Signaling Consumer Impressions with CSR Support on Social Media: The Roles of Industry Stigma and Consumer Self-Disclosure

Abstract

Through the impression management lens of consumers, this experimental study investigates when and how consumers regulate their images on social media through their divergent reactions to corporate social responsibility (CSR) advertising. Results show that consumers who disclose themselves infrequently and discriminately on social media (low self-disclosure) perceive the lower social value of CSR engagement in managing their impressions when CSR is for stigmatized industries (gambling) than nonstigmatized industries (amusement park). The degraded social value of CSR engagement is a psychological mediator underlying how consumers mitigate their engagement intention for stigmatized industries, which further leads to a lower intention to purchase cause-related products. However, consumers with high self-disclosure behavior perceive a high value from CSR engagement and actively engage in CSR regardless of industry stigma. The study highlights strategic approaches to social media and target segmentation for the sin industries to attenuate the blanket effect of industry stigma on their CSR advertising.