CSR and Brand Resonance: The Mediating Role of Brand Love and Involvement

Abstract

This article examines brand love and brand involvement to explain the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity of a firm and brand resonance. Previous studies have only considered the loyalty dimension of the resonance model regarding the relationship between a firm’s CSR activity and brand attitudes. To have a clearer understanding of the relationship between ethicality and consumer attitudes, we consider the other aspects of customer attitudes—attitudinal attachment, sense of community, and active engagement which are encapsulated in the brand resonance model. Therefore, two studies are conducted in this research to test the hypothesized relationships using a PROCESS bootstrapping method. Results from the two studies provide evidence of the mediational role of brand love and involvement in the relationship between perceived ethicality and brand resonance. Whether a firm engages in an ethical or a philanthropic action, a sense of brand love, and involvement with the brand is evoked which subsequently affects consumers’ attitude towards the brand.

1. Introduction

The burgeoning importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in consumer research cannot be overemphasized [1,2,3,4]. Even though CSR has long existed and several conceptualizations of the concept are apparent in the literature, Carroll [5] offers the clearest and widely accepted conceptualization [5]. Since the inception of this conceptualization, it has gained wide popularity in a broad body of research [6,7,8,9,10]. According to Carroll [5], CSR should be framed such that it encompasses the entire range of business responsibility, which includes philanthropic, economic, ethical, and legal aspects [5]. Given the rise in ethical consumerism, many consumers are now demanding eco-friendly products. Thus, CSR practices drive companies to be more active [11]. Indeed, companies make more efforts to educate their customers and stakeholders about their CSR initiatives [1]. Generally, studies contend that positive evaluations and attitudes towards the firm are outcomes of CSR initiatives [12,13]. In other streams of research, the positive correlation between CSR and customer satisfaction, reputation, and competitive advantage are also underscored [9,14]. Unfortunately, prior researches have done nothing or very little to differentiate CSR and other CSR-related concepts, such as brand ethics [15]. Therefore, given the four dimensions of CSR suggested by Carroll [5], a deep understanding of the relative importance of each of the dimensions in determining brand attitudes should be appropriate to the literature on CSR [5].

Companies have several responsibilities. According to Carroll (5), legal responsibility has to do with obeying the law; ethical responsibility has to do with being ethical; economic responsibility has to do with being profitable, and philanthropic responsibility has to do with being a good corporate citizen [5]. The academic community is still divided on how these dimensions are defined and how they are perceived by consumers. For example, Folkes and Kamins [16] show that consumers’ attitude towards prosocial and ethical actions differ, in that prosocial actions have more impacts on consumers’ attitudes than ethical actions. Ferrell et al. [17] also discovered that ethics have more impact on brand attitude than CSR. The results of these studies call for further empirical investigation into how each of the aforementioned dimensions of CSR impact brand attitudes. Given that CSR activities such as prosocial and ethical actions evoke positive attitudes from consumers, understanding the mechanism that explains this outcome should be germane to the literature. Current research suggests that a positive relationship exists between customer perceived ethicality and brand trust and brand affect [18]. The stream of literature documenting the relationship between CSR and consumer attitudes has primarily focused on consumer decision such as purchase intentions [19,20]. What remains quite unexplored is how a brand-centric relationship is developed through CSR. More specifically, how CSR impacts brand resonance is the focus of this study. In the consumer marketing context, even though CSR in general leads to positive attitudes, it is possible to think that not all dimensions of CSR will elicit similar responses from consumers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to complement prior studies by specifically investigating how CSR (prosocial and ethical) impacts the other aspects of consumer outcomes such as attitudinal attachment, active engagement, and a sense of community which are encapsulated in the brand resonance construct. To do so, the study examines the indirect effect of brand love and brand involvement in the relationship between CSR and brand resonance.

