Corporate Social Responsibility Campaigns Research Articles

Make it up to you or not: understanding the role of substantive versus symbolic CSR activities following product-harm crises

Product-harm crises are a global concern and corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are applied to withstand such crises and mitigate financial risks. Recent studies have focused on ‘when’ CSR activities can or cannot mitigate financial penalties following product-harm crises; however, the focus is usually on developed countries, and little attention is given to transitional countries like China. Indeed, CSR activities may vary among countries because the leading forces of and motivations behind CSR activities differ across institutions. In China, a government-dominated market, CSR activities are often state-led and used to access government resources. Some Chinese firms adopt symbolic CSR campaigns (versus substantive CSR activities) to garner such resources, given the low scrutiny of CSR activities and the low costs of CSR claims. Considering the specificity of Chinese CSR, this study explores ‘when’ CSR activities can or cannot mitigate financial risks following product-harm crises. The results find that substantive CSR activities can buffer the financial penalties due to the crisis, whereas symbolic CSR campaigns burden its financial penalties. Moreover, institutional investors can discount the buffering and burdening effects. These findings offer insights for firms seeking CSR activities to mitigate financial risks in transitional countries.

Relazioni pubbliche: pars communicans della «sociologia pubblica»?

The contribution seeks to position public relations (PR) as a communicative component of public sociology (PS), tracing the evolution of PR from its inception to the modern-day constructs that form its theoretical foundation and practical activities. It argues that concepts such as stakeholder, relationship, and reputation are not merely central to PR but also intricately intertwined and utilized within the realm of sociological inquiry. The paper underscores the societal impact of PR, especially emphasizing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social campaigns. These efforts aim to propagate specific issues, cultivate a collective awareness, and ultimately provoke transformation in social attitudes and behaviors. A notable tension exists within PR between empirical practices and scientific precision, drawing attention to the need for interdisciplinary strategies and mid-range theories to bridge this gap. PR, while not exclusively, is primarily situated within the social sciences and, more specifically, within the Sociology of Cultural Processes as an academic discipline. This article calls for a deeper integration between PR and PS, advocating for the use of shared concepts, categories, methods, and tools. Additionally, PR targets the identification of distinct publics and the initiation of active, participatory dialogue with them. Although the predominant literature and major journals in PR are American, the article acknowledges that PR’s application on local grounds is where the synthesis of local and global takes place, demonstrating the field’s wide-reaching relevance and adaptability.

Application of Public Relations Management Concept as A Communication Strategy for Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign #BeautyDiQuity PT Luxury Cantika Indonesia (Luxcrime)

Luxcrime conducted a public relations program campaign, in 2023 by choosing the campaign moment to coincide with International Women's Day with the theme "Beauty in Diversity and Equality" #BeautyDiQuity which means that beauty in diversity and equality. In the #BeautyDiQuity campaign, Luxcrime invited five disabled models to campaign for beauty in diversity and equality, Luxcrime also invited the audience to take part and support the #BeautyDiQuity program by buying International Women's Day Bundle products which later ten percent of the revenue will be donated to the Unique Project Theatre Foundation and Nali Tari Yogyakarta. The response obtained through the BeautyDiQuity CSR event as part of Luxcrime's public relations activities was positive and supported. Where Luxcrime celebrates the diversity of beauty. This is already based on CSR activities that have previously been carried out by Luxcrime. So the expected response from this activity remains oriented to the Luxcrime brand image as a brand that upholds empowerment values and not just selling.

THE EFFECT OF TRUST IN BANKING INSTITUTIONS ON BEHAVIOURAL INTENTIONS FOR E-SERVICES

The adoption rate of electronic banking services (e-services) by consumers has increased significantly in recent years. For example, in the European Union, according to EUROSTAT data, the rate of individuals using the internet for internet banking increased by more than 25% between 2012 and 2023 (Eurostat, 2024). This may be due to several factors: the evolution of technology, the COVID-19 pandemic period, the time needed to complete a transaction, the availability of services, etc. The main objective of this paper was to assess whether trust in banking institutions can influence consumers' behavioural intentions when discussing the use of e-services. The following dimensions were considered to measure trust in the banking unit: Ability, Integrity, Benevolence (Bhattacherjee, 2002). A scale with the following dimensions was also used to measure behavioural intentions: loyalty, switch, pay more, external response (Zeithaml et al., 1996). The relationships were tested both between the "trust" and "behavioural intentions" dimensions taken as a whole and between the "trust" dimension taken separately and the "behavioural intentions" dimension taken as a whole. To achieve the objective of this study, the author collected data from 500 respondents in Romania via an online questionnaire. The surveys were conducted between April and August 2022. Partial least squares (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. The PLS-SEM results confirmed the significance of three out of four direct relationships. For one of the hypotheses, the dimension "integrity" was removed from the proposed conceptual model due to preliminary tests. These findings can help credit institutions to take various measures to increase public trust in such institutions and encourage the use of e-banking services. The areas targeted by these measures include: financial education programmes; corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns; transaction security; quality of banking staff; and transparency of credit institutions. For future research, it would be valuable to know what results can be obtained in other geographical areas. It is recommended to adapt and create new scales that can measure trust in companies and consumer behavioural intentions. These tools can help companies develop in their industries.

