Cause Related Marketing among Millennial Consumers: The Role of Trust and Loyalty in the Food Industry

Marco Lerro, Maria Raimondo, Marcello Stanco, Concetta Nazzaro and Giuseppe Marotta
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Marco Lerro: Department of Law, Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, University of Sannio, via delle Puglie 82, 82100 Benevento (BN), Italy
Maria Raimondo: Department of Law, Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, University of Sannio, via delle Puglie 82, 82100 Benevento (BN), Italy
Marcello Stanco: Department of Law, Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, University of Sannio, via delle Puglie 82, 82100 Benevento (BN), Italy
Concetta Nazzaro: Department of Law, Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, University of Sannio, via delle Puglie 82, 82100 Benevento (BN), Italy
Giuseppe Marotta: Department of Law, Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, University of Sannio, via delle Puglie 82, 82100 Benevento (BN), Italy

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: The current study investigates the willingness of Millennial consumers towards several corporate social responsibility initiatives carried out by food companies. More specifically, it explores four cause related marketing campaigns implemented by food companies to spread corporate social responsibility. The analysis was carried out in Italy by administering a structured questionnaire to 308 consumers. The willingness of participants to switch a chocolate snack of their favourite brand to another with similar characteristics but produced by a company supporting different social and environmental causes was assessed in four different scenarios. The study uncovered the effects of both loyalty towards the brand and trust in cause related marketing on consumers’ willingness to support different corporate social responsibility initiatives. The findings unveiled the willingness of Millennials to support companies’ social and environmental initiatives. Both trust and loyalty played a key role in affecting consumers’ willingness to support corporate social responsibility initiatives of food companies. Social and environmental concerns as well as socio-demographics aspects are also significant in supporting cause related marketing campaigns. The study has shed light on the preference of consumers towards corporate social responsibility and cause related marketing. Specifically, it provides marketing insights on the initiatives most preferred by consumers to which companies should address their efforts.

Keywords: CRM; CSR; young consumers; awareness; environmental concern; social concern (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (24)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:2:p:535-:d:199344

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