oa Cause-related marketing: een driehoeksverhouding tussen consument, bedrijf en goed doel

Cause-related marketing: a triangular relationship between consumer, organization and cause

This literature review was conducted in response to the current prominence of Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) campaigns. Extant empirical literature shows that CRM can have both positive and negative effects on consumers’ responses, and it is found that several identification factors appear to shape the direction of these effects. A taxonomy of these identification factors is presented, whereby the factors are divided into three categories: consumer/company identification, consumer/cause identification and consumers’ perception of company/cause identification. Based on this classification a triangular relationship between consumer, company, and cause can be assumed, which shapes the effect of CRM on consumer responses. When identification among actors is high, the effect of CRM on consumer responses is optimal whereas less optimal CRM effects result where identification between either pair of actors falls short. These identification factors may be considered by organizations when designing a CRM campaign.