Consumer Skepticism Research Articles

The Effect of Participation Effort on CSR Participation Intention: The Moderating Role of Construal Level on Consumer Perception of Warm Glow and Perceived Costs

Consumer participation typically reduces consumer skepticism and leads to a positive response to corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Although many companies are encouraging consumers to participate in CSR activities, there is still insufficient research on the effectiveness of this strategy. That is, prior studies do not provide guidelines on the effectiveness of requiring consumers to participate in CSR activities. We examine the impact of the required participation effort on CSR participation intention, focusing on the differences in consumers’ perception of a warm glow feeling and costs according to their construal level. For this study, 107 participants were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk. We tested hypotheses using a 2 (CSR participation effort) × 2 (construal level) between-subject analysis of variance (ANOVA), planned contrast analysis, and mediation analysis. The results indicate that for consumers with high construal levels who perceive participation efforts as warm glow, participation efforts have a positive impact on CSR participation intention. However, for those with low construal levels who perceive participation efforts as costs, high required efforts have a negative impact on their participation intention. Finally, we discuss the implications of these results, discuss the limitations, and suggest future research directions.

“Carne Fraca”

PurposeOver the last few years, several events have reduced the consumer confidence in relation to food safety. Recently, one event that triggered discussions and concern among consumers in Brazil was the “Carne Fraca” operation which cast doubt on the quality and safety of Brazilian beef. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of the news regarding a national crisis in beef production on consumers’ assessment and purchase intention of beef.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative study was conducted involving 417 respondents in Brazil. The procedure for the analysis consisted of the investigation of two models, incorporating mediation and moderation effects.FindingsThe results show that news on the crisis had a positive impact on risk perception. This impact was negatively moderated by consumer scepticism. Risk perception had a negative effect on the assessment of beef and purchase intention. These effects were negatively affected by risk attitude. The news directly affected consumers’ assessment of beef and indirectly affected purchase intention through mediation of perceived risk.Originality/valueThis study proposes two models, analysing the effect of the media on consumers’ assessment of beef and purchase intention, mediated by risk perception. Furthermore, the models analyse the moderating effects of scepticism and consumers’ risk attitude.

The impact of the macro-environment on consumer scepticism towards cause-related marketing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how the macro-environment influences consumer scepticism towards cause-related marketing (CRM), especially in a turbulent economic setting.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory qualitative research study utilising open-ended, semi-structured Skype interviews with 26 respondents was conducted in a country experiencing economic crisis.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that respondents hold a strong scepticism towards CRM campaigns and they are more negative towards the CRM campaigns initiated by foreign enterprises as compared to the domestic ones. This can be attributed to ethnocentrism, or even antipathy or animosity towards foreign companies due to crisis. Furthermore, results reveal that the political and legal elements of the macro-environment have an impact on consumer scepticism towards CRM campaigns, while the impact of the economic crisis itself did not seem to be equally significant.Originality/valueThis work contributes to the existing literature of CRM as it is the first study that explores the impact of macro-environmental elements on consumer scepticism towards CRM within an economic turbulence setting.

Priming skepticism: Unintended consequences of one‐sided persuasion knowledge access

AbstractScholars have historically assumed that consumers' persuasion knowledge is invariably linked to skepticism about advertising and marketing. As a result, studies have often used skepticism‐focused stimuli to prompt persuasion knowledge access. However, as originally conceptualized, persuasion knowledge also includes an understanding of persuasion tactics that are trusted and believed, which suggests that accessing persuasion knowledge does not necessarily make consumers more skeptical. In this paper, we propose that, for at least some persuasion knowledge research questions, skepticism‐focused interventions may be too “one‐sided” because they bias participants to consider only the skeptical side of persuasion knowledge. The purpose of the present research is to test whether the “one‐sided” persuasion knowledge interventions that are used in persuasion knowledge research encourage skepticism more than balanced interventions that focus consumers on the negative and positive motives that may underlie persuasive communication. Across three experiments with three distinct subject pools and over 2,500 participants, we demonstrate that one‐sided versus balanced manipulations of persuasion knowledge can have differential effects on consumer skepticism. This is an important finding because skepticism‐focused operationalizations are frequently employed in persuasion knowledge research.

