Sustainability Communications and Corporate Brand Associations

Abstract

Executives are increasingly opting to undertake initiatives intended to benefit the natural environment (E), society (S), and/or corporate governance (G); however, the implications of the various messaging vehicles used to convey such corporate sustainability activities on the buying public’s perceptions about the company are not fully understood. This article addresses this knowledge gap by explicating how select paid, owned, and earned ESG communications can impact brand perceptions about the selling firm. Specifically, we advance research propositions grounded in the marketing communications literature regarding the impact of firm-and stakeholder-generated ESG communications on a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes that can augment collective corporate brand associations. Furthermore, we describe interesting research opportunities regarding the synergy between firm-generated communications (FGC) and stakeholder-generated communications (SGC) in shaping buyers’ perceptions about the selling firm.