Research shows that when there is asymmetry in cause marketing between the sponsors and the cause, the entity that gains the most from the relationship is the smaller brand. But there’s an asymmetry continuum of sorts. For instance, when Yoplait yogurt and Susan G. Komen for the Cure link up, the brands which are arguably equivalent in their respective spheres, the benefits confer symmetrically. Same when Weight Watchers and Share Our Strength tie in together. So what happens when l’Oreal hooks up with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund , as it did earlier this year with a cosmetics bag campaign? Or like Jiffy Lube does in my home state of Utah, when it does a holiday season cause marketing campaign benefiting the Utah Food Bank ? In such cases, the causes benefit disproportionately thanks to their association with the better known brands. Does the obverse hold true? That is, can a sponsor benefit asymmetrically from an association with a better-known nonprofit brand? Yes it can. F...
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