Creating Effective Cause-brand Alliances: the Role of Cause-brand Fit, Message Source, and Perceived Motivations

Based on the schema and attribution theories, this study examined hypotheses addressing the effects of cause-brand fit and campaign new source on consumers' attitudes toward a cause-brand alliance by modifying consumers' perceptions of the brand's motivation to engage in the alliance. An online experiment was conducted with a national sample of 742 college students using a 2 (cause vs. brand message source) x 2 (low vs. high cause-brand fit) between-subjects design based on hypothetical cause-brand alliance scenarios. Findings indicate that cause-brand fit influences cause-brand alliance attitude by increasing consumers' perceived altruistic brand motivations, whereas campaign news source did not have a significant impact on cause-brand alliance attitude. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.