PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Milfeld, Tyler
AU  - Haley, Eric
TI  - Purpose Advertising And the Credibility Gap
AID  - 10.2501/JAR-2023-021
DP  - 2023 Sep 25
TA  - Journal of Advertising Research
PG  - 2023-021
4099  - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/early/2023/09/21/JAR-2023-021.short
4100  - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/early/2023/09/21/JAR-2023-021.full
AB  - One approach to purpose advertising is brand activism—taking a stand on a sociopolitical issue. This research compares divergent perspectives on whether and how brand activism influences brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Results from three studies, in which real-world brands and messages were used, identify a credibility gap between brands with a reputation for activism (established activist brands) and those without a reputation (emergent activist brands). Findings also reveal how personal issue knowledge moderates the credibility gap. Among other contributions, this research creates a new brand typology in the brand activism arena and empirically demonstrates a more favorable effect for established (versus emergent) activist brands when taking a stand.