Corporates often partner with social media influencers to bolster brand image after crises.Although existing evidence suggests that influencers have a largely positive effect on brands, yet there is paucity of research on the role of influencers in corporate crisis communications.Across two studies, we examine the impact of influencers on consumers' perception of corporate brand in crisis. Drawing on persuasion knowledge theory, we identify pitfalls associated with influencers, such as inferences of manipulative intent, which negatively affect perceived trustworthiness and corporate reputation. The downside of engaging influencers in crisis communications can, however, be offset by influencer and the brand communicating values-driven motives of their partnership. Our findings imply that corporate brands should respond to crises through a bolstering strategy that promotes existing corporate goodwill, without influencer's involvement. When leveraging on influencers' support, however, brands should endeavor to inoculate manipulative inferences by communicating the values-driven motives behind the brand-influencer partnership.

Corporate co-branding, or brand alliances, is a popular strategy, regarded as beneficial to the allied brands. There are, however, caveats to this strategy due to crises concerning one of the partner brands. Employing an experiment, we investigate the impact of crisis types and response strategies, and the interactions, on corporate image of the culpable ally, the nonculpable partner, and the alliance. Results show that preventable crises, high in controllability and intentionality, are detrimental to the image of the culpable ally. Deny response is, nonetheless, effective for restoring corporate image, when compared with diminish or acknowledge/rebuild responses. We further demonstrate that the non-culpable partner suffers from crises only indirectly, due to negative post-crisis attitudes toward the alliance, which in turn influence intentions to purchase alliance offering. Our findings underscore the need for corporate brands to use co-branding with caution, carefully planning for crises, and judiciously considering the viability of response strategies.

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This study investigates the role of guilt appeal intensity in cause marketing advertising. Employing an experiment, the study reveals that guilt appeals in cause marketing communications are effective at fostering positive corporate image perceptions when low in intensity. Low intensity appeals stimulate consumer-company identification and lower inferences of negative motives of the company, both contributing to shaping perceptions of corporate image perceptions and purchase intentions. The study extends advertising research on the efficacy of low intensity guilt appeals in cause marketing advertising. Crucially, it advances knowledge on the psychological processes underlying consumer responses to guilt appeals in cause marketing advertising.

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