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The Role of Identity Salience in the Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Behavior

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Abstract

Based on the assumption that consumers will reward firms for their support of social programs, many organizations have adopted corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Drawing on social identity theory, a model of influence of CSR on loyalty is developed and tested using a sample of real consumers. Results demonstrate that CSR initiatives are linked to stronger loyalty both because the consumer develops a more positive company evaluation, and because one identifies more strongly with the company. Moreover, identity salience is shown to play a crucial role in the influence of CSR initiatives on consumer loyalty when this influence occurs through consumer-company identification. A strong identifier is not necessarily in a constant state of salience, but activating identity salience of a particular consumer social identity (a company) will affect consumer reactions to product stimuli, increasing consumer loyalty.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Marina Ruiz-Corbalan, Maria Marin-Rubio, and two anonymous reviewers for many helpful comments and suggestions. They also thank Fundacion Cajamurcia for its generous support. This research was funded by the grant SEJ2005-09358/ECON from the Spanish Ministry of Science & Technology and FEDER.

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  1. Murcia, 30100, Spain

    Longinos Marin, Salvador Ruiz & Alicia Rubio

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  1. Longinos Marin
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Correspondence to Salvador Ruiz.

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Marin, L., Ruiz, S. & Rubio, A. The Role of Identity Salience in the Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Behavior. J Bus Ethics 84, 65–78 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9673-8

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