Abstract
ABSTRACT Corporate social advocacy (CSA) often positions corporations to champion one side of the values by explicitly voicing their stance on contentious issues, which may evoke divided public reactions. Drawing upon the emotional broadcaster theory, our study investigates the impact of divided CSA responses on consumer behavioral intentions (i.e. online engagement, word of mouth, and purchasing intention) by testing the moderating role of hope emotion and the mediating role of perceived authenticity. The results of an online between-subjects experiment (N = 280) suggested that divided responses (supporting vs. boycotting tweets) influence online engagement, word of mouth, and purchasing intention through perceived authenticity. This indirect effect was contingent on the levels of hope evoked from a CSA campaign among individuals. In the case of high intensity of hope, reading supporting tweets leads to more favorable consumers’ behaviors through enhanced authenticity. Practical implications for exhibiting CSA messages suggest the utility of supporting responses, high intensity of hope emotion, and authentic advocacy efforts for favorable business outcomes.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
