When Corporations Nudge for Good: Examining the Effectiveness of Corporate Social Marketing Initiatives in Influencing Intention to Change

Firms invest heavily in corporate social initiatives (CSIs), yet evidence of behaviour change remains limited. This study examines whether corporate social marketing (CSM) elicits stronger behavioural intentions to change than other CSI formats, such as philanthropy and cause‐related marketing (CRM), and identifies the psychological mechanisms that amplify its relative effectiveness. Two online experiments with South African grocery shoppers (Study 1: n = 307; Study 2: n = 376) compare CSM with corporate philanthropy and CRM and examine the roles of company–cause fit and intrinsic attributions. Findings show that CSM produces a higher intention to change than philanthropy. However, when the cause aligns with the company's core business, CSM and CRM yield similarly strong intentions. Whereas, when the cause is misaligned to the corporation's core business, both underperform. Therefore, company–cause fit boosts intention partly by strengthening intrinsic motive attribution. The study clarifies when corporate nudges outperform alternatives and delineates the midstream role of firms in delivering societal benefits.