Article Spatial Distance Construal Perspectives on Cause-Related Marketing: The Importance of Nationalism in Russia Yuliya Strizhakova and Robin A. Coulter Abstract Consumers around the globe expect firms to contribute to environmentally and socially responsible causes. Using construal level theory with a spatial distance lens, we examine effects of spatial proximity of the firm (domestic firm vs. foreign multinational corporation [MNC]), cause (domestic vs. global), and consumer cultural identity (locally oriented: nationalism and consumer ethnocentrism; distantly oriented: global identity and global citizenship through global brands) on consumer attitudes toward the firm. Across three studies with a focus on Russia and environmental causes, we consistently find that nationalism moderates consumer attitudes, whereas consumer ethnocentrism, global identity, and global citizenship through global brands do not. When firms engage in cause-related marketing and focus on proximal causes, nationalistic consumers are more favorable toward domestic firms (vs. foreign MNCs). When firms are not engaged in cause-related marketing, consumers with stronger nationalism are more favorable toward domestic firms, and consumers with weaker nationalism are more favorable toward foreign MNCs. Importantly, the effects of nationalism are mitigated when foreign MNCs and domestic firms engage with global causes. Product involvement, environmental concerns, and marketplace skepticism are predictors of attitudes toward the firm. The results highlight the importance of considering the socio-historical-political context of a given country and locally oriented nationalistic beliefs. Keywords cause-related marketing, construal level theory, cultural identity, environmental sustainability, nationalism As part of broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, firms around the world are focused on cause-related marketing (CRM), or “activities by firms to contribute to designated causes” (Varadarajan and Menon 1988, p. 60). In 2016, the estimated global spending on CRM was $2 billion, a 3.7% increase over 2015 spending (IEG 2016). Many multinational corporations (MNCs) with well-established CRM initiatives in developed markets also are engaging in CRM in emerging markets (Gruber and Schlegelmilch 2015; Khan, Lew, and Park 2015), and domestic firms in these markets are replicating successful strategies of foreign MNCs. Research in developed markets demonstrates that CRM efforts are associated with increased sales and market performance (Katsikeas, Leonidou, and Zeriti 2016; Leonidou et al. 2013; Strahilevitz and Myers 1998), as well as stronger consumer–brand identification (Bhattacharya and Sen 2003; Ross, Patterson, and Stutts 1992; Torelli, Monga, and Kaikati 2012), consumer brand advocacy (Du, Bhattacharya, and Sen 2007; Sen and Bhatta- charya 2001), and brand loyalty (Pfitzer, Bockstette, and Stamp 2013). Further, CRM can encourage brand switching and be a decisive factor in consumer choice among products with sim- ilar price and quality (Smith and Alcorn 1991). With this increased presence of CSR and CRM, the vast majority of consumers worldwide (90%) now expect compa- nies to engage in socially responsible and environmentally friendly practices (Cone Communications 2015), and two- thirds of consumers are willing to pay more for socially respon- sible products (Nielsen 2015). However, research on consumer responses to CSR-CRM is lagging in emerging markets (Eteokleous, Leonidou, and Katsikeas 2016), with some studies Yuliya Strizhakova is Associate Professor of Marketing, School of Business— Camden, Rutgers University (email: ystrizha@rutgers.edu). Robin A. Coulter is VOYA Financial Fellow, Professor of Marketing and Department Head, Department of Marketing, School of Business, University of Connecticut, and Extraordinary Professor, Marketing and Management Department, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of Pretoria (email: robin.coulter@uconn.edu). Journal of International Marketing 2019, Vol. 27(1) 38-55 ª American Marketing Association 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/1069031X18821082 journals.sagepub.com/home/jig