A critical view of Cause-Related Marketing Communication: the Effect of Pinkwashing on Consumer Behaviour

Cause-related marketing (CRM) has become a significant strategy for firms to achieve higher consumer brand identification, stronger brand loyalty and higher profits. It refers to the practice of advocating corporate social responsibility in marketing communication activities. Although CRM has gained increasing acceptance in business during the last twenty years, it is not always welcomed by consumers. Furthermore, it could be that an organization may intentionally misrepresent its intentions and defraud the public. This type of actions might lead to scepticism, because it often makes consumers doubt about what a firm is communicating. Until now, little attention has been paid to CRM initiatives associated with issues such as those supporting research on breast cancer, often communicated through pink packaging or a pink ribbon. The aim of this paper is to study how consumers feel about CRM, in the specific case of pinkwashing, and its effects on consumer behaviour, also considering consumer trust, confusion and perceived risk. The present research is based on literature and on the model and questions proposed by Chen and Chang (2013) for greenwashing. It uses a structural equation modelling (SEM) software that is SmartPLS 3. This research revealed that pinkwashing enhances consumer-perceived risk and consumer confusion. However there is no directly effect of pinkwashing marketing on trust, but indirectly pink perceived risk is a mediator through it, pinkwashing influences consumer trust.