{"title":"Walking the tightrope: How does corporate advocacy for controversial social issues catalyze change or spark backlash?","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102490","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Despite a growing trend in corporate social advocacy (CSA), public responses to a company’s stance on controversial issues have been understudied. Using an online survey targeting U.S. adults, this study examines the theoretical mechanisms underlying consumers’ multifaceted reactions to CSA using Dick’s stance on gun control as a specific case of CSA. Drawing on attribution theory and moral emotion theories, this study finds that positive moral emotions—gratitude and elevation—fully mediate the relationship between perceived intrinsic CSA motives and brand loyalty intention (primary impact), as well as willingness to pay more for companies advocating the same cause (secondary impact), thereby amplifying the overall impact of the advocacy. In contrast, CSA lacking intrinsic motives triggers negative moral emotions (anger), which in turn undermines brand loyalty intention. However, perceived extrinsic CSA motives have no significant influence. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48263,"journal":{"name":"Public Relations Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Public Relations Review","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0363811124000699","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Despite a growing trend in corporate social advocacy (CSA), public responses to a company’s stance on controversial issues have been understudied. Using an online survey targeting U.S. adults, this study examines the theoretical mechanisms underlying consumers’ multifaceted reactions to CSA using Dick’s stance on gun control as a specific case of CSA. Drawing on attribution theory and moral emotion theories, this study finds that positive moral emotions—gratitude and elevation—fully mediate the relationship between perceived intrinsic CSA motives and brand loyalty intention (primary impact), as well as willingness to pay more for companies advocating the same cause (secondary impact), thereby amplifying the overall impact of the advocacy. In contrast, CSA lacking intrinsic motives triggers negative moral emotions (anger), which in turn undermines brand loyalty intention. However, perceived extrinsic CSA motives have no significant influence. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
期刊介绍:
The Public Relations Review is the oldest journal devoted to articles that examine public relations in depth, and commentaries by specialists in the field. Most of the articles are based on empirical research undertaken by professionals and academics in the field. In addition to research articles and commentaries, The Review publishes invited research in brief, and book reviews in the fields of public relations, mass communications, organizational communications, public opinion formations, social science research and evaluation, marketing, management and public policy formation.