Impact of corporate social responsibility practices on consumer purchase intention of apparel products with mediating role of consumer-retailer love

PurposeCompanies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices care about customers, society, the environment and workers. This study aims to examine the impact of CSR practices (i.e. economic CSR, environmental CSR and societal CSR) on consumers’ purchase intention of apparel products, with the mediating role of consumer-retailer love on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachData gathered using purposive sampling technique from 300 young online consumers using purposive sampling were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling via SmartPLS3.0.FindingsThe results reveal that CSR practices (i.e. environmental CSR and societal CSR) have a positive influence on purchase intention for apparel products. Moreover, consumer-retailer love mediates the relationship between CSR practices (i.e. economic CSR and environmental CSR) and consumers’ purchase intention for apparel products.Practical implicationsApparel retail marketers should focus on key determinants when designing CSR campaigns and communicating these CSR initiatives in social media and annual reports. They should also focus on their service quality to create a good perception (images) that helps measure the emotional response (love) between the retailer and consumers.Originality/valueBy applying the triple bottom line framework and the stimulus-organism-response model in a single framework, this study is unique and highlights the role of consumer-retailer love as an important mediator on the impact between CSR practices (i.e. economic CSR, environmental CSR, societal CSR) and consumers’ purchase intention of apparel products. The findings represent a new contribution to the existing literature, as there has been very limited research on this relationship in a developing nation context.

The Effects of Message Specificity on Outcomes of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Communication: Testing Perceived Social Distance as a Mediator

Despite growing scholarly attention to what determines effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication, consumers’ limited awareness of and attention to CSR messages remain critical challenges for organizations. This study aims to examine the effects of message specificity on an organization’s intended outcomes of CSR communication and to explore the mediating role of perceived social distance in these relationships by applying construal level theory (CLT). We conducted an online experiment (n = 293), and the results revealed that message specificity had a positive impact on consumer-company identification, word-of-mouth intention, and CSR participation intention. Moreover, perceived social distance significantly mediated the relationships between message specificity and the outcomes of CSR communication. Applying CLT, this study offers theoretical implications for the psychological mechanism of how message specificity generates desired outcomes in CSR communication. In addition, we tested these mediation effects in the context of the geographic proximity (close vs. remote) of the CSR communication to participants; the practical implication is that reducing perceived social distance through message specificity is even more effective for geographically distant CSR campaigns.

Analisis Konten Aktivitas Corporate Social Responsibility Kampanye Goals pada Website MNC Peduli

This research was conducted to find out the message of the Goal Campaign's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in the form of news published by the MNC Group through the MNC Peduli website. In this study, we analyze news message categories, news message content approaches, and CSR news message values. This research was carried out using qualitative methods and content analysis. The findings from this research are that the message categories used by companies in making CSR news messages are hard news and features. The content approach used in creating MNC Peduli's CSR news messages is a social and spiritual approach. MNC Peduli's CSR news message values have fulfilled the five elements of message values. The conclusion of this study is that MNC Group, through MNC Peduli, publishes messages on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaign goals in the form of published news quite optimally by using categories, content approaches, and values that are in line with stakeholder.

Reprint Retrospective: The Funhouse Mirror from Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny

Abstract: This article is the first chapter from the 2018 book Empowered: Popular Feminism and Misogyny (Duke University Press). It critiques corporate feminist ads for focusing predominantly on individual empowerment and sentimentality, overlooking systemic barriers and broader inequalities. The chapter suggests these ads fit into shallow corporate social responsibility campaigns driven by consumerism. It also examines popular misogyny, detailing how men's rights groups parody feminist campaigns, often portraying women as threats to male power. Banet-Weiser urges readers to scrutinize the efficacy and intentions of feminist messaging in advertising, emphasizing the need to address existing power structures that disadvantage women in various spheres, including media and politics.

