The warm-glow effect of consumer purchase in cause-related marketing: with roles of purchase type and consumption context

While the effectiveness of cause‑related marketing (CRM) for companies and their nonprofit partners has been well documented, its benefit to consumers is relatively understudied. Drawing on the warm‑glow effect, this experimental study investigates whether, what, and how CRM messages enable consumers to derive psychological rewards from cause‑related purchases. Study 1 finds that CRM messages emphasizing the cause elicit stronger warm‑glow feelings than messages solely promoting the product. Extending this preliminary finding, Study 2 shows that CRM messages tied to experiential purchases (e.g., dining) evoke more warm‑glow feelings than those tied to material purchases (e.g., clothing). Study 3 reveals that the positive outcome of experiential (vs. material) purchases for CRM messages is enhanced when paired with shared consumption (with others) rather than personal consumption (alone). Across the three studies, warm‑glow feelings serve as a significant mediator of CRM effectiveness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, with specific reference to CRM advertising effectiveness from the consumer’s perspective.