cause marketing

[kawz mahr-ki-ting]

noun

1. the display of corporate social responsibility as an advertising strategy, such as by making a charitable donation with every sale or employing activist messaging in promotional materials.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cause marketing¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Decades into the rise of cause marketing, in which companies team up with charities for mutual benefit, the incident suggests consumers are getting more likely to call out promises they consider vague or unsatisfying.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Businesses are best off if they make clear exactly where the money is going and the power of the donation even if it’s a small amount per purchase, said Maria Perez, a cause marketing consultant.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

If done more intentionally, purpose marketing, today’s term for cause marketing, can be great—for causes, for consumers, and for brands.

Read more on Slate

Although cause marketing had existed since the 1970s, the combination of wanting to do something—anything—and the exponential growth of the internet and social media enabled this strategy to take hold.

Read more on Slate

Promotion like this is known as cause marketing, a strategy in which brands connect to social issues.

Read more on Slate