Evaluating the marketing campaign of femvertising as strategical customer relationship

Purpose Gender inequality is a significant objective and obstacle to achieving sustainable development. Indonesia is encountering a comparable problem. The dilemma is rooted in a lack of education and awareness regarding gender equality. In addition to that, since 2004, firms worldwide have been consistently embracing femvertising, an advertising approach that seeks to empower women. Some companies use femvertising into their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Moreover, favorable customer perceptions of companies that endorse women's empowerment can result in positive consumer behavioral intentions, such as purchase intention, but only when there is a robust interaction between the companies and consumers. This study investigates the impact of CSR femvertising on women's empowerment and its influence on customer purchase intention and evaluates how the gender may influence the attitude toward femvertising. Design/methodology/approach This research was conducted with multivariate structural equation modeling (SEM) and eight hypotheses were tested. This study successfully recruited participants virtually from a sample of 264 participants to investigate the relationship between a company's female empowerment program, brand-cause alignment, CSR association, organizational-public relationship (OPR), brand loyalty and purchase intention. Findings A positive and significant influence was found on attitude toward femvertising on purchase intention, femvertising is notably linked with brand-cause. The analysis found that brand–cause fit shows a significant connection with CSR association. Other results prove that CSR association is significantly tied to OPR. Finally, OPR is significantly associated with brand loyalty and brand loyalty significantly impacts purchase intention. Further theoretical and practical implications were described. Originality/value This study enriches CSR, advertising and consumer behavior research by investigating the impact of CSR femvertising on women's empowerment and its influence on customer purchase intention in the context of developing countries. It also elaborates on the influence of gender on femvertising toward attitude and evaluates the company commitment, which can be demonstrated through the consistent incorporation of feminist values, diversity and inclusivity in its advertisements.