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Companies have become increasingly active in developing relationships between their brands and popular causes in such areas as the environment (e.g. nature conservancy) and health issues (e.g. breast cancer awareness crusade). As such alliances become a more important strategic component of the brand’s marketing mix, managers seek direction as to how to generate the most impact with these tie‐ins. This article uses associative learning principles as a framework for understanding how to facilitate building connections between brands and causes so as to increase the value of this highly visible marketing activity. Specific associative learning principles are detailed and applied, improving the use of cause‐related marketing alliances.

Cause‐related marketing activities are increasingly becoming a meaningful part of corporate marketing plans. This paper aims to examine the relationship between the company, cause and customer, and how fit between these three groups influences consumer response via generating a positive attitude toward the company‐cause alliance and purchase intent for the sponsored product.

Two studies are carried out, first among students and second among consumers.

Two studies (study 1=232 students, study 2=531 consumers) demonstrate that company‐cause fit improves attitude toward the company‐cause alliance and increases purchase intent. Additionally, this effect is enhanced under conditions of customer‐company and customer‐cause congruence, and the consumer's overall attitude toward the sponsoring company. Skepticism about the company's motivation for participating in a cause‐related marketing initiative was not relevant to consumer purchase decisions.

Results from these studies suggest that consumers may in fact make two different assessments of the sponsoring company in a cause‐related marketing campaign. One assessment may be more cognitive where the consumer compares his or her own identity to that of the company: “Is this company like me? Are our identities alike?” The second assessment is more affective or emotional: “Do I like this company? Do I feel positively about this company?” The strength of the consumer sample suggests that when building a cause‐related marketing program, marketing managers should select a cause that makes sense to the consumer to be a partner in the alliance, build a general positive feeling toward their brand, and limit any self‐serving promotion of the cause‐related marketing alliance to the target consumer population.

The paper provides useful information on the relationship between the company, cause and customer, and how the fit between these three groups influences consumer response.

Co-marketing strategies play an important role in enabling firms to improve their competitive position. However, despite its increasing implementation, it remains a topic that is largely not researched. The purpose of this paper is to analyze existing contributions to the field of co-marketing research and the different perspectives scholars have adopted in analyzing the topic.

A literature review has been developed, as its lack seems to be a major hindrance to the development of related studies. A specific focus has been made on the adopted approaches. Five approaches have been identified, and multidimensional scaling (MDS) has been used to analyze the differences among them.

First, the analysis of the typologies of studies on co-marketing alliances is made. Also, the identified approaches are strategic-based, consumer-based, relational-based, specificity-based and evaluation-based. What emerges from the MDS is that there are two perspectives of analysis of the alliance that characterize them: the inside–outside and the wide–narrow points of view.

Limitations are mostly referred to the methodologies and the level of subjectivity they imply. For example, they are not only the choices made concerning keywords to be used and, consequently, the articles included in the analysis, but also the MDS that offers broad autonomy to the researchers in interpreting the data.

The originality of this research is that it fills an emerged gap concerning a literature review on co-marketing alliances, supporting future research in this field of study. The identification of the approaches underlines what may be lacking, providing interesting insights on possible avenues for future research.

This study examines the collaborative value practices of cause-based social entrepreneurship alliances. We investigate key drivers of value creation in such alliances.

The study utilizes a longitudinal case study design approach involving four northern Italian businesses for investigating the cause-based social alliances.

The study findings suggest that cause-based alliance differ from other business relationships due to social mission of the alliance and orientation of partners to a specific social cause. However, over time involved firm may pursue commercial interests.

The study utilizes a qualitative case study approach to examine the issues. This may have implications on generalizability of study findings. Further, the sample is limited to small firms, which limit its relevance for large firms.

Managers can utilize the study findings to guide the organizing process of a successful cause-based alliance and can implement it with positive outcomes for their firm.

This is one of the first study on the emerging phenomenon of cause-based social alliance. It contributes to the literature on social entrepreneurship. It informs and guides practitioners about motivations and drivers of such alliances.

The purpose of this article is to investigate the basis of conveying a socially responsible image of organisations through a cause-related marketing (CaRM) approach.

The research was conducted mainly through the evaluation and review of material on the subject area, i.e. secondary research.

The findings of the research indicate that CaRM has the potential to improve an organisation’s stance in the society and depict it as a socially responsible entity. One major finding of the research is that without an appropriate and relevant “strategic fit”, time and effort invested in CaRM might prove futile.

The limited material on the subject of CaRM in general and its relationship with CSR in particular makes the task of preparing such a paper something of a challenge.

The results show that the quality of an organisation’s image and reputation in the eyes of its stakeholders can be influenced by its CSR-related initiatives. However, the firm should invest time and money to make this feasible.

The absence of a strategic fit between a firm and its cause could prove to be counter-productive in the society vis-à-vis its corporate image and reputation.

This paper adds to previous CSR- and marketing-related research and publications and aims to provide an insight into the dynamics of CaRM.

In many countries there is emerging concern regarding alliances between the pharmaceutical industry and health non‐profit organizations (NPOs), and the increase of co‐sponsored marketing activities such as disease awareness advertising. The current study aims to explore Australian women's perceptions of disease awareness advertising with differing sponsors, to determine whether their attitudes towards the sponsor and their reported behavioural intentions differ as a function of the perceived sponsor or co‐sponsor.

