The Cause Cue Effect: Cause-Related Marketing and Consumer Health Perceptions

Many for-profit companies (e.g., Kraft, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Keebler, 5-Hour Energy) are partnering with health-oriented nonprofits (e.g., Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Susan G. Komen for Breast Cancer Research, American Red Cross) to make purchase-contingent donations. Companies use cause-related marketing to improve brand image and goodwill for their food products and companies. Prior research has examined how food-related cues can create consumer misperceptions; however, consumer perceptions related to corporate communications (e.g., the use of cause cues) has received little research attention. This research explores consumer reactions to cause cues and finds that adding a health cause to a food package significantly increases product health perceptions, and, usually, product attitude, and purchase intentions (i.e., the cause cue effect) in both a student sample (Studies 1 and 2) and an adult sample on Amazon's mTurk (Study 3). Implications for cueing and inference-making literature, and for consumer health, and policymakers are discussed.