This study is intended to identify how a public marketing specifically opposing on the animal testing for cosmetics influences on what types of mental factor and ultimately on the customer attitude. Hereupon, an efficiency of cause-related marketing a...
This study is intended to identify how a public marketing specifically opposing on the animal testing for cosmetics influences on what types of mental factor and ultimately on the customer attitude. Hereupon, an efficiency of cause-related marketing activities conducted by cosmetic brand has been analyzed intending to provide basic data for preventing the public marketing from being degraded into a mere means in deriving psychological factors of customer.
This study has conducted a survey through one of the online investigation enterprise named "Em-Brain" for five days from September 24th to 28th in 2012, and responses from 500 females aged in 20s to 30s were used for analysis. SPSS 18.0 was utilized performing frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, regression analysis, reliability analysis, and factor analysis. In addition, AMOS was used for structure equation model analysis.
Individual value factors (self-transcendence, openness to the change, self-enhancement) and factors of ego's inclination (self-worth, universal ego, and sympathetic ego) of customers were specifically used as antecedents for structure equation model analysis. In addition, consumer motivation (social motivation and functional motivation), and altruistic and non-altruistic perspective were used as consequences. Furthermore, customer attitude (attitude on advertisement, purchase, corporation, and brand) was used as a dependent variable to identify an influence. Hereupon, this study has proceeded a research by specifically selecting a group with high loyalty on the general cosmetic brand and a separate group highly inclined to a particular cosmetic brand opposing animal test in order to identify whether there was a disparity on the influence of antecedents of each group categorized according to moderating variables.
The results of analysis in this study are as follows.
1. The result of analysis on current status of the purchase and acknowledge from consumers on the cosmetics that opposed to animal test is as follows.
Firstly, there was the highest average, 44.2%, of saying 'yes' on the question asking 'animal test should be banned for no reason.' Secondly, there was the highest average, 53.8%, of saying 'no idea' on the question asking whether a certain public campaign opposed to animal test or not for cosmetics. Third, there was the highest average, 61.4%, of saying 'none' on the question asking whether he/she had an experience of purchasing cosmetics that did not entail animal test. Fourth, there was a high average of reliability on the cosmetics produced without performing animal test.
2. The result of analysis on consumer attitude with public marketing that opposed to animal test.
First of all, the overall average on the attitude of advertisement was 4.14. Second, the overall average on the attitude of brand was 3.88 indicating that people were somewhat favorable on it. Third, the overall average on the attitude of corporation was 3.88 also representing it to be somewhat positive. However, there was a neural attitude on the attitude of purchase with the overall average of 3.41.
3. The result of structural analysis model designed to identify cause-and-effect relationship of factors influencing on the consumer attitude for the public marketing that opposed to animal test for cosmetics is as follows.
First of all, self-transcendence was turned out to positively influence on the purchasing and corporation attitude and to have only a direct effect on them. Especially, it had much influence on the corporation attitude compared to purchasing attitude. Secondly, universe ego propensity was turned out to positively influence on the attitude of advertisement, purchase, corporation, and brand and to have only a direct effect on them. Third, a specific perspective of considering the public marketing brand that opposed to animal test for cosmetics to be altruistic had a positive effect on the attitude of advertisement, purchase, corporation, and brand, and also only a direct effect. On the other hand, an opposite perspective of considering it as a non-altruistic behavior had a direct effect on the attitude of advertisement, purchase, corporation, and brand, and the effect was negatively related. Fourth, a sympathetic ego was turned out to have an indirect effect on the attitude of advertisement, purchase, corporation, and brand with a positive influence. Especially, it had a relatively high indirect effect on the corporation attitude.
4. The result of verifying an influence of antecedents in each group according to the moderating variable is as follows.
First of all, it turned out that a group with high loyalty on the general cosmetics had a significant influence with a direct effect on the purchasing and corporation attitude if it had a value of self-transcendence. However, there was no significant influence on the attitude of a group highly inclined to a particular cosmetic brand opposing to animal test. Secondly, a group with high loyalty of the general cosmetic was turned out to have a positive influence only on advertising attitude if it had a universe ego propensity. However, it was shown that a group highly inclined to a particular cosmetic brand opposing to animal test had a positive influence on the attitude of advertisement, purchase, corporation, and brand. Third, a group with high loyalty of the general cosmetic brand has an indirect effect on the attitude of advertisement, purchase, corporation, and brand with an altruistic perspective if it had a sense of social motivation regardless of a type of value or ego propensity. It also appeared that the effect had a positive influence on them. In addition, it appeared that there was an indirect effect on the attitude of advertisement, purchase, corporation, and brand via an altruistic and non-altruistic perspective if it had a functional motivation. Furthermore, it also turned out that there was a positively significant influence in the altruistic perspective but negatively significant influence in the non-altruistic perspective.
According to the result of study, first of all, it was assumed that consumers developed a positive attitude on factors with altruistic propensity among consumer values and ego's inclination. This indicates that a positive attitude could be built on a thought for being able to support by indirectly participating in the social issues if deciding to purchase cosmetics produced without conducting animal test and actually opposing to it in the light of animal protection. In details, the result of study suggests that purchasing attitude was not quite influenced. This represents feasibility that a positive attitude of consumers might not be directly led to purchasing behavior.
Secondly, if approaching with altruistic and non-altruistic perspectives on the cosmetics with public marketing that opposed to animal test, it turned out that attitude was much more positive in the altruistic perspective than non-altruistic perspective. It is a known fact that consumers develop a negative attitude if the public marketing activity is suspicious to be performed for pursuing a profit. However, it also conveys a meaningful insight that consumers are able to identify a true intention of marketing activities conducted by corporations.
Third, a model suggested in this study has shown a disparity on a group with high loyalty of the general cosmetics and a separate group highly inclined to a particular cosmetic brand opposing to animal test. This means that the attitude might or might not be influenced by loyalty of customer. If possible, it is required to selectively identify a measure for promoting public marketing activities of opposing to animal test after finding other types of potential moderating variables in order to provide high quality product and service to the customer.
key words: cause-related marketing, consumer attitude, consumer psychology factors, individual value factors, factors of ego's inclination, consumer motivation