Research Article

CSR Communication and Purchase Vision

1–15
© 2023 MDI
Intentions: Analysing the Dynamic Article reuse guidelines:
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Consumer Psychology Process DOI: 10.1177/09722629231197289

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Maroof Ahmad Mir1 and Anubhuti Dwivedi2

Abstract
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives undertaken by a business are significant not only in complying with the legal require-
ments of the State but also as a strategic tool for brand building. There is evidence in literature of customers being influenced by the
CSR commitment of the organization manifested through various channels. This article investigates the role of CSR communication in
a psychological dynamics framework using 3E model of brand admiration in generating enrichment benefits for consumers leading to
brand respect followed by brand admiration and purchase intentions. Serial mediation effects of enrichment benefits and brand respect
on the relation of CSR communication with brand admiration along with the mediating effect of brand admiration on purchase inten-
tions have been examined with partial least square structural equation modelling using data collected from a customer survey of FMCG
brands in India. Results indicate that CSR communication on social media has a significant positive effect on brand respect which fully
mediates the relationship between CSR communication and brand admiration. Brand admiration mediates the relationship between
brand respect and purchase intentions. Findings have important implications for businesses regarding the role of CSR communication
as a strategic tool for brand building.

Key Words
Enrichment Benefits, CSR Communication, 3E Framework, Brand Respect, Brand Admiration

Introduction CSR communication has gained greater significance with

social media becoming prevalent (Beig & Khan, 2018; Boyd
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been gaining et al., 2016; Chu et al., 2020; Furlow, 2011; Gupta et al.,
importance worldwide as an organizational phenomenon 2021b; Sreejesh et al., 2019). Social media is considered to
but there is more to CSR than just the organizational aspect. be a medium which offers a wide reach (Curley &
The customers or clients of the organizations practicing Noormohamed, 2014; Du & Vieira, 2012; Dutot et al., 2016)
CSR are also the stakeholders who can positively be influ- along with effective technology-based targeting of custom-
enced with the CSR practices of an organization by way of ers (De Keyzer et al., 2019; Harrigan et al., 2017; Yang et al.,
the psychological effect it can have for the enhancement of 2020) and CSR communication on social media has multidi-
self-identity and self-esteem of the consumers. CSR has mensional effects in terms of its propagation and endorse-
been at the core of several studies that exhibited the impact ment (Fernández et al., 2022). CSR communication on
which such organizational initiatives have on the positive social media has been shown to generate positive consumer
behavioural and cognitive response from consumers responses (Ahmad et al., 2021; Fatma et al., 2020; Loureiro
(Baskentli et al., 2019; Brown & Dacin, 1997; Creyer & & Lopes, 2019; Saxton et al., 2019; Wang & Huang, 2018)
Ross, 1997; Du et al., 2010; Ellen et al., 2000; Murray & and a significant positive effect on brand perception
Vogel, 1997; Ozhan et al., 2022; Sen & Bhattacharya, (Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2016; Shankar & Yadav, 2021)
2001; Sen et al., 2016; Tan & Rasoolimanesh, 2022; Xie and purchase intentions (Cheng et al., 2021; Gupta et al.,
et al., 2019). But the existing literature has not focussed on 2021a; Mohammed & Al-Swidi, 2019; Rohit et al., 2022).
the dynamic process of consumer psychology which plays This article investigates the role played by CSR com-
the role in effecting consumer purchase intentions as a munication as a strategic tool for generating enrichment
result of CSR communication by the brands. benefits for the consumers which in turn leads to brand

1 Asian Business School, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

2 EdMaestro Private Limited, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India

Corresponding author:
Anubhuti Dwivedi, EdMaestro Private Limited, 15, Shipra Vihar, Ganga Nagar, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh 250001, India.
E-mail: [email protected]
2 Vision

