Consumers’ proneness to value corporate social responsibility as predictor of extra-role and intra-role behaviors

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the perceived importance of economic, ethical/legal and philanthropic dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) can influence the consumer–brand identification (CBI) and the brand identity attractiveness (BI). Moreover, the paper examines how these constructs affect the in-role behaviors (purchasing intention), the extra-role behaviors (feedback, recommendation and word-of-mouth (WOM) and behavioral loyalty. Design/methodology/approach - An online questionnaire collects data using a snow ball/convenience sampling method, obtained in 356 valid responses. The paper adopts both path analysis and structural equation modeling approaches. Findings - The importance of CSR is positively correlated with perceived BI and is a significant predictor of loyalty. However, the results do not support the hypothesis that the CSR influences CBI. Research limitations/implications - This study proposes a new model describing the antecedents and consequences of buying decision-making. Practical implications - Consumers may want to reward those brands that direct part of their budgets to social causes or are truly concerned with the general well-being of society. Social implications - The findings confirmed that social responsibility initiatives will improve the corporate image and reputation thus fostering the development of a sense of identification moderated by brand familiarity. Originality/value - The major contribution of this paper relies on the proposed conceptual model that provides a holistic approach to the buying decision process, thus facilitating a deeper comprehension of the role of brand’s CSR practices, in particular in self-expression and emotional categories such as perfumes.