Exploring the effects of social media features on the publics’ responses to decreased usage CSR messages

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the way the message source and presence of positive social cues influence the evaluations (attitude toward the corporate social responsibility (CSR) message and company, and word-of-mouth intention to support the campaign) of the decreased use CSR messages on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach In the context of Facebook, this study adopted 2 (message source: a CSR message in a sponsored ad format vs a CSR message posted by another Facebook user) × 2 (social cue: highly salient, positive social cues vs no social cues) factorial experimental design. Findings The main effects of message source types and presence of positive social cues on decreased usage CSR campaigns proved to be effective in generating better consumer responses to the company and campaign. Research limitations/implications The findings are expected to advance the CSR literature by offering a detailed understanding of CSR campaigns that discourage consumption of the company’s own product to support a social cause. It is suggested to test the effects with other CSR examples to increase the ability to generalize the results further. Practical implications The results suggest campaign strategies on social media for public relations practitioners and corporate managers who work for companies conducting social responsibility campaigns that discourage consumption of their own products. Originality/value This study contributes to the CSR literature by examining the concept of CSR campaigns that advocate decreased usage, which has received scant scholarly attention to date.

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Guiding the conversation

Corporate Communications An International Journal ◽

10.1108/ccij-06-2017-0057 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 423-437 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Justin Walden

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Relations ◽

Media Use ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Content Type ◽

Public Relations Practitioners ◽

Frontline Workers ◽

The Usa ◽

Normative Expectations ◽

Depth Interviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how public relations practitioners view their role in guiding their organizations’ frontline (nonnominated) employees’ social media use and the tensions that organizations must navigate when they interact with their employees online. Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes in-depth interviews with 24 PR practitioners in the USA. Data were analyzed via grounded theory’s approach to open, axial, and select coding. Findings PR practitioners engage in three activities to guide employees’ social media use: serving as a reactive-technical resource; supporting employee communities; and responding to incidental monitoring of social media posts. Research limitations/implications The study extends stakeholder theory by describing the normative expectations that are placed on employees when it comes to discussing the organization online. Practical implications Recommendations are offered for PR practitioners regarding the boundary-respecting management of nonnominated employees’ social media use. Social implications Findings point to a greater understanding about frontline workers’ roles in supporting their organizations and the need for organizations to carefully explain social media policies. Originality/value Scholars have not fully explored the challenges that firms face when they seek to influence employees’ personal social networking activities. There is new insight about the ways in which organization can ethically engage with employees in digitally mediated spaces.

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Can SMEs in the food industry expect competitive advantages from proactive CSR when CSR trade-offs exist?

Corporate Communications An International Journal ◽

10.1108/ccij-02-2021-0019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Yeonsoo Kim ◽

Nandini Bhalla

Keyword(s):

Public Relations ◽

Medium Size ◽

Strategic Decisions ◽

Content Type ◽

Consumer Responses ◽

Public Relations Practitioners ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Corporate Social ◽

Price Differences ◽

A Company

PurposeThe study aims to examine the effects of proactive vs passive environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), factoring in the moderating effects of price and the mediating effects of company–consumer identification(C-C identification) on consumer responses.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment with general consumer samples was conducted. A randomized 2 (CSR levels: proactive CSR vs passive CSR) × 2 (price as a CSR trade-off: higher price vs lower price) full factorial design was used.FindingsThe study findings revealed that proactive environmental CSR not only engendered more positive C-C identification but also resulted in more favorable consumer attitudes, stronger supportive communication intent and purchase intent. In addition, when a company demonstrates proactive CSR, consumers' C-C identification is generally positive irrespective of price differences, and in turn, more positive reactions follow. When a company takes a passive approach and offers lower prices, respondents showed significantly less positive C-C identification, and less favorable responses. This indicates that passive environmental CSR programs can potentially backfire, especially when combined with lower prices. This study also shows the important mediating impact of C-C identification on consumer responses.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few to explore consumer perceptions of and reactions toward the food industry's environmental CSR programs by degree of CSR involvement and price differences in the context of SMEs. This study's findings provide useful information to SME managers and public relations practitioners who work closely with SMEs, allowing them to make informed strategic decisions, especially when they evaluate the extent of their company's commitment to environmentally proactive CSR practices and its communication to consumers.

