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The purpose of this paper is to describe research which tested a Thai model of cause‐related marketing's impact on corporate image.

Data were gathered from 1,071 participants in an established award winning cause‐related program in Thailand and analyzed using multiple regression.

Findings indicated that a cause‐related marketing program can create positive attitudes toward corporate image. One specific demographic characteristic of respondents, household income level, showed a significant influence with participants from lower income households developing more positive attitudes than those from higher income households.

The data were gathered from participants in one program only, hence future research could extend these findings to other programs to test their generalisability.

The proposed model serves as a basis for marketers to understand the influence of a cause‐related marketing program on the attitudes of Thai consumers who participated in the program toward corporate image. The results highlighted the importance of matching the company, its target market, participants in the program and the communication about the program to achieve desired results.

This empirical study contributes to cause‐related marketing research by focusing on a previously unresearched group, the participants in a program. In addition it was undertaken in an emerging market, Thailand.

The purpose of this research is to develop and test a Thai model for societal marketing's impact on consumer's attitudes toward a corporate image.

A preliminary model was developed from the existing literature, followed by exploratory research consisting of three in‐depth interviews and four focus groups to refine the model. The model was then tested with data collected from a mail survey completed by 1,153 respondents, using structural equation modeling.

The findings indicate that a societal marketing program and corporate communications can create positive consumer attitudes toward corporate image. In addition both educational level and marital status of respondents significantly influence consumer attitudes towards corporate image. Moreover, societal marketing program identity, when compared with other variables, illustrates the most powerful impact on customers' attitudes toward corporate image.

The data were gathered from one program only, hence future research could extend these findings to other programs to test their generalisability.

The key implications of these findings for marketing managers include support for the use of societal marketing programs at a strategic level as well as suggestions for successful implementation of these programs.

This study contributes to societal marketing research because a scarcity of empirical research still exists in this field, particularly in Asian countries such as Thailand.