Brand attachment importance to corporate social responsibility causes adherence

Abstract

This study examines the joint effect of brand-cause congruence, brand attachment, and attitude toward corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the intention of consumers to adhere to causes sponsored by a brand. The results of two experiments suggest that when consumer attitude toward such causes is less positive and attachment to the brand is low, the intention to adhere to a CSR cause is greater when the brand is congruent to the cause than when it is incongruent; if consumer brand attachment is high, the intention to adhere to the cause is the same, regardless of brand-cause congruence. On the other hand, if consumer attitude toward the cause is more positive, brand attachment does not moderate the effect of brand-cause congruence on the intention to adhere to the cause. The perception of persuasive intent mediates the influence of brand-cause congruence on the intention to adhere for consumers with low brand attachment, but not for those with high brand attachment.