How Do Self-Values Play a Role In Consumers' Perception of CSR Advertising?

ABSTRACT

This study examined dynamic interactions among self-values leading consumers to self-reference corporate social responsibility (CSR) advertising sponsored by three industries: oil, juice, and pharmaceuticals. The findings revealed that when consumers highly valued businesses' involvement in social causes, their motives to impress others or increase status significantly affected purchase intentions via self-referencing CSR advertising. For highly issue-involved consumers who did not believe in a business's involvement in social causes, the status motive indirectly affected purchase intention through self-referencing in a negative direction when they viewed an oil company's CSR advertising. This finding was not present for CSR advertisements sponsored by the other industries.