A Bibliometric History of the Journal of Promotion Management (1992–2019)

The Journal of Promotion Management: Innovations in Planning and Applied Research (JPM) has been serving as a platform for research in promotion management since 1992. The major objective of this study is to provide a lifetime overview of the academic structure of the JPM publications through bibliometric analysis. We extracted bibliographic data of the journal from the Scopus database and we highlighted significant trends and themes of the journal employing different bibliometric tools. Significant findings indicate that the JPM has grown both in terms of productivity and influence. Authors affiliated to the USA are shown to be the major contributors to the journal. Bibliographic coupling of JPM documents showed that the major research themes published in the journal include online marketing, celebrity endorsement, consumer skepticism, social media, sales promotion, price promotion, green marketing, product placement, brand placement, relationship management and crisis management.

Role of Skepticism and Message Elaboration in Determining Consumers’ Response to Cause-Related Marketing Claims on Facebook Brand Pages

This study explores whether the negative effects of consumer skepticism toward cause-related marketing communications can be lessened through emotional messaging and heuristic cues such as the number of likes and followers on a Facebook brand page. Results of an eye-tracking experiment (N = 197) indicated that although skepticism prohibited consumers’ message elaboration, (i.e., the extent to which a person carefully considers a message), highly skeptical consumers still considered the message credible through close attention to the heuristic cues. This study is among the first to validate consumers’ defense mechanisms by demonstrating how consumer skepticism prohibits their attention and cognitive elaboration.

Interplay of content type and product type in the consumer response to native advertising on social media

ABSTRACTWith the growth of consumer skepticism toward advertising, marketers have begun implementing native advertising. Drawing on the Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM), this study examines how content type interacts with product type to influence consumer responses toward native advertising (persuasion knowledge, brand attitude, and intention to click ‘like’) on Facebook. A 2(content type: informative versus entertaining)×2(product type: utilitarian versus hedonic) between-subjects experimental study was conducted with a total of 155 college-attending Facebook users in South Korea. The results show that, for utilitarian products, informative content elicits more favorable consumer responses than entertaining content does. However, consumer responses are similar between informative and entertaining content for hedonic products. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that consumer persuasion knowledge mediates the interaction effects of content type and product type on consumer responses. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Consumer involvement with corporate ads vs product ads: a cross-national study

PurposeIncreasing consumer skepticism of corporate behavior has led companies to actively manage and advertise their corporate brands. However, it remains unclear how receptive consumers across different markets are to such efforts. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate differences and similarities between corporate and product advertising by examining consumer ad involvement (AI) levels (a motivational state activated by the personal relevance of stimuli) and its antecedents and consequences for these ad types across two markets with varying degrees of economic development.Design/methodology/approachUsing a 2 (ad type: corporate vs product) × 2 (market type: developed vs emerging) between-subject experimental design, the study was conducted in two markets with varying degrees of economic development, specifically, the USA (n=285) and Pakistan (n=311).FindingsResults show that consumer involvement with corporate ads varies for developed (USA: high) and emerging (Pakistan: low) markets but that it remains the same for product ads across markets. Developed market consumers tend to be as involved with corporate ads as they are with product ads, whereas emerging market consumers are more involved with product ads than with corporate ads. Aside from differences in involvement levels, the findings demonstrate substantial similarities in the antecedents and consequences of consumer involvement for both ad (corporate vs product) and market (developed vs emerging) types.Practical implicationsWith advertising and communication campaigns increasingly being standardized across different markets, this study demonstrates that corporate messages do not function similar as product messages across markets. For effective corporate campaigns, ad designs should fit with the motivation levels of the target consumers across markets.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the differences and similarities between corporate and product AI across a developed and an emerging market.

Communicating the fair trade message: the roles of reputation and fit

This study examines the extent to which a company's fair trade reputation, and the fit between this reputation and the company's communicated fair trade message, influences consumer scepticism and positive electronic word-of-mouth. The results of two experiments show that a previous fair trade reputation has a direct and indirect effect, via consumer brand identification, on consumer scepticism. Moreover, the fit between the reputation and the communicated message seems to affect scepticism only when the communicated message is perceived as realistic. In industries with poor fair trade reputations (Study 1), the fit does not seem to have an effect on scepticism, while the fit influences scepticism in industries with a certain reputation history for fair trade (Study 2). Scepticism and consumer brand identification play an important mediating role in the relation among reputation, fit and consumers' electronic word-of-mouth intentions. Therefore, we conclude that communicating fair trade initiatives not only can be a rewarding effort but also seems to be a delicate matter.