How do resource scarcity reminders influence consumers’ CSR engagement?

Purpose This study aims to understand consumers' reactions to hospitality corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns under different resource scarcity reminders, an important but overlooked contextual factor, and examine how such scarcity reminders interact with message framing, a widely used technique in CSR communication. Design/methodology/approach Three experimental studies were conducted. Studies 1 and 2 examined the main effect of resource scarcity reminders (environmental vs personal) on consumer engagement via self-other orientation. Study 3 further investigated the interactive effect between resource scarcity reminders (environmental vs personal) and message framing (gain vs loss) with hope as a key mediator. Findings Studies 1 and 2 show that environmental (vs personal) scarcity activates a more salient other orientation, subsequently increasing consumers' donation and word-of-mouth intentions. Study 3 reveals that environmental (vs personal) scarcity makes people more hopeful with gain-framed messages. Moreover, the elevated hope enhances perceived efficacy (attitude toward the company), leading to higher donation (word-of-mouth) intention. Practical implications Hospitality marketers could remind consumers of the harsh environment to elicit other orientation and encourage CSR participation. Using gain-framed messages or other hope-inducing appeals would be particularly advantageous in engaging consumers in CSR campaigns during heightened environmental scarcity. Originality/value Focusing on consumer responses to CSR campaigns, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to reveal reminders of resource scarcity as a novel antecedent factor and further uncover how such reminders interact with message framing to affect CSR engagement.

The Formation of Reputation in CSR Disclosure: The Role of Signal Transmission and Sensemaking Processes of Stakeholders

A growing number of companies are issuing corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports to publicize their commitment to sustainable development. However, skepticism remains among stakeholders about firms’ CSR information, which could hinder the success of worldwide CSR campaigns. Our paper examines mechanisms of how CSR disclosure resonates with stakeholders and influences their attitudes towards firms. Extending the current knowledge of CSR signaling effects, this paper provides a framework illustrating the interplay between CSR signaling properties and readers’ sensemaking processes, thereby predicting how corporate reputation is shaped through CSR communication. In order to test our theoretical hypotheses, a survey was conducted on 53 firms with 1521 respondents. The results show that the better the readers’ comprehension of a CSR report is, the stronger the signals of authenticity and corporate social performance (CSP) they perceive, the better the report value and value fit are recognized, and eventually, the more trust they hold for the firm. The relationship between comprehension of CSR reports and trust is partially mediated by the signaling-sensemaking process. Our research contributes to the literature on micro-foundations of strategic CSR by applying signaling theory in the context of CSR disclosure. The research findings have practical implications for firms’ CSR disclosure strategies.

Global analysis of Twitter communication in corporate social responsibility area: sustainability, climate change, and waste management.

Many people now consider social media to be an integral part of their daily routines, which has enabled companies to implement successful corporate social responsibility campaigns through these platforms. The direct interaction with stakeholders offered by social media helps companies to build understanding, trust, and their image. The aim of this study was to identify key topics and trends communicated in connection with corporate social responsibility on the Twitter social network from 2017 to 2022. Analysis of 520,638 tweets by 168,134 unique users identified a predominance of environment-related topics: Sustainability, Climate Change, and Waste management. However, Charity remains the largest single topic. Based on the trend analysis, the areas of ESG, Social Impact, and Charity were identified as growth areas in communication, while Green and Philanthropy, on the other hand, were identified as decreasing.

Interactive CSR campaign and symbolic brand benefits: a moderated mediation model of brand trust and self-congruity in the restaurant industry

PurposeDrawing on symbolic interaction theory (SIT), this study aims to identify what makes corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication more favorable to customers in the chain restaurants context. Specifically, this study examines the direct relationships between the interactivity of CSR communication, brand trust and brand sincerity. In addition, the mediating role of brand trust (i.e. separate dimensions of brand reliability and intentions) and the moderated mediating role of self-congruity are explored.Design/methodology/approachA total of 418 US consumers with past experiences of participating in CSR campaigns organized by chain restaurants on social media were recruited using the online survey method of nonprobability sampling through Amazon Mechanical Turk in December 2021.FindingsThe results of this study revealed that the interactivity of CSR communication on social media affects brand sincerity; brand reliability and brand intentions mediate the positive effect of interactivity of CSR communication on brand sincerity; and customer’s self-congruity moderated the positive mediation effect via brand reliability.Practical implicationsChain restaurant marketers need to understand the important role of interactivity as a key element of CSR communication on social media to help develop brand trust and brand sincerity in chain restaurants.Originality/valueThis study expands on SIT to support the symbolic benefits of interactive CSR communication on social media.

