between
the cause and consumer preferences on brand attitudes and brand choice. However, prior research has not addressed which cause
composition most appeals to consumers or the impact of cause choice on corporate image. A between-subjects field experiment
in the Netherlands examines the influence of three core cause attributes—cause type, cause scope, and cause acuteness—on consumers’
perceptions of corporate image. Furthermore, this experiment examines the extent to which consumer identification with the
cause mediates the influence of the cause attributes on corporate image. The findings indicate that identification with the
cause leads to more positive evaluations of marketing campaigns for cause type and cause scope. Also, however, our results
uncover a negative direct relationship between cause scope and corporate image. Cause acuteness is only marginally influential
in corporate image perceptions. By proposing and testing a comprehensive model of the influence of cause attributes on corporate
image in cause-related marketing, this article provides important implications and suggests avenues for further research.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-16
- DOI 10.1007/s10551-011-1134-0
- Authors
- Joëlle Vanhamme, EDHEC Business School, Roubaix Cedex 1, France
- Adam Lindgreen, Cardiff Business School, The University of Cardiff, Aberconway Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU UK
- Jon Reast, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
- Nathalie van Popering, Imtech Marine Group, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Journal Journal of Business Ethics
- Online ISSN 1573-0697
- Print ISSN 0167-4544