CAUSE RELATED MARKETING AND ITS IMPACT ON CUSTOMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

CRM, or cause-related marketing, is defined as a company's involvement with a specific cause or causes in order to raise additional funds for that organisation. Holistically, this study is concerned about the value social causes bring to brands and how brands should therefore, strategize in order to reap the benefits from these social causes. Retailers would be able to see why customers choose one cause over another by looking more closely at their shopping habits. Focusing on the reason for a customer's purchase will give retailers a sneak peek at what they can expect from their customers in the future. Retailers will be able to improve their marketing campaigns and tailor them to what motivates their customers with this information. This research attempts to understand the extent to which these cause-related marketing campaigns have impacted the brand preferences of customers. For an in-depth understanding of the same, brands in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods sector have been chosen for the study. A detailed literature review and background study is also conducted to know about the already available literature on these types of campaigns. This research uses brand campaigns that discuss significant social causes like education, gender equality, gratitude, and body positivity. These causes are commonly discussed and supported by the consumers. Valuable insights are drawn on the different ways in which brands can use the social causes for their benefit of increasing engagement and interaction with the customers which both the brand and the customer can relate to. Therefore, it is seen that consumers are inclined to buy a different brand to show that they support and appreciate the brand's initiative through the campaign. The various kinds of causes which have been previously utilised by brands for such practices have been studied and the analysis for the same has been drawn on that basis.