Interesting Results

Consumer Perceptions of Corporate Donations

Are consumer perceptions of companies influenced by donations they make to charitable causes? A 2003/2004 study¹ suggests that the answer depends both on the type of donation and the extent to which consumers already perceive the company to be socially responsible.

Perceptions of companies perceived to be socially responsible did not improve when unconditional donations were made and these firms were perceived to be more mercenary than they had been previously after making a sales-related donation (e.g., a $1 donation for each product purchased).
Perceptions of companies who were perceived to be average in terms of social responsibility only improved when they made unconditional donations.
Perceptions of companies who were perceived to be socially irresponsible improved as a result of making a donation regardless of whether that donation was unconditional or sales related; however, this still did not enable them to be perceived as positively as companies who were already perceived to be socially responsible.

¹ Dean, Dwane Hal (2003/2004), “Consumer Perception of Corporate Donations”, Journal of Advertising, 32(4), 91-102.