A taxonomy of cause-related marketing research: Current findings and future research directions

Cause-related marketing is an increasingly popular method of improving marketing relationships with customers, both for the sponsoring company and for the participating cause. This paper outlines the rewards and risks for the company and the cause as they consider this type of partnership, as well as the benefits and drawbacks for the customers asked to participate in these programs through the purchase of the sponsored product or service. Future directions for research are recommended in order to (1) expand the findings within this domain, and (2) to maximize sales results from cause-related marketing initiatives for businesses and causes.