The effect of strategic and tactical cause‐related marketing on consumers' brand loyalty

Abstract

Purpose

The first objective was to find out to what extent consumers reveal an effect of strategic and tactical cause‐related marketing on brand loyalty. Second, the article seeks to assess the moderating role of consumer involvement with a product on the relationship between cause‐related marketing and brand loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

An experimental design with 240 participants was used.

Findings

The results show that consumers perceive a significantly enhanced level of brand loyalty as a result of strategic cause‐related marketing as long as the firm has a long‐term commitment to this campaign and the campaign is related to a low involvement product. Consumers do not exhibit a significant impact of tactical cause‐related marketing campaigns – whether related to high or low involvement products – on brand loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

First, all respondents were students from a western European university. Second, the experiment relied on imaginary storyboards. Third, the program dimensions were not manipulated separately.

Practical implications

If companies intend to increase brand loyalty through CRM they should set up long‐lasting CRM campaigns linked to the product that shows the lowest level of consumer involvement.

Originality/value

The added value of this paper is the link between cause‐related marketing programs and brand loyalty. Moreover, a distinction is explicitly made between tactical and strategic CRM programs.

Citation

van den Brink, D., Odekerken‐Schröder, G. and Pauwels, P. (2006), "The effect of strategic and tactical cause‐related marketing on consumers' brand loyalty", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 15-25. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760610641127