Cause-Related Marketing

Abstract

This chapter explores the concept of cause-related marketing from a modern perspective, briefly tracing its inception in the field of marketing since the Third Industrial Revolution, and discusses landmark marketing campaigns and their ramifications on the development of cause-related marketing. Closely tied with corporate social responsibility, the chapter identifies philosophical antecedents in cause-related marketing and presents the reader with a piecewise progression of thought, from the practical to the abstract as forces of digitalization, globalization, and commodification continually coalesce to form more effective marketing strategies. Notwithstanding, the chapter endeavors to show cause-related marketing in its own light, distinct from philanthropic gestures and sponsorship. Generational trends in cause-related marketing are highlighted through marketing research reports as well as the essential role of social media in disseminating causal sentiments, as companies are taking more planned and calculated steps in bringing developments in their community and society.