TÜKETİCİ ŞÜPHECİLİĞİNDE ETNOSENTRİZM ETKİSİ

Araştırmada, tüketici etnosentrizmi ile tüketici şüpheciliği arasındaki ilişki incelenmiştir. Araştırmada ayrıca etnosentrizm ve şüphecilik eğilimlerinin demografik özelliklere göre farklılık gösterip göstermediği araştırılmıştır. Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Gemerek Meslek Yüksekokulu’nda öğrenim gören 189 öğrenci üzerinde gerçekleştirilen araştırmanın verileri anket yöntemi ile toplanmıştır. Araştırmada, frekans analizi, bağımsız örneklem t-testi, tek yönlü varyans, korelasyon ve regresyon analizleri kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, şüphecilik ve etnosentrizm eğilimi cinsiyete göre farklılık göstermezken, şüphecilik eğilimi yaşa göre, etnosentrizm eğilimi ise gelire göre farklılaşmaktadır. Tüketici etnosentrizmi ile tüketici şüpheciliği arasında pozitif yönlü anlamlı bir ilişki mevcut olup ve tüketici etnosentrizmi yükseldikçe tüketici şüpheciliği de yükselmektedir. Araştırma sonuçları, işletmelerin, reklam ile amaçladıkları başarıya ulaşmalarında, reklamı planlaması aşamasında etnosentrizm etkisini dikkate alalarının önemli olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır.

Hypocrisy, skepticism, and reputation: the mediating role of corporate social responsibility

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of corporate hypocrisy and consumer skepticism on perceived corporate reputation. In addition, the effect of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) in mediating the relationship between corporate hypocrisy and consumer skepticism toward perceived corporate reputation.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental design was employed to test the effects of corporate hypocrisy and consumer skepticism on consumers’ perception of a firm’s corporate reputation, as well as the role of perceived CSR as a causal mechanism. Analysis involved structural equation modeling (AMOS) to test hypotheses. A convenience sample (n=837) was recruited from the USA and Australia to allow for any national biases or brand familiarity effects and to ensure the results were robust and generalizable.FindingsCorporate hypocrisy and consumers’ skepticism significantly influences perceived CSR and corporate reputation. Furthermore, a consumer’s level of perceived CSR acts as a causal mechanism, mediating the relationship between corporate hypocrisy and skepticism on perceived corporate reputation.Practical implicationsThe importance of being transparent and honest toward consumers. When companies are inconsistent in their CSR activities, it increases consumers’ skepticism toward the brand. Nonetheless, CSR has a positive influence on the consumers’ perception of corporate reputation and this, in turn, will positively influences consumers’ support for the firm.Originality/valueThe first empirical evidence that companies producing vices (such as beer) generate lower expectations in the minds of the consumers, meaning there is less impact on brand reputation when consumers feel the CSR does not fit with the brand image.

Types of green practices, hotel price image and consumers’ attitudes in China: the mediating role of consumer skepticism

ABSTRACTThis study demonstrates the interaction effect of hotel green practices and price image on consumers’ skepticism and attitudes toward hotels. When hotels adopt green practices with hotel cost reductions, consumers’ skepticism toward hotels with a low price image is higher than their skepticism toward hotels with a high price image, and their attitude toward the former is more negative. When hotels adopt green practices with customer cost reductions, consumers’ skepticism toward hotels with a low price image is lower than their skepticism toward hotels with a high price image, and their attitude toward the former is more positive. When green practices with increasing customer cost are adopted, consumers’ skepticism toward hotels with a low price image is higher and their attitude is more negative compared to hotels with a high price image. These findings suggest that hotels must carefully consider the combination of green practices with their price image.