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Fortune 100 companies’ Facebook strategies: corporate ability versus social responsibility

Journal of Communication Management ◽

10.1108/jcom-01-2012-0006 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 343-362 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Sora Kim ◽

Soo-Yeon Kim ◽

Kang Hoon Sung

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Relations ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Communication Strategies ◽

Social Networking Site ◽

Current Status ◽

Hybrid Strategy ◽

Content Type ◽

Fortune 100 ◽

Corporate Ability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how Fortune 100 companies are using Facebook (FB) in terms of employing corporate ability (CA), corporate social responsibility (CSR), and hybrid communication strategies, meeting different stakeholders’ expectations, and incorporating interactivity components into social media. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative content analysis was used to examine a total of 1,486 corporate FB postings. Findings –Fortune 100 companies predominantly employed a CA strategy over a CSR strategy or a hybrid strategy. They prioritize customers’ needs over other stakeholders’ (e.g. stockholders and community members) on FB. FB fans are more likely to post “like” when companies personalize their FB messages. Seeking specific action-oriented participation on FB increased the frequencies of “like” and “comment,” whereas using the generic terms like “try” or “learn” decreased such frequencies. Finally, the frequencies of fans posting “like” and “comment” are affected by how often companies responded to fans’ postings and not influenced by how often companies feed new FB updates to fans. Originality/value – This study provides a benchmark case of how corporations are using a mainstream social media outlet to engage different stakeholders. It helps to assess the current status of public relations communication strategies on the mainstream social networking site. Companies can increase public engagement and response on social media through more personalized messages and techniques to encourage active participation and dialogue.

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Public relations culture, social media, and regulation

Journal of Communication Management ◽

10.1108/jcom-11-2013-0079 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 335-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jennifer Vardeman-Winter ◽

Katie Place

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Relations ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Practice Research ◽

Content Type ◽

Public Relations Practitioners ◽

Shared Meanings ◽

Growing Pains ◽

Research And Education ◽

Circuit Of Culture

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how practitioner culture is maintained despite legal, technical, and educational issues resulting from the deluge of social media. The authors examined the nexus of practitioner culture, social media usage, and regulatory forces like policies, authority figures, and social norms. Design/methodology/approach – To explore practitioner culture, a cultural studies approach was used. Specifically, the circuit of culture model framed data analysis. The authors conducted qualitative interviews with 20 US public relations practitioners. Findings – Social media emerged as integral for cultural maintenance at every point in the circuit of culture. Practitioners expressed shared meanings about the regulations of social media as the reinvention of communication amidst growing pains; blurred public-private boundaries; nuanced rules of netiquette; and new systems of measurement and education. Research limitations/implications – The authors propose a regulation-formality hypothesis and regulation-identification articulations that should be considered in public relations practice, research, and education. Practical implications – Findings suggest best practices to help practitioners negotiate their personal identities and the identities of their organizations because of the unregulated nature of social media. Originality/value – This study fills the need for more qualitative, in-depth research that describes the cultural implications of social media in public relations to better address misunderstandings or gaps between its perceived effectiveness and actual use.

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Communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) on social media

Corporate Communications An International Journal ◽

10.1108/ccij-07-2017-0067 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 326-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Ruoxu Wang ◽

Yan Huang

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Corporate Social Responsibility ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Behavioral Intention ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Content Type ◽

Behavior Intention ◽

Message Source ◽

Media Message ◽

Corporate Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of message source and types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) message on stakeholder’s perception toward CSR and behavioral intention toward the company. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (message source: CEO’s Facebook account vs organization’s Facebook account) × 3 (types of CSR messages: internal CSR vs external CSR vs control) between-subjects online experiment (n=242) was conducted online. Findings Internal CSR message elicited greater perceptions of trust, satisfaction, control mutuality, and commitment toward the organization among the stakeholders than the external CSR message and the CEO’s personal life message. A significant two-way interaction between the message source and the type of CSR message on behavior intention toward the organization was obtained. Originality/value Internal CSR message does matter when it comes to social media posting. The general public do pay attention to what the CEO and the organizations are posting on their social media accounts. Message source does not matter when it comes to social media message posting. However, organizations and CEOs should try to stay consistent when it comes to creating a public CSR message.

