How to alleviate consumer skepticism concerning corporate responsibility: The role of content and delivery in CSR communications

Abstract

AbstractDue to heightened levels of consumer skepticism, it has become crucial for many companies to discern what corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to undertake and how to deliver CSR‐related information to consumers. We aim to examine the role of consumer evaluations of a company's CSR, from both content and delivery perspectives, in shaping consumer skepticism about overall corporate responsibility and advancing retail patronage intentions. We conducted an online nationwide survey with 402 U.S. consumers and used structural equation modeling for the data analysis. The results indicate that the fit between a company's core values and the CSR activities it communicates plays a significant role in alleviating skepticism, while the fit between a consumer's personal values and CSR activity does not have significant effects on skepticism. Both inauthentic information and self‐promotional tone significantly increase skepticism, and skepticism is found to be a significant mediator in the paths from CSR content and delivery factors to retail patronage intentions. Our supplementary analyses suggest that delivery of CSR information can be more important than the content itself in affecting skepticism. The results should inspire practitioners, when planning for CSR communication, to carefully consider fit, tone, and authenticity in order to minimize skepticism and avoid negatively impacting consumers' retail patronage intentions.