Understanding CSR Campaigns Through the Lens of Culture Values and Moral Emotion

This study aimed to examine the persuasive influences of moral emotions on younger consumers’ judgments and decision-making and the roles of culture and self-construal in processing corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns. This study employed a between-subjects experiment where American and Chinese participants viewed one of the two CSR advertisement campaigns designed with ego-focused (e.g., an advertisement elicited anger emotion) and other-focused appeals (e.g., an advertisement elicited guilt emotion). By employing an elaboration likelihood persuasion model (ELM), the results indicated that negative moral emotions had significant positive influences on attitudes toward the advertisements and purchase intention through the peripheral route. In addition, results revealed the interaction effects between guilt emotion and cultural values (i.e., country) on attitudes. This study also highlighted the moderating role of self-construal individual values in the relationship between guilt and attitudes toward the campaign. This research provides insights for communication practitioners on designing effective CSR campaigns to reach culturally diverse target audiences.

Exploring 360-degree virtual reality videos for CSR communication: An integrated model of perceived control, telepresence, and consumer behavioral intentions

Recent years have seen 360-degree virtual reality (VR) being used as a valuable tool in communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns. Built upon the wealth of literature on stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) theory, this study proposed to test a model integrating perceived control of the 360-degree CSR VR technology, telepresence, engagement with VR 360-degree video (VR engagement), CSR advocacy, and purchase intentions. To that end, a nationally representative sample was recruited for a survey that exposed participants to a digital CSR campaign that uses 360-degree VR to increase mental health awareness. Results showed a significant association between participants' perceived control over the VR 360-degree CSR campaign and telepresence as well as their engagement with the VR 360-degree video. Moreover, telepresence and VR engagement were significant mediators in predicting consumers’ willingness to promote social initiatives (CSR advocacy) and purchase intentions. Theoretical and practical implications of the study were discussed.

When non-CSR-themed social media influencers endorse corporate CSR initiatives: Effects of publics’ perceived influencer characteristics and leadership

Over the most recent decade, non-CSR-themed social media influencers (SMIs) have played an important role in driving positive outcomes of corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns on social media, a practice primarily contributed by public relations. Responding to the call to fully exploit SMIs for achieving public relations objectives, the research aimed to search for systematically identifying the most suitable SMIs with whom to collaborate for CSR endorsements. Grounded in social learning theory and the influence framework, this study examined the effects of characteristics and leadership of an SMI who endorses CSR initiatives on generating the supportive behavior towards the initiatives among the corporation’s most influential public on social media, its consumers. Results from a survey of 967 U.S. consumers showed that non-CSR-themed SMI endorsers trigger target consumers’ supportive behavior towards the CSR initiative which they have endorsed when the consumers perceive them as opinion and taste leaders. The SMI endorsers’ trustworthiness, expertise, uniqueness, and (consumer-SMI) congruity constituted their opinion leadership perceived by the consumers while expertise, uniqueness and congruity formed their taste leadership. Opinion and taste leadership fully mediated the effects of trustworthiness, expertise, and uniqueness on consumers’ CSR supportive behavior while partially mediating the impact of congruity on the CSR supportive behavior. The findings shed light on how to select effective SMIs in non-CSR domains to generate consumers’ behavior to support the CSR initiatives.

The impact of corporate social responsibility authenticity to advocacy behaviors in Vietnam dairy industry: The role of attitude and trust

In recent decades, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become one of the standard business practices to gain businesses competitive advantages. Witnessing the great success of many businesses implementing CSR, companies are increasingly deploying CSR campaigns while many of those actions do not truly help the environment and society. The act of taking advantage of consumers' interest in CSR to polish the buiness' name has negatively led to an adverse response from consumers, giving them a reason to boycott the untrustworthy brand and showing more wariness toward the term CSR. In that context, a new concept: corporate social responsibility authenticity (CSR authenticity) was born and is increasingly appreciated by consumers when choosing a brand. In addition, some evidence shows that the emotions of customers can also influence their shopping behavior. Therefore, this research surveys customers in the dairy industry in Vietnam, particularly customers of four big brands: Vinamilk, TH True Milk, Dutch Lady, and Nestle to examine the relationship between the new concepts: of CSR authenticity, and advocacy behaviors, through the mediated role of two factors: attitude and trust. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the results show that CSR authenticity has a positive impact on consumers' advocacy in both ways: directly and indirectly through customer attitudes and trust. Through these results, the authors aim to raise awareness about the importance of authenticity while doing CSR as well as provide advice on how to organize an effective CSR campaign.

