Watch out when expectancy is violated: An experiment of inconsistent CSR message cueing

ABSTRACT

Applying the expectancy violation theory, the study examines how a company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) interacts with the timing of receiving inconsistency message cues (i.e., presentation order), and how they affect the consumer evaluation of the CSR campaign. The results reveal that presentation order affects consumers’ inference about CSR motives and their attitudes toward a company when the company shows low commitment. However, the order effects disappeared when a company perceived to be dedicated to the CSR campaign. The findings also suggest that lowered expectancy minimizes the negative impacts resulting from expectancy violation. The company’s promotional CSR message can generate positive impacts when the message aligns with the company’s genuine motives and the message is further confirmed by other informational cues. Moderated mediation reveals that the mediating role of altruistic mGotives is observed only when a promotional CSR message preceded the commitment information.

KEYWORDS:

• Corporate social responsibility
• expectancy violation
• message cue
• perceived altruism
• moderated mediation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hyejoon Rim

Hyejoon Rim (Ph.D. in Mass Communication, University of Florida) is an assistant professor in the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on CSR, consumer skepticism, and crisis communication. She has published her research in the Journal of Communication, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Public Relations Research, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Public Relations Review among others.

Young Eun Park

Young Eun Park (Ph.D. in Mass Communications, Indiana University) is an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism & Media Communication at Colorado State University. Her recent research interests include CSR based on co-creation process and social media transparency. She received several awards for her research and has published in the Journal of Public Relations Research.

Doori Song

Doori Song (Ph.D. in Mass Communication, University of Florida) is an associate professor in the Williamson College of Business Administration at the Youngstown State University. His research focuses on consumer psychology and marketing communications. He has published his research in Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Communication, Journal of Brand Management, and International Journal of Advertising among others.