Social Media Influencer Effects on CSR Communication: The Role of Influencer Leadership in Opinion and Taste

Cheng, Y; Hung-Baesecke, CJF; Chen, YRR

Social Media Influencer Effects on CSR Communication: The Role of Influencer Leadership in Opinion and Taste

Cheng, Y Hung-Baesecke, CJF Chen, YRR

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Publisher:: SAGE Publications
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: International Journal of Business Communication, 2022, pp. 232948842110351
Issue Date:: 2022-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Cheng, Y
dc.contributor.author	Hung-Baesecke, CJF
dc.contributor.author	Chen, YRR
dc.date.accessioned	2022-12-05T10:11:29Z
dc.date.available	2022-12-05T10:11:29Z
dc.date.issued	2022-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	International Journal of Business Communication, 2022, pp. 232948842110351
dc.identifier.issn	0021-9436
dc.identifier.issn	2329-4892
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/164134
dc.description.abstract	With the prevalence of social media usage among consumers, brands have increasingly utilized paid social media influencer (SMI) endorsements in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. However, how such practice generates positive consumer responses is not well understood. Drawing from signaling theory, social learning theory, and social identity theory, a structural equation model analysis was conducted to test our hypotheses and proposed model based on the survey data from 592 U.S. consumers. The research results suggest that a brand’s CSR initiatives, when endorsed by SMIs who are perceived as social media leaders in opinion and taste, directly enhance consumers’ CSR communication engagement about the initiatives and do so indirectly via the consumers’ reduced CSR skepticism. Reduced CSR skepticism and enhanced CSR communication engagement ultimately lead to the consumers’ brand loyalty, brand preference, and price premium. The study has implications for CSR advertising/social-mediated communication, SMI leadership, and SMI endorsement effects.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	SAGE Publications
dc.relation.ispartof	International Journal of Business Communication
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/23294884211035112
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1501 Accounting, Auditing and Accountability, 1503 Business and Management, 2001 Communication and Media Studies
dc.subject.classification	Business & Management
dc.title	Social Media Influencer Effects on CSR Communication: The Role of Influencer Leadership in Opinion and Taste
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	1501 Accounting, Auditing and Accountability
utslib.for	1503 Business and Management
utslib.for	2001 Communication and Media Studies
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Public Communication Program
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2022-12-05T10:11:28Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

With the prevalence of social media usage among consumers, brands have increasingly utilized paid social media influencer (SMI) endorsements in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. However, how such practice generates positive consumer responses is not well understood. Drawing from signaling theory, social learning theory, and social identity theory, a structural equation model analysis was conducted to test our hypotheses and proposed model based on the survey data from 592 U.S. consumers. The research results suggest that a brand’s CSR initiatives, when endorsed by SMIs who are perceived as social media leaders in opinion and taste, directly enhance consumers’ CSR communication engagement about the initiatives and do so indirectly via the consumers’ reduced CSR skepticism. Reduced CSR skepticism and enhanced CSR communication engagement ultimately lead to the consumers’ brand loyalty, brand preference, and price premium. The study has implications for CSR advertising/social-mediated communication, SMI leadership, and SMI endorsement effects.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/164134