Exploring conspicuous compassion as a brand management strategy
| Date | 15 July 2019 |
| Pages | 540-554 |
| Published date | 15 July 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-05-2018-1882 |
| Author | Michelle Childs,Seeun Kim |
| Subject Matter | Marketing |
Exploring conspicuous compassion as a brand
management strategy
Michelle Childs
Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, and
Seeun Kim
Department of Consumer and Design Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Cause-related marketing (CR-M) –promising to donate to a charity when consumers purchase specific products –is a popular brand
strategy, particularly in the social media context. In light of Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption, the purpose of this experimental study is to
test the impact of a brand’s level and the conspicuousness of a brand’s CR-M campaign on consumers’brand-related responses. Results reveal a
novel mechanism underlying the effects by showing that pride and guilt mediate results.
Design/methodology/approach –This research is based on two studies that used a 2 (brand level: high-end vs low-end) 2 (conspicuous of
CR-M campaign: conspicuous vs non-conspicuous) between-subjects experimental design with random assignment to conditions and
manipulation checks.
Findings –Results reveal that consumers respond more favorably when high-end brands participate in CR-M, particularly when the CR-M
promotion is conspicuous. That is, when a high-end brand partners with a charity, especially under conspicuous conditions, it sign ificantlyim proves
consumers’brand attitudes and intent to share with others. Moreover, pride and guilt are important mediators in effects.
Practical implications –The results of this study offer strong implications for brand managers seeking to partner with charities in CR-M campaigns.
Results suggest that implementing CR-M campaigns may be fruitful for brands, particularly high-end brands when they enhance the
conspicuousness of their CR-M campaign.
Originality/value –Results empirically extend the notion of conspicuous consumption by demonstrating that social status can be achieved by
displaying not only acquired goods but also benevolence.
Keywords Pride, Guilt, Brand attitudes, Brand level, Brand referral intentions, Conspicuous compassion, Intent to share on social media
Paper type Research paper
Cause-related marketing (CR-M) –promising to donate a
certain amount of money to a non-profit organizationor charity
when consumers purchase specific products/services –is
becoming an increasingly popular strategy among companies
(Chang et al.,2019;Hildebrand et al.,2017;Legendre and
Coderre, 2018;Moosmayer and Fuljahn, 2013;Till and
Nowak, 2000). One prominent CR-M campaign is Michael
Kors’partnership with the United Nations World Food
Program: for every item sold from its partnership collection,
Michael Kors donates 100 meals for children in hunger-
stricken areas (Michael Kors,2015). This campaign reportedly
funded ten million meals in just three years (Michael Kors,
2015). Owing to reciprocal impacts on brands, CR-M is
becoming an essential component of brand strategy (Hidaka
et al., 2018;Lee et al.,2018). According to the IEG (2017),
North American companies are projected to spend $24.2bn
implementing CR-M campaigns in 2018, a growth of 4.5 per
cent from the previous year. Trendsindicate continued growth
of this brand strategy.
Because CR-M creates mutuallybeneficial relationships with
consumers and other stakeholders,it is not surprising that it has
flourished as a brand strategy. While previous studies have
primarily examined the impact of brand and CR-M
partnerships on charity behavior (Koschate-Fischer et al.,
2012;Wallace et al., 2017), less is understood about CR-M’s
effect on consumers’reciprocaleffects toward the brand. There
is a particular need to understand the effects of a brand’s level
(i.e. high-end vs low-end) because consumers evaluate brands
based on market position(Dall’Olmo Riley et al.,2013).
The success of CR-M campaigns may be attributed to
consumers’self-interest motivation and desire to signal their
compassionate nature to others (Baghi and Gabrielli, 2018;
Wallace et al.,2019). Building on Veblen’s (1912/1994) theory
of conspicuous consumption,scholars (Jai, 2013;Wallace et al.,
2017,2019;West, 2004) have argued that consumers
participate in CR-M campaigns to engage in conspicuous
compassion. This behavior may be especially prevalent in the
context of social media, which enables consumers to visually
showcase their compassion(i.e. purchase of CR-M product) to
their friends (Jai, 2013;Olanoff, 2012;Wallace et al., 2017,
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
28/4 (2019) 540–554
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-05-2018-1882]
Received 17 May 2018
Revised 16 October 2018
24 January 2019
26 January 2019
28 January 2019
Accepted 29 January 2019
540
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