2. Literature Review

2.1. CSR and Brand Attitude

It is undeniable that consumer behavior is a vast field of research and must be approached from varied perspectives. Thus, given the competitive nature of the market today, coupled with the rise of ethical consumerism, how the incorporation of ethical values in branding and marketing strategies that influences consumers’ commitment and perception works is critical to academics. The un/ethical perceptions that consumers have about a company or brand contribute a lot to influencing their attitudes towards the brand. Thus, Markovic et al. [21] find that consumers’ perceptions of ethicality have a positive influence on commitment toward the brand, perceived quality of service offered by the brand, and also loyalty towards the brand. It is clear, therefore, that perception of ethicality is a good source of attitude formation and will consequently influence consumer behavior. Additionally, the relevance of corporate social responsibility, corporate brand identity, and consumer outcomes is evident in the recent literature [22,23]. Brown and Dacin [24] discover that corporate associations, which include corporate ability and corporate social responsibility, affect the evaluation of products. Therefore, Netemeyer et al. [25] establish the relationship between being a “good corporate citizen” and consumers’ willingness to pay a price premium for a brand. Noteworthy, consumers and communities are well aware of social activities of companies that can impact their lives [26]. In their study, [26] argue that socially responsible companies enjoy goodwill and brand equity from their activities. Thus, this study contributes to this vast field of research by empirically examining how the CSR action of a firm impacts the behavior of the consumer. This paper succeeds in incorporating brand love and product involvement in the proposed relationship between CSR and consumer attitude. Further, despite recent growth in literature in this area, as far as we are aware, there is no literature on the impact of consumers’ CSR perceptions on the resonance of the brand. Overall, we expect that consumers should have a positive attitude towards the CSR activities of the firm, irrespective of whether it is ethical or non-ethical (philanthropic).

The research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate philanthropy (CP), sometimes referred to as strategic philanthropy [27], and how they influence consumer attitudes is not new in the literature. However, there is still debate on whether these two concepts (CSR and CP) mean the same or different things. The literature on ethicality discusses CP as a part of CSR, even though an argument has recently been made that CP should be treated as distinct from CSR [5,28]. Von Schnurbein, Seele, and Lock [29] contend that CSR and CP follow different conceptualizations, in that CSR is quite linked to a firm’s core business, while corporate philanthropy seems voluntary, and it is concerned with performing activities benefiting social communities outside the organization conducting CP. More to that, CSR is tightly linked to the concept of sustainability and tends to focus more on ‘avoiding being unethical’ to not be penalized [30]. There is also a debate on the distinctiveness of CSR and business ethics (BE). Schwartz and Carroll [31] assert the interrelatedness of business ethics and CSR. They contend that both concepts mean doing good. However, CSR and BE are treated the same [32]. Moreover, other authors believe that CSR and BE are different concepts [33]. It appears scholars are still divided on their opinions towards these concepts. Moreover, Ferrell et al. [17] contend that consumers place more value on business ethics as an important behavior in their perceptions of brand attitude. They further discovered that even though consumers value both CRS and BE, the latter appears to have more impact on consumer attitudes. Other studies also point to the positive effect of BE on consumer attitudes [34]. CRS and business ethics are different in that CRS tends to focus on the responsibilities of the company by virtue of its own governance structures [35]. The authors further purport that CRS has to do with the strategic interests of corporations and is not about the right thing to do. The corporate social responsibility (CSR) pyramid designed by Carroll [5] shows that companies have the following responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. In sum, the authors explain these responsibilities (economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic) as being profitable, obeying the law, being ethical, and being a good corporate citizen, respectively. How each of these responsibilities of the firm influence consumer behavior is important in advancing knowledge. Therefore, a thorough examination of these concepts is needed in order to avoid this sort of ambiguity—a gap this study seeks to fill. Unfortunately, among the aforementioned responsibilities of the company, extant research has focused majorly on ethical responsibilities.

