Communicating brands´ purpose-driven orientation

: does it make a difference on cause-related advertisements? A study on well-established fast-fashion brands

Abstract

Motivated by the necessity of change in a world with alarming environmental and social issues, consumers' purchase behaviour and brands' business models have been showing an incredible transformation. This reality transcends to the fast-fashion industry, where brands progressively begin to communicate their CSR practices (cause-related marketing) and their purpose (purpose-driven orientation).In line, the present dissertation intends to examine how well-established fast-fashion brands can communicate more efficiently a cause-related advertisement by integrating purpose-driven statements. Based on an extensive analysis of the existing literature regarding the concepts in cause, an experimental study design was performed to examine the effect of adding a purpose-driven statement to a cause-related advertisement on consumers’ purchase behaviours and brand equity perceptions, as well as to which type of responsible practice are consumers more sensitive.Results alert to the importance of introducing a purpose-driven orientation effectively. The success of a purpose-driven statement communication requires the integration of important elements and a clear internal congruency. If consumers cannot relate the statement with the brand’s practice conduct it will lead to a perverse result and consumers' purchase intention will decrease. Moreover, this thesis reinforces the relevance of cause-fit in a cause-related advertisement.

Date of Award	29 Jan 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Vera Herédia Colaço (Supervisor)