Cause-related marketing in service companies

Cilj ovog rada je utvrditi važnost primjene marketinga opće dobrobiti u uslužnim poduzećima s obzirom na specifična obilježja uslužnog sektora. Metodom intervjua i ankete dobiveni su rezultati koji pokazuju kako većina poduzeća percipira jednake koristi ove vrste marketinga poput poticanja lojalnosti korisnika i poboljšanja imidža te ostvarivanje suradnje između različitih odjela i motivacija zaposlenika. Začuđujuća je činjenica kako vrlo malo poduzeća, a pogotovo uslužnih, provodi ovu vrstu marketinga. Isto tako, iako većina izražava zadovoljstvo rezultatima kampanje, iznenađuje podatak da je jedina mjera uspješnosti za većinu poduzeća isključivo iznos prihoda koji je prikupljen, manje pažnje se pridaje istraživanju karakteristika korisnika koji sudjeluju. Kratkoročnost kampanji, slični ciljevi i komunikacija putem online kanala karakteristični su za sva ispitana poduzeća, dok razlike postoje kod razloga koji stoje iza pokretanja kampanja, postavljanja granica iznosa koji je moguće donirati i ograničenja koja se javljaju kod ove vrste marketinga.The aim of this paper is to determine the importance of cause related marketing in service companies given the specific characteristics of the service sector. Conducted interviews and surveys have yielded results that show how most businesses perceive the same benefits of this type of marketing, such as boosting consumers' loyalty and improving the company's image as well as the cooperation achieved across departments and increased employee motivation. It is surprising that very few companies, especially service companies, carry out this type of marketing. Also, while most respondents are pleased with the results of their campaigns, it is surprising that the measure of success for most businesses is solely the amount of generated revenue. Very little attention is paid to the characteristics of donors that participated in their campaigns. Brevity of the campaign, similar goals and communication with the participants via online channels are common to all surveyed companies. The differences in conducted campaigns can be found in the reasons why the certain cause was selected, limitations concerning the amount of money that can be donated, and different negative sides of using this type of marketing