Effect of Cause-Related Marketing in the Chinese Market: Moderating Effects of Product Type and Regional Characteristics

Abstract

Although companies perform societal marketing activities across different cultural regions, previous research was predominantly centered on a specific cultural region ― the West. To address this limitation in the literature, the current research examines societal marketing in the Chinese market considering cultural characteristics. China has become the largest market in the world with great potential growth for its vast consumer base. Since there is heterogeneity among regions in China, it is imperative to divide China into several markets for better understanding. Thus, this study investigates different responses of Chinese regional (coastal vs. inland) consumers toward Cause-related Marketing (CM). Our findings reveal that Chinese consumers, in general, prefer utilitarian CM products compared to hedonic CM products, which is the opposite result of findings of the previous research. Further, this was truer for consumers in inland regions, while coastal consumers did not display any preference by product type. The academic and practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.