Cause-related Marketing Campaigns: Do Consumer Perceptions and Brand Motivations Matter?

This study investigates the influence of cause involvement, perceptions of cause-related marketing (CRM), perceived brand motivations and CRM campaign attitudes on consumers’ intentions to participate in a CRM campaign. Hypotheses were tested in the context of a hypothetical CRM scenario in an online survey administered to 745 US consumers. Findings indicate that cause involvement and perceptions of CRM influence perceived brand motivations, and that CRM campaign attitude partially mediates the effect of cause involvement and perceptions of CRM on participation intentions. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.