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Toward an Audience-Centric Framework of Corporate Social Advocacy Strategy: An Exploratory Study of Young Consumers from Generation Z

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  • Ioana A. Coman

    (Department of Public Relations and Strategic Communication Management, College of Media and Communication, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA)

  • Shupei Yuan

    (Department of Communication, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA)

  • Jiun-Yi Tsai

    (School of Communication, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA)

Abstract

Increasingly, business-to-consumer companies engage in corporate social advocacy (CSA) to respond to growing pressures from stakeholders. CSA studies are quickly accumulating, yet in-depth explanations of when and why the public expect companies to take a stance (sometimes even action) on controversial issues remain scarce. To fill these gaps, we unpack how Generation Z audiences expect companies to act on public agendas and their reasoning process through a mixed-method analysis of an exploratory survey ( N = 388) conducted at a public university. The results show major changes in CSA expectations and illuminate the reasoning behind them. The results highlight a critical need to further understand CSA from audience perceptions and inform message design and testing guided by audience-centric models.

Suggested Citation

  • Ioana A. Coman & Shupei Yuan & Jiun-Yi Tsai, 2022. "Toward an Audience-Centric Framework of Corporate Social Advocacy Strategy: An Exploratory Study of Young Consumers from Generation Z," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:4099-:d:783296
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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