Visual Style of Cause-Related Marketing and Purchase Intention in Prosocial Fashion

This study explored how a cause-focused visual style in cause-related marketing (CRM) affects purchase intentions by mediating roles of perceived self-serving motives, brand familiarity, and brand attitude in the context of pro-social fashion brands. Utilizing a quantitative approach, a sample of 233 respondents was taken through simple random sampling (SRS). The sample size was determined based on the requirements of the analytical tools employed, with analysis conducted using the structural equation model (SEM) approach with the assistance of SMART-PLS 4.0. This research finds that brand attitude is the highest mediation effect that mediates the cause-focused visual style’s impact on purchase intention. Additionally, perceived self-serving motives, brand familiarity, and brand attitude also mediate the relationship between the cause-focused visual style of CRM and purchase intention serially. Interestingly, though mostly insignificant in influencing purchase intention, self-serving motives become negligible for customers already familiar with the brand. This suggests that brand familiarity fosters a positive brand attitude that mitigates concerns over the company’s self-serving motives and leads to purchase intentions for fashion brand products. Marketers are advised to prioritize customer needs and incorporate messages centered on social objectives in CRM campaigns for fashion brands, as the visual style will not directly impact purchase intention without reinforcing brand familiarity and brand attitude. Moreover, insights from the mediation analysis offer strategies to enhance the effectiveness of CRM campaigns by mitigating the adverse effects of the company’s self-serving motives.