Older women (aged 50+) were approached by mall‐intercept method in a metropolitan area in New South Wales, Australia. Consenting participants were randomly assigned an advertisement with an NPO sponsor, pharmaceutical company sponsor, or a combination of the two (co‐sponsored). Each participant viewed advertisements for two health conditions (fibromyalgia and osteopenia) with the same sponsor manipulation, and completed a one‐page questionnaire after reading each advertisement.

Participants had significantly more positive attitudes towards the NPO‐sponsored advertisement than the pharmaceutical company‐sponsored advertisement or the co‐sponsored advertisement. Participants with more positive attitudes towards the sponsor were significantly more likely to report an intention to take action, such as to look for more information or to talk to their doctor.

The results suggest that an NPO‐sponsored advertisement promoting awareness about a disease or health condition is more effective without the co‐sponsorship of a pharmaceutical company.

This is the only identified research into attitudes towards sponsors of disease awareness advertising that considers pharmaceutical companies and health NPOs and is important, given the increasing trend of disease advertising and cause‐related marketing in Australia and internationally.

Many studies conducted on cause-related marketing (CaRM) are concentrated in advanced economies. However, there is very little work reported pertaining to CaRM in emerging economies like India. Hence, the aim of this study is to analyze the effect of CaRM on the customers' purchase intention (PI) in the Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) sector, which is the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy. Further, this study tests the mediating effect of attitude and the moderating effect of cause involvement.

This paper employs a quantitative methodology. Primary data were collected from 1220 respondents from North India. PLS-SEM is employed to examine the data.

The findings reveal that CaRM strongly impacts FMCG customers' purchasing intentions. Further, a positive attitude toward cause-related marketing triggers the customer purchase intention. Third, the results show that cause involvement moderates purchase intentions, so those who feel passionately dedicated to the cause are more inclined to buy while being involved in the cause-related marketing program.

The results would aid marketers in developing effective CaRM campaigns for their FMCG brands by understanding the different combinations of factors influencing CaRM.

FMCG is one of the major pillars of the Indian economy. This research proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework for the current study that is supported by literature. This study provides evidence of the increasingly important role of CaRM in establishing a win-win association with customers, aiming to solve specific societal causes and creating a favorable image of the brand in the FMCG sector.

Companies are increasingly incorporating support for social causes in advertising to improve brand image and increase sales, but it is unclear how these behaviours influence purchase intentions. This paper aims to analyse this relationship from a strategic perspective to assess whether the degree of fit of any of the five strategic dimensions that Zdravkovic et al. (2010) propose influence purchase intentions synergistically.

This study includes two stages: a qualitative stage to build brand–cause relationships and a quantitative study of one of these relationships to examine which fit dimensions are involved and whether they generate synergy in purchase intentions.

Results demonstrate that adjustment to two of the five dimensions is sufficient to influence emotional responses positively.

This study presents limitations, as it has been developed using a particular sample of university students.

These analyses provide tools for managers to verify which types of strategic fit operate in this relationship and facilitate co-branding planning to achieve financial goals.

The analysis provides tools for managers to verify which types of strategic fit operate in this relationship and facilitate co-branding planning to achieve financial goals.

This study aims to examine why cause‐related marketing (CRM) can develop, and how can the social system and enterprise link with nonprofit organization (NPO) to form a closed path to prompt the maximization for three parties' benefits, in order to provide a general framework to explore the mechanisms of power and action for CRM.

The logic deduction approach was used for an overview and conceptual paper based on research experience.

The paper stresses CRM should be a good marriage between a nonprofit and its sponsorship firm both organizations stand to benefit. Its mechanism of power is the result of the combined effect by the enterprise's push, NPO's pull and social system's supervision, and mechanism of action is under the social system's supervision, enterprise linked with NPO to form a closed path.

A major weakness is that the influences of CRM on the enterprise and the NPO are only explained qualitatively, there are short of some data to test the validity of theories above. Further, investigation into this construct in the context of CRM would be helpful in understanding what are the role and the impact of CRM on firm and NPO in this domain. The main implication is that, this study presents an example and direction of how the enterprise, NPO, and social system are able to maximize their economic and social benefits.

This study contributes to examine the inter mechanisms of CRM from the perspectives of enterprise and NPO. The findings of this study are useful to and provide managerial implications for administrators of enterprise, NPO and social system aiming to make optimal decisions under the dual driven of institutional rationality and economic rationality.

The aim of this study is to assess the direct and indirect impact of the prominence dimensions of fit between a brand and a cause on consumer intentions to purchase cause-related products by considering cases with more versus less positive attitudes towards a brand and a higher versus lower social cause affinity.

The study is based on data obtained via a survey of 403 respondents in Lithuania. A between-subjects study design with different brands and causes was used to identify the role of the differences in brand attitude and cause affinity on the message strength.

The data analysis has revealed that the specific prominence dimensions of fit (relationship visibility, relationship explicitness, visuals/colours, local attributes) have a direct and indirect impact, via the message strength, on consumer intentions to purchase cause-related products. Additionally, the mediation of the message strength was dependent on attitudes towards a brand but not on cause affinity.

This is the first attempt to contribute to filling the research gap regarding the impact of the prominence dimensions of fit on the intention to purchase a cause-related product. Paying special attention to message strength mediation allowed for the assessment of both the direct and indirect effects of the individual dimensions of fit.