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values (e.g., fighting cancer, feeding the hungry, etc.) that almost no one would be opposed to. It is unlikely that these generic values will generate the same level of rapport and resonance as the more polarizing values (e.g., pro-life vs. pro-choice campaigns) do, but they also will not offend any customers.
Third, organizations must be careful to avoid perceived value conflicts. When consumers perceive a value conflict, they appear to question whether the organization fairly represents its products. To overcome this, value-conflict organizations have to compete aggressively on the other 3 P’s: price, product and promotion, which typically have a negative impact on profitability. It is true that in some special cases, having a conflict with a certain group may gain so much publicity that it leads to greater recognition and possibly higher sales from another group. For example, Abercrombie & Fitch, a clothing retail store that has a very explicit and suggestive catalog, recently has had many parents and conservative groups strongly protest. Nonetheless, this conflict has gotten Abercrombie & Fitch a lot of media attention, attracted many teens and young adults to purchase their products, and increased its sales. Abercrombie & Fitch is an exceptional case, however, and not the norm.
Finally, and most importantly from a normative point of view, this research shows that organizations would likely reap a better return and the world would be a better place if they focused more on building value congruence and benefiting society than on some of their current marketing tactics. In particular, this research suggest that organizations may benefit more from improving the working and living conditions of their workers than from lavishing huge sums of money on celebrities for endorsements. It appears from this research that doing good for society can have very significant tangible and intangible benefits for organizations. These results strengthen the evidence that it is possible for organizations to do well by doing good. In this current age of cynicism, this is a very uplifting finding.