TY - JOUR

T1 - Company reputation and its influence on consumer trust in response to ongoing CSR communication

AU - Bögel, Paula Maria

PY - 2019/2/17

Y1 - 2019/2/17

N2 - There is considerable disagreement in academic scholarship and beyond as to whether, in cases of bad reputations, companies will want to communicate corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities because this kind of communication is likely to increase consumers? skepticism. In this regard, the two empirical studies discussed in this article examine the influence of prior company reputation on consumers? trust in response to CSR communication in general and the development in response to continuous CSR activities and their ongoing communication by companies as well as by the media in particular. The two studies show that consumers? trust in companies? CSR activities increases after a second presentation of information by companies even in instances when companies had prior negative reputations. The second study in particular fills a gap in the literature on underlying mechanisms of consumers? reactions to CSR communication. The results suggest that companies with prior negative reputations do not need to remain silent about their CSR activities; instead, CSR communication can help improve consumers? trust in companies. However, the findings of these two studies also suggest that this positive development is short-lived. Consumers? developing trust in companies? CSR activities decreases significantly if they are exposed to negative information on these companies.

AB - There is considerable disagreement in academic scholarship and beyond as to whether, in cases of bad reputations, companies will want to communicate corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities because this kind of communication is likely to increase consumers? skepticism. In this regard, the two empirical studies discussed in this article examine the influence of prior company reputation on consumers? trust in response to CSR communication in general and the development in response to continuous CSR activities and their ongoing communication by companies as well as by the media in particular. The two studies show that consumers? trust in companies? CSR activities increases after a second presentation of information by companies even in instances when companies had prior negative reputations. The second study in particular fills a gap in the literature on underlying mechanisms of consumers? reactions to CSR communication. The results suggest that companies with prior negative reputations do not need to remain silent about their CSR activities; instead, CSR communication can help improve consumers? trust in companies. However, the findings of these two studies also suggest that this positive development is short-lived. Consumers? developing trust in companies? CSR activities decreases significantly if they are exposed to negative information on these companies.

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - company reputation

KW - Corporate social responsibility

KW - CSR communication

KW - skepticism

KW - time series analysis

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84964681197&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/13527266.2016.1166146

DO - 10.1080/13527266.2016.1166146

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 25

SP - 115

EP - 136

JO - Journal of Marketing Communications

JF - Journal of Marketing Communications

SN - 1352-7266

IS - 2

ER -