Cause-Brand Association - An Emerging Trend in India

With the intense competition and brand proliferation; creating unique positioning in minds of consumers is a marketing challenge. Today's new-age consumers are educated, techno-savvy and are socially responsible. Therefore the brand managers are looking for innovative ways to influence consumers' attitudes and purchase decisions. In this context, linking a brand to a social cause could be an effective marketing strategy. Several researches propose that cause inclusion has significant impact on consumers' attitudes towards the brand and therefore buying decisions.

Although it is an emerging trend in India, there seems to be an overlap and confusion over various alternative terms used for Cause-brand association like Cause Branding, Cause Related Marketing etc. and whether Cause Related Marketing is part of Corporate Social Responsibility or an extension of the same etc. Therefore the current paper is an attempt to provide a conceptual framework of an emerging trend of Cause and Brand Association in an Indian perspective.