The effects of brand‐cause fit and campaign duration on consumer perception of cause‐related marketing in Japan

Abstract

PurposeThis study's first objective is to experimentally examine the effect of brand‐cause fit and campaign duration on company and brand image, commercial objectives and buying intention as perceived by Japanese consumers. Second, the study aims to evaluate the moderating role of gender and participation in philanthropic activities on the impact of cause‐related marketing (CrM) programs in Japan.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental design was used with 196 Japanese subjects completing a survey online.FindingsA high brand‐cause fit was found to elicit more positive attitudes toward the CrM program than campaign duration. Japanese female respondents were showing more favorable attitudes than men, confirming results in previous research studies conducted in the West. Previous participation in philanthropic activities was also found to increase positive attitudes especially when brand‐cause fit and duration were high.Research limitations/implicationsThe experiment relied on fictitious advertising materials. Many respondents were students from the greater Tokyo area. This may make it difficult to generalize findings to a broader population.Practical implicationsResults show that CrM campaigns in Japan are viewed more positively when consumers perceive a good match between the brand and the cause. Japanese marketers targeting women and consumers with philanthropic experience are likely to benefit by supporting matching social causes.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to contribute to better understanding of the impact of CrM in Japan. It does confirm the gender effect previously observed in western countries.

Exploring the interactive effects of brand use and gender on cause-related marketing over time

“…In the short‐term (directly after CRM message exposure), purchase intentions of the featured product increased significantly compared to pretreatment intentions. Our results reported here for purchase intentions are in line with past research that has shown positive effects of CRM on sponsor brand attitudes (e.g., Chéron et al, ; Cui et al . , ; Wang, ; Youn & Kim, ).…”

“…Indeed, CRM campaigns can positively influence consumers' buying decisions and behaviors (Chéron et al . , ; Ladero et al . , ).…”

An Evolutionary Process Model of Cause‐Related Marketing and Systematic Review of the Empirical Literature

“…found that a long rather than short campaign duration makes consumers evaluate the brand more positively and perceive the firm as more committed to the cause. Van den Brink, Odekerken‐Schröder, and Pauwels also reported that consumers reacted with more intentions of loyalty toward the brand, but Chéron found no effect for purchase intentions. Thomas, Mullen, and Fraedrich only saw an effect for long campaign durations on (WOM) intentions when cause–brand fit was high but not low.…”

“…Postreputation goes beyond feeling positively or negatively toward a firm and examines the integrity of the firm, which manifests in its image and credibility. Researchers investigated the effect of CRM on the perceived image and credibility of the brand (Bigné‐Alcañiz, Currás‐Pérez, & Sánchez‐García, ; Cheron et al., ), CRM campaign (Lii et al., ), CSR initiative (Bigné‐Alcañiz et al., ; Kim & Lee, ), firm (Chattananon et al., ; Perez & Del Bosque, ), and management (Dean, ). Several IVs discussed in the CRM strategy and execution section are positively related to the DVs discussed here including ad type (Deschpande & Hitchon, ) and message quality (Kim & Lee, ).…”

Antecedents and consequences of consumers’ attitudinal dispositions toward cause-related marketing in Egypt

“…This reduces consumers' skepticism because of the easiness of adding this new knowledge to formerly held expectations (Becker-Olsen et al, 2006;Chéron et al, 2012;Hoeffler and Keller, 2002;Hou et al, 2008).…”