This study explores the effectiveness of cause-related marketing and how brands can enhance consumer trust by attributing their charitable actions to customers rather than the brand itself. The research shows that when brands share the credit for good deeds with their customers, it reduces perceptions of bragging and increases brand trust. This beneficial effect is particularly significant for brands with high integrity.
The findings are based on three studies involving American adults, which demonstrate that attributing donations to customers (versus the brand) reduces perceived bragging and increases donation intentions and brand trust. The study highlights the importance of brand integrity in moderating these effects.
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Brands, nonprofits and social media influencers that are environmentally conscious often post tips to promote sustainable behaviors. Can one tip work as well, or even better than several tips? It depends on the audience’s level of concern about the environment, and the perceived authenticity of the source, new research finds.
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A new survey by Horowitz indicates how important knowing companies’ sociopolitical stances is to consumers–compared to concerns about other social issues. Read more »
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When firms communicate about their environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities, they should consider not only what matters most to which stakeholders, but what results make the most impact with which stakeholders as well. While consumers prefer to invest in brands perceived positively on environmental and social issues, institutional investors focus less on these aspects and far more on governance.
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