A win‐win way for corporate and stakeholders to achieve sustainable development: Corporate social responsibility value co‐creation scale development and validation

AbstractThe present study intends to develop and validate a multidimensional evaluation standard for customers' participation in corporate social responsibility (CSR) value co‐creation (VCC), which has grown exponentially since the start of the Internet commonweal platform era. A Delphi study was conducted with a group of 30 professionals and local community members. Initial items for measuring CSR VCC were derived from the Delphi study. These items were then used to devise a questionnaire that was ultimately administered to 844 customers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in 28 items based on five factors: customer participation, customer response, corporate response, interaction, and sustainability. Both convergent validity and discriminant validity were verified between factors. Finally, structural equation modeling was used to verify the nomological validity of the scale. This evaluation scale is expected to provide a criterion that can help companies effectively manage CSR aspects of corporate‐customer VCC and help customers choose CSR campaigns they can trust.

The sound of responsibility: evolution of the use of radio advertising as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication channel before and after Covid-19. A significant increase

Radio is an audio communication medium that has always stood out for its credibility and close relationship to its audience, which makes it an appealing option for organizations that want to make their responsible behavior known. The Covid-19 pandemic has created a new landscape in which the strategic role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the company has been strengthened and in which advertising messages are proving to be an interesting way of disseminating organizations’ responsible actions. Based on the quantitative content analysis of 562 radio advertisements taken from the three principal mainstream Spanish radio broadcasters and collected 2 years apart (2019 and 2021), this study seeks to find out whether the Covid-19 health crisis has led to changes in the use of radio advertising as a vehicle for communicating organizations’ CSR. To this end, the variables analyzed were the presence of CSR elements, advertiser, economic sector, CSR dimensions, beneficiary stakeholders, and communication area. The results show, among other data, that the communication of CSR through radio advertising has experienced significant growth after overcoming the worst moments of the pandemic. This growth indicates that companies are increasingly sensitive to issues related to CSR and that radio advertising has provided them with a way to publicize their socially responsible actions. It seems that corporations understand that credibility, trust, and a not inconsiderable penetration rate encourage the circulation of their CSR campaigns through the medium of radio.

Exploring effects of message framing on supportive behaviors toward environmental corporate social responsibility

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to shed light on how effective environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication can be achieved through persuasive communication strategies using message framing.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted an online experimental study with a 2 (narrative: narrative or non-narrative) × 2 (framing: gain or loss) between-subjects design.FindingsThe findings showed that environmental CSR communication using narrative framing messages is most effective in creating strong CSR associations between a company and the environmental CSR domain and sharing the company's CSR information on supportive communication and advocating for the environmental campaign.Originality/valueThis study highlights the importance of a company's environmental CSR communication efforts using the right message format (narrative style) to increase its persuasive sequence from CSR evaluation to supportive behaviors, contributing to theoretical development in the research of environmental CSR communication. This study suggests that environmental CSR campaign managers should first formalize the company's environmental responsiveness by clearly establishing policies and practicing CSR performance that could result in a strong CSR association before asking their target publics to engage in pro-environmental activities.

Assessing key performance indicators of corporate social responsibility initiatives in sport

ABSTRACT Research question This paper evaluates factors impacting corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns’ key performance indicators (KPIs) by extending the sport sustainability campaign evaluation model (SSCEM) with three key variables: ascription of responsibility, fit between the team/sustainability initiatives, and receptivity to messaging from the team. Research methods We collected data from a US national sample using a Qualtrics panel. The specific population of interest for this part of the project was people who were able to identify a professional or college sport team local to their geographical area (N = 205), which meets the SEM sample size requirements with only 11 items in the model. Results and findings This study found that fit, ascription, and attachment to the team explained 43.0% of the variance in receptivity. Ascription and receptivity explained 64.9% of the variance of sustainability intentions. The entire model explained 68.4% of the variance in support for green corporate partners. Future research can extend the SSCEM by adding these concepts, explaining additional variance, and assessing actual receptivity to team messaging about sustainability. Sport practitioners can use this model to show green corporate partners the impact of messaging by the team on corporate partner sales and show increased fan sustainability intentions.