Overview #
This study identifies ways in which nudging can be used for good to improve corporate social marketing effectiveness. Amid rising global demands for sustainable practices, corporations are called to move beyond symbolic social responsibility and serve as genuine catalysts for behavioural and social change.
Abstract #
Corporate social marketing explores how companies can support real behaviour change rather than rely only on symbolic social responsibility. This study focuses on food waste reduction and asks whether corporate social marketing (CSM) works better than two common corporate social initiatives. The first, corporate philanthropy, is where a company donates money or support. The second, cause-related marketing (CRM), is where a company links sales or promotion to a social cause. The project is important because corporations often sit in a powerful midstream position. They can influence consumers, supply chains, and public expectations. Many corporate social initiatives can also still raise awareness without helping people take practical action.
The research used Nudge Theory and Attribution Theory to explain why some corporate campaigns encourage stronger behaviour change than others. Nudge Theory shows how small changes in messages, prompts, and choice environments can guide people toward better decisions without removing choice. Attribution Theory helps explain how people judge a company’s motives. If consumers see a campaign as sincere and closely connected to what the company does, they may trust it more and feel more willing to act. The study tested these ideas through two controlled experiments with South African retail consumers. In the first study, 307 participants compared a food retailer’s behaviour-focused CSM campaign with a donation-based philanthropy campaign. In the second study, 400 participants compared CSM with CRM and also tested whether the cause matched the company’s core business.
The findings show that CSM can be more effective than passive corporate giving when the goal is behaviour change. Participants who saw the CSM campaign reported stronger intentions to reduce food waste than those who saw the philanthropy campaign. The second study showed a more detailed pattern: CSM performed best when the cause clearly fitted the company, such as a grocery retailer addressing food waste. When the cause did not fit the company’s business, the impact of CSM dropped. CRM did not show the same sensitivity to fit. The analysis also found that people responded more positively when they believed the company acted from sincere, intrinsic motives.
The study suggests that businesses should move beyond symbolic corporate social initiatives and design campaigns that actively help people change behaviour. For social marketers, the findings highlight the value of corporate social marketing, cause–company fit and nudges. Also, perceived sincerity creates credible, evidence-based campaigns that can reduce food waste and support wider social and environmental goals.
Access #
Paul Issock – University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (paul.issockissock@wits.ac.za)
Location #
South Africa
Keywords #
Corporate social marketing, corporate social initiatives, intrinsic attribution, Food waste reduction, Nudge Theory, WSMC conference 2025