CSR is the term used to describe the four major responsibilities of the firm. In the research community, the relationship between CSR and consumer behavior has been of great interest which has generated varied views and opinions about the subject. Noteworthy, among the responsibilities mentioned earlier on, corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate philanthropy (CP), and business ethics (BE) have been the center of discussion among authors in the research community. This research takes a novel approach by assessing consumer attitudes towards firms or organizations that exhibit CSR. This is because CSR is not only important for firms but also political parties. For example, CSR could also be relevant in political branding. Usually, political party supporters or decided voters tend to maintain positive views of their party’s personality [36] because political parties through their leaders are able to personify themselves in a bid to allow perceived personality differences to be evident and enhanced in the eyes of their voters through their actions. Therefore, by engaging in CSR actions such as prosocial or ethical ones, political parties can earn votes from their voters, especially undecided voters, as CSR actions may evoke personality dimensions like honesty, leadership, and image, which are important brand personality dimensions in politics [36]. Therefore, we seek to advance research in the literature by considering two dimensions of CRS in two separate studies in a bid to investigate how they impact brand resonance.

2.2. Mediating Role of Brand Love and Involvement

Specifically, the essence of this research is to examine the indirect effect of brand love and brand involvement in the relationship between CSR and brand resonance. In doing so, this research contributes to the under-researched aspect of CSR research. We assert that brand love is certain to explain the relationship between CSR and brand resonance. In interpersonal relationship theories, Langner, Schmidt, and Fischer [37] show the importance of brand love. Akin to interpersonal relationships, consumers can also emotionally bond with brands [37,38,39]. This emotional bond develops when a consumer has a positive experience with the brand, which eventually leads to developing psychological proximity to the brand [40]. In spite of the importance of brand love as an invaluable construct in the context of consumer-brand relationships, studies into the antecedents of this construct remain scarce [38,41]. It is worth noting that both corporate philanthropy and ethical responsibility have been explained as doing good. For instance, some scholars construe corporate philanthropy as a good moral conduct [42,43]. It is therefore convincing that if a company is known as doing good, then we can assume that the goodness of the company or brand will be transferred into more love towards the brand. Research seeks to explain that, brand love leads to a long-term relationship with the brand [44]. This suggests that consumers who develop love for the brand will eventually resonate with the brand. Stemming from the definition by Keller [45], describing brand resonance as the extent to which consumers are in synchrony with the brand, we propose that when consumers fall in love with the brand, it will lead to a higher brand resonance. Based on the above premise, the following hypothesis is developed:

Hypothesis 1.

Brand love will mediate the effect of perceived ethicality on brand resonance.

Although brand love may seem to exhibit some positive correlation with brand involvement, Albert, Merunka, and Valette-Florence [46] and Brakus, Schmitt, and Zarantonello [47] assert that they are completely distinct constructs. Drawing on the concept of attitude stability and knowledge accessibility, studies have shown that, if consumers have a lot of prior information about a brand, they will unlikely change their attitudes towards the brand [48]. These attitudes will influence their subsequent behaviors. Thus, as involvement with the product or brand escalates, they will begin to have more interest in the brand, search for more information about the brand which will lead to the formation of positive attitudes towards the brand [49]. Involvement is described by Bloch [50] as a long-term interest that consumers have in a product which is based on the strength of the relationship between the product and the needs and values of the individual. Further, O’Cass [51] explains that if an object has a strong relation with an individual’s values, that object will be more involving. In their research, Bezençon and Blili [52] discover a relationship between ethicality and involvement and contend that an ethical product is a predictor of involvement. Thus, it is expected that a firm’s goodness will in turn result in consumers’ involvement with the brand. That will eventually lead to consumers trying to promote the brand and its content on various social media [53,54]. Leclerc and Little [55] and Park [56] point to the relationship between involvement and loyalty. Additionally, Quester and Lim [57] empirically contend that product involvement is positively related to brand loyalty, and since loyalty is a subset of brand resonance, we predict that the involvement consumers have with the brand will lead to their resonance with the brand. The study, thus, proposes that:

Hypothesis 2.

Involvement will mediate the effect of perceived ethicality on brand alliance.

3. Materials and Methods

Methodology

The study was organized in Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. A simple random sampling procedure was employed to draw samples from Silla University. A well-structured questionnaire with questions containing a list of items were administered to study participants in a class. In both studies, the scales developed for the constructs were based on pre-existing studies.

