ABSTRACT
Cause related marketing (CRM)—a popular advertising buzzword today—refers to the communication practices and messages a company publicizes regarding its “corporate social responsibility” brand identity in order to construct a commercially acceptable version of citizenship. One of the most recognizable CRM campaigns that coined the term was the Statue of Liberty Restoration project spearheaded by American Express in 1983 (Kotler and Lee, 2005). Over a three-month promotional period, the firm spent approximately $4 million advertising the campaign in which American Express would donate a penny for each dollar charged by an existing card owner and a dollar for a newly registered customer. At the end of the campaign, the firm raised only $1.7 million for the restoration. In the last three decades, where the globalization of the economy has been encouraged through deregulation, it hardly seems surprising that corporate malpractice has gone up. The mainstream news media has played a crucial role in exposing (with some restraint) the negligence, greed and scandal of corporate giants. Some argue that this has created an environment of skepticism for corporations among consumers in the US (Bakan, 2004). With more individuals equipped with mobile “surveillance” technologies, there are new modes for monitoring businesses and their interaction with various stakeholders. Whether it is to protect their brand identity from attack or to repair damaged reputations, companies are spending large sums to create a polished veneer communicating their commitment to the “common good” (Perrini, 2005; Vogel, 2005).
