Abstract:

The research explored the influences of type of donation (unconditional donation and cause-related marketing) type of cause (disaster cause and ongoing cause) and company reputation (average firm and scrupulous firm) on consumer’s responses. The results indicated that: firstly, consumers’ responses toward a company will be more positive when the company engages in unconditional donation than when it uses CRM; secondly, consumers’ responses toward a company will be more positive when the company supports a disaster rather than an ongoing cause; thirdly, consumers’ responses toward a company will be more positive when the company makes unconditional donation rather than CRM donation to a national disaster; there will be no difference in consumers’ responses toward a company between the company’s unconditional donation and its CRM donation to an ongoing cause; fourthly, consumers’ responses toward a company will be more positive when the company is a scrupulous one than when it is an average one; lastly, consumers’ responses toward a company will be more positive when the company engages in unconditional donation rather than when it uses CRM for a scrupulous company; there will be no difference in consumers’ responses toward a company between the company’s unconditional donation and its CRM donation for an average company.

Key words: Type of donation, Type of cause, Company reputation level