How Social-Cause Marketing Affects Consumer Perceptions

Abstract

The article reports on experimental studies indicating that the research method known as conjoint analysis could be a valuable market research tool to help companies predict which of several alternative affinity marketing or social-cause marketing affiliations would provide the best return on investment. Case histories suggest that companies have been able to use societal marketing to help differentiate their brands from competitors in consumers' minds. Careful experimental research using conjoint analysis is recommended to refine and test ideas for affinity marketing initiatives against one another and against other kinds of marketing initiatives.

Keywords: Conjoint Analysis (Marketing), Marketing Research, Social Marketing, Marketing Industrial Research, Research Rate of Return, Capital Investments, Financial Performance