Low-fit cause-related marketing: When and why do consumers respond positively?

Abstract

This paper examines when and why consumers are likely to support low-fit cause-related marketing (CM) initiatives. Through six studies, we demonstrate that when consumers think more holistically rather than analytically, they are likely to respond as positively to low-fit CM initiatives as high-fit ones. This effect occurs because holistic thinkers focus not only on the company and its characteristics but also on the perceived need of the cause beneficiaries, making them more likely to perceive the corporate motives to be public-serving, producing more favorable evaluations of the company. Dispositional skepticism toward corporate social responsibility (CSR) acts as a boundary condition of this effect.