Study 1—participants and procedure: Study 1 used a sample of 78 undergraduate students from Silla university, South Korea. The average age of the participants who took part in the survey was 22.9 years and 31.2% of them were females as can be seen from

Table 1. Demographic characteristics.

Variable	Category	Frequency	Percentage
Gender	Male	53	68.8
	female	24	31.2
Age	20	2	2.6
	21	13	16.7
	22	12	15.4
	23	14	17.9
	24	22	28.2
	25	10	12.8
	26	2	2.6
	28	1	1.3
	29	1	1.3
Occupation	Student	78	100

below. In the questionnaire, participants were asked to read a scenario about a CSR action (ethical) of a particular firm. The scenario read as follows:

Suppose a friend just told you about one of your favorite brands of shoes (brand X). Your friend reads that the shoe manufacturer is known to always behave honestly with its customers.

Perceived CSR was assessed using the scale adapted from [32]. Participants rated three statements (e.g., “the brand is a socially responsible brand”) on a scale ranging from (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree). Brand love was assessed using the scale adapted from [58]. Participants rated ten statements (e.g., “I am passionate about this brand”) on a scale ranging from (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree). Brand resonance was assessed using the scale adopted from [59]. Subjects rated twelve statements (e.g., “this brand is special to me”) on a scale ranging (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree). Brand involvement was assessed using the scale adapted from [60]. Participants rated two statements (e.g., “the brand is important to me”) on a scale ranging from (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree).

Study 2—participants and procedure: Study 2 used a sample of 77 undergraduate students from Silla University, South Korea. The average age of the participants who took part in the survey was 22.4 years, and 49.4% of them were females as can be seen from

Table 2. Demographic Characteristics.

Variable	Category	Frequency	Percentage
Gender	Male	38	49.4
	female	38	49.4
Age	20	15	19.5
	21	20	26.0
	22	11	14.3
	23	10	13.0
	24	9	11.7
	25	5	6.5
	26	3	3.9
	27	1	1.3
	28	2	2.6
	29	1	1.3
Occupation	Student	77	100

below. In the questionnaire, participants were asked to read a scenario about a CSR action (Philanthropy) of a particular firm. The scenario read as follows:

Suppose a friend just told you that one of your favorite brands of shoes (brand X) has created jobs by building manufacturing plants for shoe materials in countries where a natural disaster, such as flood has left many people jobless.

4. Results

In Study 1, using SPSS software, a mediation analysis was conducted to examine whether the effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance is mediated by brand love. Reliability analysis showed Cronbach’s α = 0.820 for perceived ethicality; Cronbach’s $\mathsf{\alpha }$ = 0.891 for brand love; Cronbach’s $\mathsf{\alpha }$ = 0.853 for brand resonance, and Cronbach’s $\mathsf{\alpha }$ = 0.75 for involvement. The mediation analysis using the PROCESS bootstrapping method (Model 4 of [61]) found that the direct effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI 95%] = [−0.13, 0.17]). However, when we regressed brand resonance (i.e., the dependent variable) on perceived CSR (i.e., the independent variable) and brand love as the mediator, the indirect effect of perceived ethicality on brand resonance was statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI 95%] = [0.21, 0.51]) as depicted in Figure 1. In step two of the analysis, when we regressed brand resonance (i.e., the dependent variable) on perceived CSR (i.e., the independent variable) and involvement as the mediator, the indirect effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI 95%] = [−0.02, 0.25]), while perceived CSR was a significant predictor [CI 95%] = [0.04, 0.45]) as depicted in Figure 2.

