Do all brand CSR initiatives make consumers happy? The role of CSR-brand (mis)fit and sense of relatedness

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore whether brand corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives increase consumers’ happiness via a mediating mechanism of emotional brand attachment and to examine how brand CSR’s effect may be moderated by CSR fit (e.g. CSR-brand fit vs misfit) and sense of relatedness (e.g. low vs high). Design/methodology/approach A series of six studies (including the one that is available online), combining field and experimental data, were conducted to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings Results support the hypothesis that brand CSR initiatives make consumers happy by increasing their attachment to the brand (Studies 1 and 2). This effect is strengthened both directly and indirectly through emotional attachment when brands engage in CSR fit activities (Study 3), but it is weakened when brands engage in CSR misfit activities (Study 4). Furthermore, the effect is more pronounced when brands choose CSR activities that have a high sense of relatedness, and it is eliminated when brands use CSR activities with a low sense of relatedness (Study 5). Finally, the results indicate that when brand CSR programs make consumers happy, they become more likely to purchase, spread positive word of mouth and pay a premium (Study 6). Originality/value This research has several major implications for business-to-consumer companies that are unsure about the value of brand CSR initiatives, want to make consumers happy but are unsure which CSR strategies to focus on and/or have decided to launch CSR initiatives but lack guidance on the specific strategies relevant to their desired performance outcomes.

The impact of brand value co-creation on perceived CSR authenticity and brand equity

“…Past research shows that consumers react differently to a brand's CSR program depending on what they judge as the brand's motivation to engage in such initiative (Rim et al, 2016). For instance, if consumers' values align with those of the CSR program, brand engagement increases and so does consumers' happiness (Gilal et al, 2023). However, suspicion about a brand's honesty (Vaidyanathan and Aggarwal, 2005) or true intention (Bae and Cameron, 2006) regarding the CSR initiative negatively affects consumers' attitudes toward a brand.…”

“…According to a survey conducted by Nielsen (2022), “60% of US consumers said they have been making more environmentally friendly, sustainable, or ethical purchases since the start of the pandemic”. In fact, recent research finds that brand’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives make consumers happy (Gilal et al , 2023). However, merely engaging in CSR may not be enough to have a positive impact on the value consumers give brands.…”

Impact of a corporate social responsibility message on consumers' sustainable behaviours and purchase intentions

“…Consequently, considering the benefits derived from communicating them, CSR activities should be widely disseminated (Gilal et al, 2023). Indeed, CSR messaging can foster consumers' attitudes towards companies/brands (Folse et al, 2010) and their identification with them (Su & Swanson, 2017).…”

How relatedness-supportive CSR enhances brand happiness: a relationship motivation theory perspective

“…Finally, although previous research has shown that CSR practices, in general, have a significant impact on customer loyalty and revisit intention in the telecommunications and hospitality marketing domains (Ahn, 2019a, b;Islam et al, 2021;Liu et al, 2019), to the best of our knowledge, no studies have been conducted in the retail banking setting to investigate how relatedness-supportive CSR programs influence bank customers' happiness. It has been demonstrated that while not all CSR activities are helpful (Gilal et al, 2021), CSR-brand fit programs are critical for capturing positive consumer behavior outcomes (Gilal et al, 2021(Gilal et al, , 2023. As a result, we believe that launching and/or focusing on general CSR initiatives cannot always predict customer happiness and participation in CSR movements.…”

“…It has been demonstrated that while not all CSR activities are helpful (Gilal et al. , 2021), CSR-brand fit programs are critical for capturing positive consumer behavior outcomes (Gilal et al ., 2021, 2023). As a result, we believe that launching and/or focusing on general CSR initiatives cannot always predict customer happiness and participation in CSR movements.…”