The Model of Consumer Response to Cause Marketing Campaigns: A Tool for Catching People’s Participation through Companies

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: As social and environmental problems is rapidly increasing, social responsibility is increasingly being more important. Now, worldwide profit and nonprofit organizations such as Red Cross Society are paying more attention to differentiate or improve their brands as well as the level of participations by cause marketing campaigns. This study aimed to explore comprehensive factors that can influence consumer response in cause marketing campaigns in Iran context. METHODS: Using a qualitative grounded theory approach, consumer experiences about real cases of related campaigns in Iran market were addressed through deep interviews with 18 Iranian consumers. The analysis of data was done by NVivo software through a reciprocating process and principles of grounded theory. FINDINGS: The suggested inductive model advocated that cause marketing campaigns (including structural-related campaign factors from corporate side, structural-related campaign factors from cause side, implementation-related campaign factors, and consumer-related factors) could affect consumer response pyramid. CONCLUSION: In addition to structural factors, which often examined in past research, our findings suggest that implementation- and consumer-related factors can influence consumer’s response, and in planning cause - marketing campaigns, these vital factors must be notice. People’s 11(2): 92-102.