How does dialogic corporate social responsibility communication affect online brand advocacy? The role of other-regarding preferences

Abstract

The importance of facilitating dialogic communication using online tools is evident by the increasing use of social media to communicate CSR initiatives and engage with stakeholders by restaurant firms. However, existing studies have been limited to the perspective of emphasizing symmetric communication on social media platforms. This study suggests that ‘creating shared value (CSV), empathy, and social identity’ function as the Other-Regarding Preferences mechanism which mediates the impact of dialogic CSR communication on online brand advocacy (OBA) based on dialogic communication theory. Participants (n=743) who followed their favorite restaurant’s Twitter account and had experience of engaging with the restaurant firm’s CSR-related postings were recruited through a crowd-sourcing platform. SEM was conducted to test the conceptual model and hypotheses. The findings showed that through consumers’ perceptions of restaurant firms’ CSV strategy and social identity, restaurant firms’ dialogic CSR communication can positively influence OBA. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.