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In order to achieve positive consumer responses, retailers have been relying on cause-related marketing (CRM) for some time. Only a few companies associate these campaigns with price mark-up potential and thus immediate disadvantages for customers. The concept is known as “True Prices” if environment- and social-related costs are calculated into the final market price and if these mark-ups are separately communicated. Interestingly, the potential effects of this novel practice are little known and therefore the focus of our study. We use content analysis to evaluate 398 posts from readers of a daily newspaper about a recent “True Prices” campaign of a German discounter. The results show that consumers do not support environmental and social price markups for food, but rather respond with negative emotions and refusal to buy in the future. Our study complements the increasing number of CSR studies that provide evidence for negative effects on consumers. In particular, we provide evidence for very different types of negative emotions that might guide future research on negative experiences. We further postulate that marketing is at the beginning of a paradigm shift—away from the narrative of broadly accepted sustainability campaigns toward a stronger focus on selected target groups. In this chapter, we examine the effects of a “True Price” campaign by the German discount retailer, Penny, on the company’s customers. In 2023, the retail company sold nine different products with a surcharge for environmental protection and higher social standards for seven days. The content analysis of 398 posts from the daily newspaper “Die WELT” clearly shows that consumers respond very negatively emotionally. The results suggest that even well-intentioned campaigns pursuing a company’s sustainable goals can have a detrimental impact on the company. Based on the evaluation of the research and the findings of our study, we therefore recommend not pursuing the “doing good” narrative unquestioningly. To achieve positive perceptions and intentions among consumers, it may be more beneficial to tailor cause-related marketing campaigns to the individual customer structure and adequate product categories.

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“True Price” Campaigns: Consumers’ Emotions and Loyalty in Food Retail

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Doreén Pick

摘要

In order to achieve positive consumer responses, retailers have been relying on cause-related marketing (CRM) for some time. Only a few companies associate these campaigns with price mark-up potential and thus immediate disadvantages for customers. The concept is known as “True Prices” if environment- and social-related costs are calculated into the final market price and if these mark-ups are separately communicated. Interestingly, the potential effects of this novel practice are little known and therefore the focus of our study. We use content analysis to evaluate 398 posts from readers of a daily newspaper about a recent “True Prices” campaign of a German discounter. The results show that consumers do not support environmental and social price markups for food, but rather respond with negative emotions and refusal to buy in the future. Our study complements the increasing number of CSR studies that provide evidence for negative effects on consumers. In particular, we provide evidence for very different types of negative emotions that might guide future research on negative experiences. We further postulate that marketing is at the beginning of a paradigm shift—away from the narrative of broadly accepted sustainability campaigns toward a stronger focus on selected target groups. In this chapter, we examine the effects of a “True Price” campaign by the German discount retailer, Penny, on the company’s customers. In 2023, the retail company sold nine different products with a surcharge for environmental protection and higher social standards for seven days. The content analysis of 398 posts from the daily newspaper “Die WELT” clearly shows that consumers respond very negatively emotionally. The results suggest that even well-intentioned campaigns pursuing a company’s sustainable goals can have a detrimental impact on the company. Based on the evaluation of the research and the findings of our study, we therefore recommend not pursuing the “doing good” narrative unquestioningly. To achieve positive perceptions and intentions among consumers, it may be more beneficial to tailor cause-related marketing campaigns to the individual customer structure and adequate product categories.