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How to Build Consumer Trust: Socially Responsible or Controversial Advertising

Author

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  • Katarzyna Bachnik

    (Hult International Business School, 1355 Sansome St, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA)

  • Robert Nowacki

    (Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Finance and Management, 55 Pawia St, 01-030 Warsaw, Poland)

Abstract

Developing trust in a product, brand or company is a significant part of building a successful consumer-company relationship. Two-way communication is one of the main factors weighing on the level of consumer trust. Advertising as a communication tool that elicits lots of attention and emotions is a big part of the trust building process. Its character—whether socially responsible or controversial sets a tone for the communication and influences the receptiveness of the message. Companies undertake various efforts to make their messages more attractive to recipients and seek new ways to attract customers’ attention. Many companies experiment with unconventional and controversial advertising designs and tones, as it seems that there is some level of social acceptance for original, emotional and shocking marketing messages. This paper aims to analyze this level of the social acceptance in more detail. The study focuses on the following marketing dilemma: Should companies continue to use socially responsible advertising or should they adopt more controversial or even unethical strategies? The managers of 626 enterprises were interviewed to find out the answer. The research compares controversial advertising efforts with consumers’ evaluations of the messages to which they are exposed.

Suggested Citation

  • Katarzyna Bachnik & Robert Nowacki, 2018. "How to Build Consumer Trust: Socially Responsible or Controversial Advertising," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-21, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:7:p:2173-:d:154432
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Aisha Yusuf Mesiya & Muhammad Adnan Bashir & Muhammad Azeem Qureshi & Mukhtar Ahmed Khan, 2020. "The Influence of Adtrust (Trust in Advertising) on Current and Future Purchases of Consumers: A Study of Hair Products in Pakistan," IBT Journal of Business Studies (JBS), Ilma University, Faculty of Management Science, vol. 16(1), pages 30-43.
    2. Efrat, Kalanit & Souchon, Anne L. & Dickenson, Peter & Nemkova, Ekaterina, 2021. "Chutzpadik advertising and its effectiveness: Four studies of agencies and audiences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 601-613.
    3. Constantinos Nicolaou, 2022. "Generations and Branded Content from and through the Internet and Social Media: Modern Communication Strategic Techniques and Practices for Brand Sustainability—The Greek Case Study of LACTA Chocolate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-28, December.
    4. Yuan-Shuh Lii & May-Ching Ding & Chih-Huang Lin, 2018. "Fair or Unfair: The Moderating Effect of Sustainable CSR Practices on Anticipatory Justice Following Service Failure Recovery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, December.
    5. Beata Zatwarnicka-Madura & Robert Nowacki & Iwona Wojciechowska, 2022. "Influencer Marketing as a Tool in Modern Communication—Possibilities of Use in Green Energy Promotion amongst Poland’s Generation Z," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-22, September.
    6. Aisha Yusuf Mesiya & Muhammad Adnan Bashir & Muhammad Azeem Qureshi & Mukhtar Ahmed Khan, 2020. "The Influence of Adtrust (Trust in Advertising) on Current and Future Purchases of Consumers: A Study of Hair Products in Pakistan," IBT Journal of Business Studies (JBS), Ilma University, Faculty of Management Science, vol. 16(1), pages 16-13.
    7. Marcela Korenkova & Milan Maros & Michal Levicky & Milan Fila, 2020. "Consumer Perception of Modern and Traditional Forms of Advertising," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-25, November.

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