The Effects of Prior Impressions of a Firm’s Ethics on the Success of a Cause-Related Marketing Campaign : Do the Good Look Better While the Bad Look Worse?

This research examines the effect of the initial perception of the ethical nature of a firm on the effects of that firm participating in a cause-related marketing campaign. In two studies, the effects of a cause-related marketing campaign are examined for companies perceived as ethical, unethical and ethically neutral. It is found that firms initially perceived as ethical are least likely to be seen as having ulterior motives for running a cause-related marketing campaign, whereas firms initially perceived as unethical are most likely to be suspected of having ulterior motives. However, it is also found that firms perceived as ethically neutral gained the most from a cause-related marketing campaign