Playing with fire: aggravating and buffering effects of ex ante CSR communication campaigns for companies facing allegations of social irresponsibility
(2015) Advertising and Marketing Law Letter — Vol. 26, n° 4, p. 565-578 (2015)
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- Abstract
- This study seeks to determine when communicating about corporate social responsibility (CSR) is likely to buffer against subsequent allegations of irresponsible behavior (in a different domain) or instead aggravate the effect of such allegations. In contrast with prior investigations of pre- or post-allegation effects in isolation, this study focuses on the interaction between CSR communication and allegations to discern conditions in which a buffering or aggravating effect is most likely. The authors identify an important contingency factor: the independence of the source in which the CSR communication appears. Aggravating effects tend to emerge when the CSR communication comes from a third-party source, whereas a buffering effect occurs when the CSR communication appears in a company-controlled source. Persuasion knowledge mediates these aggravating and buffering effects.
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Citations
Vanhamme, J., Swaen, V., Berens, G., & Janssen, C. (2015). Playing with fire: aggravating and buffering effects of ex ante CSR communication campaigns for companies facing allegations of social irresponsibility. Advertising and Marketing Law Letter, 26(4), 565-578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-014-9290-5 (Original work published 2015)