Engagement in Cause-Related Marketing Reduces Pro-Environmental Behaviors

A prevailing marketing tactic, called cause-related marketing (CRM), involves donating to a charity contingent on consumer purchases. Building on moral licensing theory, the current research identifies a negative effect of engagement in CRM on consumers’ subsequent pro-environmental behaviors through two studies. Study 1 (N = 100) established that people act in less eco-friendly ways (i.e., consuming more water) after engaging in CRM that is associated with environmental benefits. Study 2 (N = 301) verified the above results in a larger sample and further revealed that even though engaging in CRM has no apparent environmental benefits, it also reduces the probability of behaving in environmentally friendly ways (i.e., choosing a low-carbon mode of transportation). Overall, the current research shows that the effects of CRM could spill over from the consumption domain into the environmental domain, calling attention to the net environmental effect of CRM.