The effect of corporate social responsibility activities on consumer consumption tendencies

In many studies conducted in recent years, the impact and importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities on consumption trends have been emphasized. In studies conducted in the relevant field, the factors affecting the success of Cause-related Marketing (CrM) campaigns, one of the types of corporate social responsibility, have become a topic of discussion. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the product type included in the most preferred CrM campaigns among the corporate social responsibility types of the companies on the attitude towards the brand and purchase intention. In addition, it is aimed to determine the effects of the product and cause fit in the CrM campaign on the purchase intention and attitude towards the brand. It is also aimed to determine whether the concept of helping others and the CSR connotation, which have not been used before in the Turkish literature, have any effect on the attitude towards the brand and the purchase intention of the consumers. The hypotheses put forward for the determined purpose were tested with regression analysis. For this purpose, a face-to-face survey method was applied to 289 participants determined by convenience sampling method at Balıkesir University Faculty of Applied Sciences. The applied survey forms were composed of 4 different scenarios. Each scenario was applied to a single participant without showing the other versions. The research data obtained by the survey method were analyzed using SPSS 26 package program and AMOS 24.0 program. After analyzing the obtained data, the findings were interpreted. The findings obtained at the end of the research show that in the most frequently used CrM campaigns among the corporate social responsibility types, the product type has a statistically significant effect on the purchase intention of the consumers but does not have a significant effect on the attitude towards the brand. In addition, it was observed that the fit between the product and the cause does not have a statistically significant effect on the purchase intention and the attitude towards the brand. It was concluded that the attitude towards helping others has a positive and statistically significant effect on the purchase intention and the attitude towards the brand. Finally, it was observed that the CSR association also has a positive and statistically significant effect on the purchase intention and the attitude towards the brand. As a result of these findings, the study was concluded by making recommendations to academics who want to work on this subject and to businesses who want to implement CrM campaigns of the CSR types.