Consumer response to retailer use of cause-related marketing: Is more fit better?
Section snippets
Fit effects on evaluation of cause-related marketing strategies
As noted earlier, one recommendation in formulating cause-related marketing strategies is for retailers to develop partnerships with causes that are related to their core business practices. Although the issue of company–cause fit has been discussed in the literature (e.g., Hoeffler and Keller 2002), few studies have empirically examined its effects on consumer reactions to cause-related marketing strategies. Accordingly, we next look at the evidence available regarding how retailer–cause fit
The moderating role of retailer motivation for cause-related marketing
As noted earlier, one basis for expecting that retailer–cause fit will positively affect consumer evaluations of cause-related marketing comes from the brand extension literature (cf. Pracejus and Olsen 2004). Higher levels of perceived similarity between a core brand and a brand extension enable categorization processes that result in the transfer of evaluations from the core brand to the extension (Boush and Loken, 1991, Keller and Aaker, 1992). In a similar manner, greater perceived fit
Studies 1 and 2: exploring the individual roles of retailer motivation and affinity towards the cause
To test H1–H3, we conducted two studies using undergraduate business students as research participants. In both studies, retailer–cause fit was manipulated and the effectiveness of this manipulation was assessed via a three-item, nine-point semantic differential scale gauging the fit between (1) the retailer's core product-line and the cause, (2) the images of the retailer and the cause, and (3) the target markets of the retailer and the cause (1 = very poor; 5 = neutral; 9 = very good). Responses to
Methods
The pretests and main experiment for Study 3 were all conducted using an online survey website program. Invitations to participate were sent to actual consumers via email addresses purchased from a double opt-in list service. Thus, while Studies 1 and 2 utilized homogenous undergraduate student samples in order to maximize internal validity, the sample and methodology used in Study 3 help increase the external validity associated with our findings.
Verification of experimental conditions
An initial analysis of responses to the MOTIVE measure confirmed the effectiveness of the retailer motivation manipulation. More positive motives were attributed to the retailer in the positive motive condition (M = 6.24) than in the negative motive condition (M = 4.00; F = 223.87, p < .001). Additionally, a median split was performed on subjects’ responses to the AFFINITY measure (median = 5.33), resulting in a positive (M = 7.67) and a negative (M = 3.27) cause affinity condition (F = 2961.86, p < .000). A
General discussion
Several recent articles in this journal have included calls for research that provide a more comprehensive understanding of retail-level branding (e.g., Grewal et al., 2004, Levy et al., 2005, Peterson and Balasubramanian, 2002). Consistent with these calls, the current investigation focuses on the potential for a retailer's cause-related marketing strategy to influence consumer perceptions that contribute to retailer image and that ultimately impact the retailer's competitive advantage in the
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