Consumer’s perception of cause-related marketing: a literature review

Abstract

Companies have discovered the importance of allying their strategies with social causes in order to get notoriety for their brands. In this context one can locate Cause-Related Marketing (MRC), which implies an alliance between a sponsor and a beneficiary. In this alliance the beneficiary receives a donation from the sponsor based on the sales of a brand produced by the sponsoring company. Research (Webb and Mohr, 1998; Ross et al.,1992; Creyer and Ross, 1996) demonstrates a positive consumer attitude towards companies that use this strategy and points out some elements that can change that attitude, such as the cause to be supported, the distance between the cause and the donor, the congruence between the cause and the business area of the sponsor and the degree of participation level demanded from the consumer. This article presents a literature review on CRM, particularly concerning the factors that explain the consumers’ responses to that strategy. Its purpose is to offer a foundation for management decisions about the outline of marketing campaigns, avoiding expenses and unnecessary efforts.

Key words: cause-related marketing, corporate social responsibility, consumer behavior.