Climbing the down escalator

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the effect of customer-to-customer (C2C) interaction while using a service on the willingness of consumers to engage in altruistic customer participation (CP) or co-production efforts aimed at helping other customers. It further examines the role of consumer skepticism toward the service category in moderating the effects of C2C interaction on altruistic CP and customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachA survey methodology was used to collect data from 374 consumers of health-care services in India. The data collection involved interviews of patients visiting diabetes clinics and focused primarily on the interaction between customers and their willingness to participate in educating members of the community on diabetic self-care.FindingsThe analysis shows that C2C interaction positively affects customer satisfaction and willingness to engage in altruistic CP. Consumer category skepticism does not moderate the effect of C2C interaction on customer willingness to engage in altruistic CP. However, category skepticism does have the moderating effect of significantly reducing the positive effect of C2C interaction on customer satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsData for this study were collected via interviews of consumers in India. Each consumer was interviewed by a trained interviewer. Although the authors do not detect any systematic influence in the results, the possibility of bias is acknowledged. Regarding the research implications, the finding that category skepticism does not moderate the effect of C2C interaction on willingness to engage in altruistic CP suggest that ultimately consumers may have stronger commitment and loyalty to themselves and that their relationships with the firm’s might be peripheral.Practical implicationsThe study finds that consumer skepticism toward a service category can have adverse effects for service co-creation. The authors advise managers in troubled industries not to focus exclusively on improving brand differentiation but to also consider working with major industry players and regulators to address the deepest fears of consumers.Originality/valueThe findings have implications for the service dominant logic of marketing in that it suggests that category skepticism is disruptive to the value integration process on which service co-creation relies for value creation. This has strong implications for how managers should structure their interaction processes with customers and for future research that seeks to them prove customer productivity.

Effects of message objectivity and focus on green CSR communication: The strategy development for a hotel’s green CSR message

ABSTRACT Corporate social responsibility communication increases the visibility of a company’s pro-social efforts. However, the more a company communicates, the more likely negative consumer reactions such as skepticism may occur. With a focus on pro-environmental CSR messages in the hotel industry, this study examines the effects of message objectivity and focuses on consumers’ CSR-oriented and advertising-oriented responses. Our findings demonstrated that objective and outcome-focused messages were more effective to reduce consumers’ skepticism and lead consumers to perceive a hotels’ CSR motive as public-serving. Moreover, it engendered positive advertising results such as reinforcing a hotel’s favorable image and reputation. This study further highlighted the key functions of consumer skepticism towards CSR by manifesting its significant mediating effects on the relationships between a hotel’s message and consumers’ advertising-oriented responses.

온라인 구전 메시지 특성과 소비자 회의감이 구전 정보 유용성에 미치는 영향

본 연구의 목적은 온라인상에서 소비자들 사이에 공유되고 있는 온라인 구전 메시지의 두 가지 특성－방향성(긍정/부정)과 메시지 주장 유형(사실적/평가적)－이 구전 메시지 유용성 인식에 미치는 영향을 살펴보는 것이다. 이와 함께 소비자 회의감 수준(고/저)의 조절적 역할을 살펴보고자 한다. 실험 연구 결과 온라인 구전 메시지의 유용성 인식에 있어 소비자 회의감의 조절적 역할이 발견되었다. 소비자 회의감이 높은 경우 긍정적 구전 메시지보다 부정적 구전 메시지를, 그리고 평가적 구전 메시지보다 사실적 구전메지시를 유용하게 인식하는 것으로 나타났다. 그에 반해 소비자 회의감이 낮은 경우 부정적 구전 메시지보다 긍정적 구전 메시지를 유용하게 인식하였으나 메시지 주장 유형 간에는 유용성 인식에 있어 차이가 없었다. 본 연구의 결과는 부정적 구전 메시지를 관리하고 긍정적인 구전을 이용하고자 하는 기업들에게 시사점을 제공할 수 있을 것이다.

Antecedents and consequences of consumer skepticism toward cause-related marketing: Gender as moderator and attitude as mediator

ABSTRACT This study aims to understand the antecedents and consequences of consumer skepticism with respect to cause-related marketing (CRM). The study examines the mediating and moderating impact of attitude toward brand image and gender on the consequences of consumer skepticism. The study findings confirm the mediation and moderation effects of attitude toward brand image and gender and the relationship between skepticism and patronage intention. No empirical evidence was found for the relationship between the strategic motive to reduce consumer skepticism and CRM. The findings are relevant for both academicians and marketers. Academicians will be enriched by the knowledge of the antecedents, moderated and mediated variables, and their differential impact on consumer skepticism about CRM. The present study significantly contributes by examining numerous psychographic variables impacting consumer skepticism, thus developing an integrated model to understand how consumer skepticism impacts patronage intention. To the best of our knowledge, no such study has been conducted in the Indian context.

