ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the topic of cause-related marketing and other corporate social responsibility (CSR)-based approaches. All of these activities revolve around the notion of a "responsible process" cue that companies can choose to emphasize in their communications, like they do other cues. The chapter also reviews important concepts linked to CSR, ethics, and macro-marketing. Business ethics and CSR are occasionally used interchangeably, or as elements included in one another's definition. For instance, CSR is sometimes included in the definition of ethics, while ethics is sometimes included in the definition of CSR. The chapter presents examples of companies supporting a variety of causes. It also discusses an overview of the issues debated when it comes to cause-related marketing, firms and potential pitfalls for both firms and the nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that represent the supported causes. The chapter discusses that diversity across markets is to be expected when it comes to the consumption of "responsible" products.
