Cause related marketing: armani initiative 'acqua for life'

The study analyzes the use of cause-related marketing as a tool for promotion of social causes for luxurious cosmetics, a sector that traditionally believed to be unrelated to any social and environmental causes. This paper focuses on a case study - Acqua for Life Challenge- by Giorgio Armani cosmetics in Italy – an initiative of CRM in the luxury market. The aim of the paper is to analyze how companies can leverage efficiently on the consumers ethical values. Therefore, this paper presents a systematic literature review on the cause-related marketing strategies, new models of responsible consumption, as well as the value of social networks as a means of promotion of social causes. The campaign assessment is through a survey of the main beneficiaries of the initiative (authorized dealers and web users). The research results emphasize the importance of social values in giving distinctive value to the Giorgio Armani over its competitors.