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Consumer empowerment in corporate social responsibility: the effect of participatory CSR on company admiration and word-of-mouth communications

Corporate Communications An International Journal ◽

10.1108/ccij-02-2021-0025 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Hyojung Park ◽

Soo-Yeon Kim

Keyword(s):

Corporate Social Responsibility ◽

Public Relations ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Word Of Mouth ◽

Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽

Consumer Empowerment ◽

Content Type ◽

Consumer Responses ◽

Csr Communication ◽

Corporate Social

PurposeThis study conceptualizes participatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a consumer empowerment strategy and examines the effect of participatory CSR on consumer responses in a social media setting.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a 2 (type of CSR campaign) × 4 (tone of consumer comments) between-subjects experimental design. The sample comprises college students and nonstudent participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk.FindingsData indicate that the participatory CSR program leads to higher levels of perceived self-efficacy and social worth, which subsequently results in stronger intentions to spread positive word of mouth about the company’s CSR efforts. The findings suggest that participatory CSR has the power to boost a company’s reputation as an “admired” company through consumer empowerment.Originality/valueThis study advances the scholarship of CSR by explicating participatory CSR communication as a consumer empowerment strategy and providing empirical evidence for the effect of participatory CSR on public responses. The overall findings support the notion that CSR communication as an important function of public relations can generate public engagement with the organization and further co-create meaning with publics for mutual benefit.

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Effectiveness of sustainability communication on social media: role of message appeal and message source

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management ◽

10.1108/ijchm-09-2020-0974 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 949-972

Author(s):

Payal S. Kapoor ◽

M.S. Balaji ◽

Yangyang Jiang

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Corporate Social Responsibility ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Intention To Stay ◽

Content Type ◽

Media Study ◽

Message Source ◽

Corporate Social ◽

The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the effectiveness of sustainability communication on social media. More specifically, the effects of message appeal (sensual vs guilt) and message source (hotel vs social media influencer [SMI]) on perceived environmental corporate social responsibility and the intention to stay at the eco-friendly hotel were examined. Design/methodology/approach Three studies using the experimental design were carried out. Study 1 examined the relationship between message appeal (sensual vs guilt), perceived environmental social corporate responsibility and the intention to stay at the eco-friendly hotel when the hotel posts sustainability messages on social media. Study 2 replicated Study 1 findings when the SMI posts sustainability messages. Study 3 examined the moderating role of message source (hotel vs influencer) in the effects of message appeal (sensual vs guilt) on behavioral intentions. Findings Sustainability messages with the sensual (vs guilt) appeal are more persuasive when the eco-friendly hotel (vs SMI) posts it on social media. Furthermore, the traveler’s perception of the hotel’s environmental corporate social responsibility mediates this relationship. Research limitations/implications This study extends the literature on sustainability communication by demonstrating the role of message source and message appeal in influencing the traveler’s perceptions and intentions toward eco-friendly hotels. Practical implications According to the study findings, eco-friendly hotels can motivate travelers to make pro-sustainable choices by accurately matching the message appeal with the message source in the sustainability communication on social media. Originality/value This study is one of the earliest studies that examine the congruency effect of message appeal and message source for sustainability communication on social media in the hospitality realm. The findings offer novel insights for eco-friendly hotels to develop effective sustainability communication on social media.

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From #mcdonaldsfail to #dominossucks

Corporate Communications An International Journal ◽

10.1108/ccij-04-2014-0027 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 344-359 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Jeanine D. Guidry ◽

Marcus Messner ◽

Yan Jin ◽

Vivian Medina-Messner

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Relations ◽

Fast Food ◽

Crisis Response ◽

Future Research ◽

Content Type ◽

Call To Action ◽

Public Relations Practitioners ◽

Time Period ◽

Media Platform

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the crisis information posted by publics on the social media platform Instagram about leading fast food companies as well as the responses by the companies and their general use of Instagram. Design/methodology/approach – In two quantitative content analyses, 711 Instagram posts were identified in a two-week constructed time period that related to the ten largest fast food chains in the world. Findings – It was found that negative content about these companies is posted by customers and employees alike and that the negative tonality primarily stems from issues with service and the work environment. The study also showed that the companies are just starting to discover Instagram and have very little engagement with users. None of the companies responded to the negative posts of customers and employees. Research limitations/implications – The analysis only evaluated posts with negative hashtags about ten fast food companies. Future research should expand the analysis to all posts about a certain sector as well as expand the scope of the research beyond the fast food sector. Practical implications – The results of the study are a call-to-action for public relations professionals to engage with their publics on Instagram and actively use the app as a pre-crisis monitoring and crisis response tool in their social media plans. Originality/value – Instagram is a fast-growing social media channel, yet research into this platform is lacking. The findings of this study should be a challenge to public relations practitioners to put Instagram next to Facebook and Twitter at the center of their social media strategy.

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