For-profit or non-profit brands: Which is more effective in a cause-related marketing programme?

The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of awareness of for-profit vs non-profit brands in consumers’ perception of cause-related products linking two brands in a co-branding strategy. The intention is to determine which partner’s brand awareness plays the most important role in improving positive perception of the cause-related programme and product in branding initiatives of this kind. The study is a 2 (profit brand awareness: high; low) x 2 (non-profit brand awareness: high; low) between-subject experimental design. The results reveal significant interaction between awareness of for-profit and non-profit brands in defining consumers’ willingness to pay for the cause-related product and the key impact of awareness of the two partner brands on the likelihood that consumers will make a purchase.