In Study 2, a mediation analysis was conducted to examine whether the effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance is mediated by brand love. Reliability analysis showed Cronbach’s $\mathsf{\alpha }$ = 0.668 for perceived CSR; Cronbach’s $\mathsf{\alpha }$ = 0.767 for brand love; Cronbach’s $\mathsf{\alpha }$ = 0.849 for brand resonance, and Cronbach’s $\mathsf{\alpha }$ = 0.710 for involvement. In step one, the mediation analysis using the PROCESS bootstrapping method (Model 4 of Hayes [61]) found that the direct effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI 95%] = [−0.24, 0.29]). However, when we regressed brand resonance (i.e., the dependent variable) on perceived CSR (i.e., the independent variable) and brand love as the mediator, the indirect effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance was statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI 95%] = [0.27, 0.83]), summarized in Figure 3. In step two of the analysis, when we regressed brand resonance (i.e., the dependent variable) on perceived CSR (i.e., the independent variable) and involvement as the mediator, the indirect effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance was statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI 95%] = [0.01, 0.28]), while perceived CSR was a significant predictor [CI 95%] = [0.19, 0.63]), summarized in Figure 4.

5. Discussion

The results of Study 1 provide support for a brand love mechanism between perceived CSR and brand resonance. More importantly and specifically, we find mediational evidence of how perceived CSR affects brand resonance through brand love, confirming that both ethical and philanthropic responsibilities as dimensions of corporate social responsibility enhance consumers’ resonance with the brand through brand love. Consumers who perceive the company’s action as highly ethical develop love for the brand which in turn makes them resonate with the brand. In other words, the results suggest there is a positive relationship between perceived CSR and brand love and brand resonance. Consistent with our prediction, the results demonstrate that the effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance is mediated by brand love. Further analysis did not provide support for involvement mechanism between perceived CSR and brand resonance. A mediational evidence of how perceived CSR affects band resonance through involvement was not apparent. Consumers who perceive the company’s action to be highly ethical did not feel the need to get involved with the brand in order to resonate with the brand. We did not find a positive relationship between perceived CSR and involvement and brand resonance. Therefore, quite inconsistent with our prediction, perceived CSR and brand resonance relationship was not mediated by involvement.

The results of Study 2 also provide support for brand love mechanism between perceived CSR and brand resonance. More importantly and specifically, we find mediational evidence of how perceived CSR affects brand resonance through brand love. Consumers who perceive the company’s action as highly philanthropic develop love for the brand which in turn makes them resonate with the brand. In other words, the results suggest there is a positive relationship between perceived CSR and brand love and brand resonance. Consistent with our prediction, the results demonstrate that the effect of perceived CSR on brand resonance is mediated by brand love. Further analysis also provides support for an involvement mechanism between perceived CSR and brand resonance. A mediational evidence of how perceived CSR affects band resonance through involvement is apparent. Consumers who perceive the company’s action to be highly philanthropic get involved with the brand, which in turn makes them resonate with the brand. We find that there is a positive relationship between perceived CSR and involvement and brand resonance. Therefore, consistent with our prediction, the perceived CSR and brand resonance relationship is mediated by involvement.

The findings of the current study support the propositions in this research. Across two studies, the research examined the relationship between perceived CSR of a firm and brand resonance. Notably, in both studies, the results show that consumers’ brand-centric relationship with a brand was based on their love towards the brand as well as their level of involvement. These results suggest that brand love and involvement promote the formations of brand resonance for firms that resort to both ethical and philanthropic behaviors. CSR is vital in helping shape consumers’ perception about a company. Brands can improve their relationship with customers when they engage in socially responsible activities. Though prior research on CSR has investigated the effects of CSR on consumer attitudes, our findings are the first to highlight the role of brand love and involvement in the relationship between CSR and brand resonance. Previous research has investigated CSR in general and its relation to consumer attitudes. Given that CSR is composed of different dimensions, we suggest that each dimension be examined differently to provide a clearer understanding of the CSR–brand attitude relationship. Consistent with previous studies [17], the study shows that prosocial and ethical actions of a firm translate into love and involvement with the brand and subsequently lead to brand resonance. This is congruous with previous research documenting how CSR is valued by customers as an important means of improving their perceptions of a brand [17].

