Journal of Research in Business, Economics and Management (JRBEM) ISSN: 2395-2210 Volume 10, Issue 5 available at www.scitecresearch.com/journals/index.php/jrbem 2062 SCITECH Volume 10, Issue 5 RESEARCH ORGANISATION May 11, 2018 Journal of Research in Business, Economics and Management www.scitecresearch.com Influence of Type of Product on Brand and Cause Images in a Cause-Related Marketing Campaign: Evidence from Pakistan Saad Ullah 1 *, Shen Lei 2 , Syed Ahtsham Ali 3 , Shoirahon Odilova 4 1, 2, 3 & 4. Glorious Sun School of Business and Management, Donghua University West Yan’an Road 1882, Shanghai 200051, China. *Corresponding Author Saad Ullah, Glorious Sun School of Business and Management, Donghua University West Yan’an Road 1882, Shanghai 200051, China. Abstract Luxury brands and non-profit organizations (NPOs) are progressively involved in Cause-related Marketing (CRM) programs. This research aims to explain how product’s type (hedonic vs. utilitarian) may influence charitable cause and brand image in CRM alliance. In this study with a sample of 310 university students, we evaluated the changes in consumers’ attitude towards cause and brand as a consequence of their alliance. Prior and post attitude of brands and causes are analyzed with repeated measure ANOVA. The results show that brand and cause attitude increased both in case of a hedonic and utilitarian partnership. However, partnering with a luxury brand is more effective to raise the image of the brand and cause as compared to a partnership with non-luxury brands. In general, these results provide clear intuitions to managers for planning and positioning of their CRM initiatives. Keywords: Cause-Related Marketing; Cause-Brand Alliance; Hedonic Product; Utilitarian Product. 1. Introduction The initiatives taken for Cause-related marketing (CRM) is becoming popular in the organizations. The strategy of organizations related to CRM explains and support the social cause which helps the firms to achieve their marketing objectives. Firm’s CRM activities result in sustainable growth (Mantovani, de Andrade, & Negrão, 2017). Supporting a specific cause can have several advantages. For instance, cause marketing programs allow companies to create a link with customers and show a commitment to social responsibility (Lii & Lee, 2012). Unlike other marketing communication tools, CRM is a powerful tactic adopted by firms to get the consumers’ confidence emotionally. The tendency of firms to use CRM strategy can improve and endure the image of a firm in the consumer's eyes positively, this strategy of the firm increases the value of the firm in consumers’ minds as compared to their competitor (Samu & Wymer, 2009). Paying more attention to CRM programs prevailed as a marketing strategy because consumers' expectations increase for business firms to fulfill their social responsibilities. CRM-initiative increases the attitude of consumers to the brand, which ultimately affects its intention to purchase products that are allies of the campaign (Chernev & Blair, 2015). Given the relevance and business emphasis on using CRM initiatives, it is essential to explore the main factors associated with successful CRM campaigns. Current literature has identified the main factors influencing the decisions of consumers namely cause familiarity, charity efficiency, brand-cause fit or the type of product (C.-T. Chang, 2008; B. A. Lafferty & Goldsmith, 2005; Winterich & Barone, 2011). Among the multiple factors that may have a bearing on the effectiveness of CRM, one is of particular interest, i.e., the nature of the product. In other words, the evaluation of CRM initiatives is closely linked to the type of product used (i.e., hedonic vs. utilitarian). Controversy exists, regarding the influence of these variables. For instance, while some authors have found that consumer response to CRM is more favorable when the products are hedonic rather than utilitarian (Strahilevitz & Myers, 1998). Others have not replicated these results (Samu & Wymer, 2009). In addition the favorable results of these partnerships probably for luxury products, it remains questionable either collaborating with NPOs in Pakistani market is also beneficial for luxury brands or not?