Which company is credited with popularizing cause-related marketing in 1983?

Which company is credited with popularizing cause-related marketing in 1983? American Express is credited with popularizing—and apparently coining—the term in 1983.

Cause-related marketing links a commercial promotion to support for a charitable or public cause. American Express helped make the model visible through a campaign connected with restoration work for the Statue of Liberty. The company donated money when customers used its cards and when new customers applied for cards.

The approach was commercially significant as well as charitable: the campaign reportedly increased card usage and new-account applications while raising funds for the restoration effort. It showed how a company could connect consumer behavior, brand identity, and nonprofit fundraising in one promotion.

American Express did not invent every form of business philanthropy, and earlier campaigns paired companies with social causes. The precise claim is narrower: American Express is widely credited with popularizing cause-related marketing and associating the phrase with the 1983 campaign.