6. Conclusions

In sum, the study adds to the literature on corporate social responsibility. The study builds on prior knowledge about CSR by showing that brand love and involvement play significant roles in understanding the process underlying consumers’ brand-centric relationship. In their marketing strategies, brand managers will find the information provided in this study useful as they consider brand love and involvement as highly relevant in building consumer-brand relationships. The present findings advance our conceptual understanding of consumer behavior towards CSR in three ways: First, this is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, which documents the mediational role of brand love in the consumer-perceived CSR–brand resonance relationship. Secondly, the study also contributes to the indirect impact of consumers’ perception of CSR on brand resonance through involvement. Thirdly, given that brand resonance encompasses cognitive, affective, and conative aspects of a brand [62], the study provides further insight into understanding other antecedents of brand resonance.

In the brand building process, brand resonance appears to be at the apex, presupposing that more empirical investigations into understanding the formation of brand resonance from different perspectives is important for both academics and managers. The relevance of CSR in determining brand attitudes has been well documented in prior studies [17,21]. Given that CSR is characterized by four components—economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities [5]—brand managers will be interested in how each of these components influence brand attitudes. When firms want to develop positive brand-centric relationships with their consumers, recognizing the need to take ethical and philanthropic responsibilities is apparent, for these actions of the firm evoke a sense of brand love and involvement with the brand which subsequently leads to consumers resonating with the brand. The findings inform practice, such that brand love and involvement are important for the formation of deeper relationships with brands that uphold or practice ethical and philanthropical responsibilities. Thus, brands will reap immense benefits from consumers’ involvement and love towards their brand. A successful and good brand strategy by marketers should focus on positioning the brand as ethical and philanthropic. These positive CSR actions should be ingrained in the company’s core brand strategy. Moreover, marketers’ decisions to consider cause-related marketing might prove to be worth the while. Taken together, investment in ethical and philanthropic practices is an indirect investment into customer–brand relationship building. This presupposes that managers can be confident that investing in prosocial activities and being keen on ethical responsibilities have a higher pay-off with regards to customer relationship building. As to how economic and legal dimensions of CSR influence brand resonance is a matter of consideration for future studies.

Additionally, past research on brand personality in politics provides evidence that political or party actions influence political brand personality and subsequently influence voting intention [36]. Voters who are in a state of quandary at the time of purchase (voting) might resort to political parties’ action as a reference in deciding whom to vote for. The results of this study provide an important implication for politicians to consider engaging in prosocial and ethical actions to positively influence the perception of undecided voters who seek to reduce risk by siding with political parties they can trust and love.

Similar to other research, this study has a number of limitations which provide the foundation for future research. Possible boundary conditions could impact the relationship between perceived CSR and brand resonance. For instance, some consumers may find CSR personally relevant to them and therefore support the activities of the firm. A consideration of incorporating the ethical self-identity construct in this model will be beneficial in future research. The construct of ethical self-identity moderating the evaluation of brands associated with CSR activities is evident in previous research [63].

The constructs used in the study are not operationalized through multiple scales. The study deems it statistically expedient to resort to simple variables as we are simply interested in evaluating consumers’ judgement of CSR. Future studies might benefit from using multiple methods to test the model. The impact of CSR appears to be diverse in different consumer segments as reported by prior research [64]. Given that this study was conducted in Asia, it may be empirically expedient in the future to conduct a similar study in Western cultures so as to provide a more robust generalization of the study. Future research might also benefit greatly from examining the relative importance of the other aspects of CSR in determining other consumer brand attitudes. For instance, how would a firm’s legal and philanthropic responsibilities differ in determining other brand attitudes? Additionally, the study focused on student samples in South Korea. However, cross-country/cultural differences evoke different CSR expectations [26]. Therefore, in the future, it is undoubtedly conceivable that applying this model using samples other than students and also using samples in other countries might help to validate the model. Another limitation of the study is the sample used. The sample size represents only a fraction of the Korean population; therefore, it is difficult to generalize the findings. Finally, future research will benefit greatly from investigating which aspect of the CSR dimensions relates to consumer wellbeing and how this process works, given the recent growth of interest in consumer wellbeing.