Cause Promotion and Social Marketing as Corporate Social Responsibility Strategies: An Integrative Literature Review and Conceptual Framework

Edralene M. Toñacao; Anik Yuesti; Joel Arante Alve

doi:10.36733/ijassd.v8i2.14809

Authors

Edralene M. Toñacao University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos, Philippines
Anik Yuesti Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar, Indonesia
Joel Arante Alve University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos, Philippines

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36733/ijassd.v8i2.14809

Keywords:

corporate social responsibility, cause promotion, social marketing, sustainability

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) increasingly requires firms to align social contributions with credible stakeholder engagement and measurable outcomes. This integrative literature review examines cause promotion and social marketing as marketing-related CSR strategies while clarifying their distinction from cause-related marketing (CRM). Cause promotion primarily builds awareness, participation, fundraising, and volunteer support; CRM links corporate contributions to consumer transactions; and corporate social marketing applies marketing principles to encourage voluntary behavior change. Synthesizing foundational theory, empirical studies, reviews, meta-analytic evidence, and recent sustainability communication research, the study identifies distinct mechanisms, outcomes, and boundary conditions. Cause promotion is most effective for generating attention and engagement, whereas social marketing is better suited to converting awareness into behavioral outcomes. Effectiveness depends on authenticity, cause–company fit, transparency, credibility, stakeholder involvement, contextual fit, and behavioral accessibility. The paper proposes an integrative CSR pathway to guide the selection, sequencing, and evaluation of marketing-related CSR initiatives for sustainable societal impact.

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