Corporate social advocacy and brand authenticity: Evaluating the influences of promise types and value congruence

Abstract

This study examines how consumers form judgments of authenticity regarding corporate social advocacy initiatives. A common way to show support for a cause is through a brand promise in which a business shares its intent to support, donate, or act in accordance with an advocacy issue. Grounded in consumer-brand relationship theory, we conducted an experiment with 620 U.S. adults to analyze how consumers perceive corporate social advocacy efforts aimed at reducing environmental injustice. We used a 4 × 2 between-subjects design to test how promise type (symbolic, experiential, philanthropic, or explicit), leadership congruence (congruent or incongruent), and social justice perceptions affected authenticity and purchase intentions. Results confirmed the importance of having leaders whose values align with company-endorsed causes, with conditional support for social justice perceptions and the use of explicit and philanthropic promises (e.g., taking action and donating a percent of sales). We discuss the implications of our findings for leading authentic corporate social advocacy initiatives and building dynamic brand consumer relationships.

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