Corporate social responsibility effects on social network sites

Abstract

This online experiment investigates how marketers could maximize favorable consumer responses to brand pages on social network sites (SNSs) through the strategic use of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Two types of CSR, cause-related marketing (CRM) and cause sponsorship (CS), and the control group (control) are compared. The results reveal the following major findings: (1) CRM leads to the greatest consumer intention to join the SNS brand page, followed by CS and control; (2) CRM results in the greater intention to invite friends to the brand page than either CS or control; (3) such effects of CSR are mediated by the consumer expectancy to be seen as favorable; and (4) the effect of CSR on the intention to join is moderated by the type of brand, but not the type of self-friend gender composition. The study provides a theoretical discussion and practical implications. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.