Antecedents of Consumer Attitude Toward Cause-brand Alliances and Post-Brand Attitude

<p> A cause&ndash;brand alliance is a type of cause&hyphen;related marketing campaign in which the brand supports a cause in response to a consumer purchasing a product associated with the brand. Using the meaning transfer, attribution, and schema theories, the researchers developed a model and hypotheses addressing structural relationships among key antecedents of brand attitude change upon encountering a cause&ndash;brand alliance. The model and the hypotheses were tested in the context of hypothetical cause&ndash;brand alliance scenarios. Findings indicate cause&ndash;brand alliance attitude as a strong direct predictor of post brand attitude, whereas cause involvement, perceived brand motivations, and prior brand attitude indirectly predict post brand attitude through their effects on cause&ndash;brand alliance attitude. Cause&ndash;brand fit also indirectly predicts cause&ndash;brand alliance attitude via perceived brand motivations. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.</p>