Does cause congruence affect how different corporate associations influence consumer responses to cause-related marketing?

Rong Chen, Song Su and Feng He
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Rong Chen: School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, P. R. China
Song Su: School of Economics and Business Administration, Beijing Normal University, P. R. China
Feng He: Dongling School of Economics and Management, University of Science & Technology Beijing, P. R. China

Australian Journal of Management, 2014, vol. 39, issue 2, 191-206

Abstract: This paper investigates how different corporate associations may influence consumer evaluations and purchase intention in response to cause-related marketing (CRM) and whether this impact is contingent on congruence between the cause and the company. Our experimental study, based on 660 participants, reveals that both corporate ability association and corporate social responsibility association may enhance product evaluation; this effect is mediated through company and CRM campaign evaluations. The study also reveals how these evaluations relate to purchase intention. Furthermore, by identifying the interplay between corporate associations and cause congruence, the study’s results suggest that incongruent causes are preferable for companies more strongly associated with corporate ability, whereas congruent causes are preferable for companies more strongly associated with social responsibility.

Keywords: Cause congruence; cause-related marketing; corporate ability association; corporate social responsibility association (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ausman:v:39:y:2014:i:2:p:191-206

DOI: 10.1177/0312896213502992

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