Advertising corporate social responsibility

• Published in: Corporate communications Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 249 - 263
• Main Authors: Pomering, Alan, Johnson, Lester W., Noble, Gary
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 24.04.2013
• Subjects: Advertising; Audiences; Behavior; Brand loyalty; Business communications; Communication; Consumers; Corporate image; Marketing; Social responsibility; Stakeholders; Studies; Corporate social responsibility; Corporate identity; Experimental design; Corporate image; Australia; Advertising; Message variables
• ISSN: 1356-3289; 1758-6046
• DOI: 10.1108/13563281311319517

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine how social topic information (STI) and corporate social responsibility commitment (CSRC) substantiate the firm's CSR claims and promote message persuasion.Design methodology approach - A 2×2 between-subjects experimental design was used to examine the impact of STI and CSRC on output variables using an online sample of 176 participants in Australia.Findings - The study found that manipulation of STI had a statistically significant impact on outcome variables, but that CSRC did not.Research limitations implications - The study was limited to Australia and used a fictitious brand in the experiment.Practical implications - For marketing communications and brand managers, this study informs CSR-based corporate image advertising.Social implications - Support for more socially responsible businesses through responsible consumption can potentially transform product attributes and markets. More effective CSR communication is critical to this response.Originality value - To date, no research has examined how consumer persuasion of CSR advertising claims might be enhanced using message variables. This study has implications for theory and practice for the effective communication of pro-social achievements, and suggests further research areas.