Cause marketing is marketing done by a for-profit business that seeks to both increase profits and to better society in accordance with corporate social responsibility, such as by including activist messages in advertising.
A similar phrase, cause-related marketing, usually refers to a subset of cause marketing that involves the cooperative efforts of a for-profit business and a non-profit organization for mutual benefit. A high-profile form of cause-related marketing occurs at checkout counters when customers are asked to support a cause with a charitable donation. Cause marketing differs from corporate giving (philanthropy), as the latter generally involves a specific donation that is tax-deductible, while cause marketing is a promotional campaign not necessarily based on a donation.
The United States Congress passed the Endangered Species Act on December 14, 1973. In response, 7-Eleven sold Endangered Species Cups, and donated one cent from the sale of each cup to the National Wildlife Federation. Donations from the program totaled 250,000,whichtheNationalWildlifeFederationusedtopurchaseBaldEaglehabitat.ThetransferoflandtotheU.S.GovernmentandU.S.FishandWildlifeServicetookplaceonDecember19,1974,andcametobeknownastheKarlE.MundtNationalWildlifeRefuge.In1976,acausemarketingcampaignwasexecutedbymeansofapartnershipbetweentheMarriottCorporationandtheMarchofDimes.Marriott′sobjectivewastogeneratecost−effectivepublicrelationsandmediacoveragefortheopeningoftheirfamilyentertainmentcenter,Marriott′sGreatAmericainSantaClara,California.TheMarchofDimes′sobjectivewastoincreasefundraisingwhilemotivatingthecollectionofpledgesbytheprogram′sdeadline.Thepromotionwasconductedsimultaneouslyin67citiesthroughoutthewesternUnitedStates.Thiscausemarketingcampaignandpartnershipraisedanunprecedented2.4 million, to become the most successful promotion in the history of Chapters West of the March of Dimes, while providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in free publicity and stimulating a 2.