Matching a Cause with Self-Schema: The Moderating Effect on Brand Preferences

The moderating roles of consumer brand involvement type and product type on the effect of a match between consumers' self-schema and the cause a brand supports on consumers' preference for the cause-supporting brand is investigated. The authors show that a schema-cause match enhances consumer preference for a brand engaging in cause-related marketing when (1) consumers' involvement with the brand is of the impression-relevant type (vs. outcome-relevant type) and (2) when the branded product is functional (vs. hedonic). (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.