The effects of CSR communication in corporate crises: Examining the role of dispositional and situational CSR skepticism in context

Although consumer skepticism about corporate social responsibility (CSR) is on the rise, research is sparse on the psychological dynamics of this skepticism, particularly when CSR communication serves as a company’s crisis response strategy. Employing two between-subjects design experiments, this study aims to fill this gap by looking at the role consumer CSR skepticism plays in consumer reactions to CSR communications in different types of crises. The study 1 results show that dispositional CSR skepticism did not moderate the effect of crisis type on attitudes and intentions when CSR was used as a post-crisis response strategy. The study 2 findings, however, indicated that situational CSR skepticism significantly mediated the impact of crisis type and CSR motives on purchase intentions only when the crisis stemmed from some accidental rather than preventable circumstance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Consumer relationship with pro-environmental apparel brands: effect of knowledge, skepticism and brand familiarity

Purpose The apparel industry is often scrutinized for its lack of environmental stewardship, and thus pro-environmental initiatives have been of significant consideration among apparel brands in recent years. However, one personality trait of specific concern to brand marketers is consumer skepticism toward climate change, which has the potential to negatively impact the success of brands’ pro-environmental initiatives. In this light, research indicates that knowledge of the environmental impact of products can lead to lower skepticism (Tobler et al., 2012) and ultimately higher purchase intentions of such products. Thus, this study investigates the impact of consumers’ knowledge about environmental impact of apparel, climate change skepticism on their evaluation of brands’ pro-environmental initiatives (shared value and perceived benefit) and ultimately their relationship with the brand (perceived trust, commitment), leading to purchase intention for both familiar and unfamiliar brands. Design/methodology/approach Two separate studies were conducted for familiar and unfamiliar brands. Data for online surveys were collected from two US nationwide samples and analyzed using path analyses. Findings Consumers’ intention to purchase from a pro-environmental brand was influenced by knowledge and skepticism. Particularly, the obtained shared value perceptions and perceived benefits of consumers influenced their relationship with the brand through trust and commitment, which eventually impacted their intention to purchase from the brand. Differences were observed for familiar and unfamiliar brands. Practical implications Findings of this study will help brand managers design effective pro-environmental marketing messages. Both familiar and unfamiliar brands would benefit from educating consumers about the true environmental impact of their apparel choices, as well as the personal benefits and values earned when purchasing/consuming pro-environmental apparel. This, in turn, reduces consumer skepticism toward climate change, leading to favorable evaluations of the brand’s pro-environmental initiatives and improvement of long-term brand relations. Originality/value This study extended the social exchange theory by understanding antecedents of consumers’ shared value and perceived benefits, namely, their knowledge about the environmental impact of apparel and their skepticism toward climate change, with the final outcome variable being consumers’ patronage intention of pro-environmental brands.

Whose voice is heard? The influence of user-generated versus company-generated content on consumer scepticism towards CSR

ABSTRACTSocial media is increasingly used to communicate corporate social responsibility (CSR). Stakeholders respond to CSR messages with user-generated content (UGC), signalling approval or disapproval, potentially shaping consumers’ perceived legitimacy and scepticism towards CSR. Few studies have explored how UGC shapes these consumer responses. In the context of the UK food retail industry, this study explored what makes UGC more or less believed than company-generated CSR communication on social media. Through qualitative inquiry, the study identified that unique characteristics of social media, such as system-generated cues, lead UGC to be more believed than company-generated content, shaping perceived legitimacy. The study indicates the risks of communicating CSR through social media may be greater than previously suggested. It identifies recipient-related conditions under which these risks can be minimised.

Evaluating cause‐marketing campaigns in the Indian corporate landscape: The role of consumer skepticism and consumer attributions of firm's motive

More and more business organizations are engaging in social initiatives to make a positive contribution to society. Cause marketing, such as CSR, is one of the many ways that firms can manifest social responsibility by pitching‐in where government solutions are few or takes time in implementation, and it is the only type that calls for consumer participation. Because customer participation is imperative for the success of the campaign, it must be designed to connect with consumers while also making them feel that corporate efforts are authentic and truly helping the cause and not exploitative of the social cause. Using fictitious brand, cause‐marketing campaigns were designed, and two studies were conducted to analyze the relationship between cause involvement, consumer attributions on firm's motive, and consumer attitudes towards cause campaigns, and if and how the relationship differs when consumer skepticism towards cause claims existed. Multivariate analysis performed for hypotheses testing suggests that cause involvement influenced campaign attitudes and the relationship was mediated by consumer attributions of firm's motive, and consumer skepticism towards cause campaigns affected the relationship.