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Rethinking the boundaries of cause-related marketing: Addressing the need for a new definition

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Abstract

Cause-related marketing (CrM) has become a mainstream marketing strategy in recent years. Through several innovations in its practice, it has evolved considerably from its traditional ‘percentage of sales will be devoted to supporting a cause’ form. This paper suggests that the definition and scope of CrM reflected in academic literature and applied usage must evolve to keep up with its practice. A search of 436 papers from seven databases (EBSCO, Elsevier, Emerald, JSTOR, ProQuest, SAGE and WILEY) resulted in the identification of 24 unique definitions of CrM. These 24 definitions were examined to identify the various dimensions of CrM activity they collectively subsume. A total of six dimensions were identified. Each definition was then mapped against these six dimensions to determine the dimensions that were included in the definition. The dimension scores and dimension ratios were computed employing the methodology of Dahlsrud (2008). A juxtaposition of the identified definitions and dimensions against several current CrM campaigns indicates the need for a wider definition of CrM than those currently being used. A broadened definition of CrM, which attempts to capture the multifarious hues of how CrM strategies are actually being practised, is proposed.

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  1. University School of Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector- 16C, Dwarka, New Delhi, 110078, India

    Shruti Gupta & Meenakshi Handa

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Gupta, S., Handa, M. Rethinking the boundaries of cause-related marketing: Addressing the need for a new definition. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-024-00398-6

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