respect followed by brand admiration and purchase inten- psychology process leading to increased purchase inten-
tions among consumers. The dynamics of consumer psy- tions for the brand. The study integrates the psychological
chology operating behind the effect of CSR communication concepts of respect and admiration with the literature on
on purchase intentions has been analysed using the 3E the effects of CSR initiatives on the consumers when those
framework of brand admiration (Park et al., 2016). The initiatives are communicated strategically through social
mediation effects of enrichment benefits on the relation- media. The analysis of this dynamics has implications for
ship between CSR communication and brand respect, targeted CSR communication through which consumer
mediating role of brand respect on the relationship between perceptions can be positively influenced in a more effec-
CSR communication and brand admiration and the mediat- tive manner to garner positive brand perception that leads
ing role of brand admiration in the relationship between to higher consumer demand for the brand. In this way the
brand respect and consumer purchase intentions have been study is novel in bringing together the aspects of CSR, stra-
examined with partial least square structural equation mod- tegic communication and consumer psychology process
elling (PLS-SEM) using data collected from survey of con- into an integrated framework which operates simultane-
sumers of FMCG brands in India. FMCG sector in India is ously in building an admired brand through brand respect.
one of the sectors which has the largest customer base It also highlights that CSR initiatives evoke brand respect
(Joshi & Yadav, 2017) and the major corporate players in which has not been discussed in the existing literature
the sector such as Godrej Consumer Products, ITC, which has majorly focussed on brand love rather than
Hindustan Unilever, Marico, Tata Consumer Products, respect.
Nestle and Coca Cola feature in India’s top 100 companies
for CSR and sustainability as per Futurescape Responsible
Theoretical Framework and
Business Rankings 2021 (Majumdar & Rana, 2021).
FMCG firms are also known to be highly active in social Hypotheses
media communication. Therefore, this sector was consid- The study employs the 3E model of brand admiration (Park
ered appropriate for the study of the role of CSR communi- et al., 2016) as the theoretical framework to study the effect
cation on social media in affecting purchase intentions of of CSR communication on social media on consumer psy-
the consumers. chology process which leads to brand admiration. The brand
Literature on effects of CSR has been focussed more on admiration model proposes that the admiration of consumers
aspects of financial performance (Cochran & Wood, 1984; for the brand leads to the creation of value of brand to the
Okafor et al., 2021; Oware, & Mallikarjunappa, 2023; companies and, thus, generating and leveraging brand admi-
Rhou et al., 2016), and effect on employee perspective ration is an essential element of branding. Grounded in the
(Chaudhary, 2017; Duthler & Dhanesh, 2018; Ferreira & consumer psychology concepts, the 3E model proposes
Real de Oliveira, 2014; Gujrati, 2023; Jain et al., 2021; three crucial benefits for customers that emanate from
Jiang & Luo, 2020) with fewer studies covering the effect admired brands, namely the enabling benefits, enticing ben-
of CSR on branding (He & Li, 2011; Khan & Fatma, 2019; efits and the enrichment benefits called the 3Es which sig-
Lai et al., 2010; Pratihari & Uzma, 2018). The effect of nificantly strengthen the customer–brand relationship by
CSR communication on consumer purchase intentions has building brand trust, brand love and brand respect, respec-
been studied even less with very few studies grounded in tively. The trust, love and respect for the brand combine to
consumer psychology on the effect of CSR on a brand’s create brand admiration. Brand admiration model is highly
consumer purchase intentions mediated by variables like appreciated in terms of its insights and practical implications
brand respect and brand admiration. Even the studies that for brand building and resultant benefits in terms of brand
have taken the effect of CSR communication on brand value (Jun et al., 2023).
admiration into consideration (Gupta et al., 2021b) have Enrichment benefits proposed as the third ‘E’ in the 3E
not examined the complete dynamics from generation of model of brand admiration are closely linked with the self-
perceived enrichment benefits by the CSR communication identity and self-esteem of the consumers. CSR initiatives,
and the resulting brand respect eventually leading to brand if communicated well to the consumers, can generate
admiration which is expected to have a positive effect on enrichment benefits which arise from the connectedness
purchase intention. The present study is an attempt to fill that consumers feel as individuals to a cause and initiatives
this gap in the existing literature and aims to contribute to being taken by the brand for that cause and result in garner-
the body of knowledge in CSR research by presenting an ing respect and admiration for the brand. In psychology
analysis of the effects arising from CSR communication in theory, great emphasis is put on group status which refers
terms of psychological perceptions which lead to brand to the extent to which an individual is respected and
respect, brand admiration and finally purchase intention. admired by others in their social groups (Anderson &
The present study contributes to the literature on CSR as Kilduff, 2009).
well as strategic communication for brand building by pro- Respect and admiration have been differentiated in psy-
viding insights into the effect that CSR communication on chological literature (Khalil, 1996) and therefore need to
social media has on the various dimensions of consumer be investigated as separate variables. Brand respect is
Mir and Dwivedi 3

expressed in the customers looking up to the brand and Richins (1994) elaborates on four different types of values
having a high regard for it which makes them commend the that a brand creates for its customers and the enriching ben-
brand as they feel it reflects their beliefs, hopes and aspira- efits are linked to the fourth type referred to as identity and
tions as individuals (Jahanvi & Sharma, 2021) while brand self-expression. CSR efforts by a brand when communi-
admiration is generated through brand trust, brand love and cated to its customers reinforces their sense of self by a
brand respect acting together (Park et al., 2016). way of expression to their personal values leading to
The process of decision-making in consumers is influ- enrichment benefits. Enriching benefits thus have a strong
enced significantly by their emotions (Maxian et al., 2013; influence on the attachment relationship of a customer with
Pawle & Cooper, 2006; Song et al., 2019), and therefore, the brand due to their association with a consumer’s self-
the emotions triggered by brand respect and brand admira- identity (Johnson et al., 2011; Park et al., 2013). Therefore,
tion are expected to have an influence on the brand pur- enrichment benefits are expected to mediate the relation-
chase intentions of the consumers. Psychological consumer ship between CSR communication and brand respect.
empowerment is suggested to be a significant mediator in
the relationship between CSR communication and pur- H2a: Perceived enrichment benefits mediate the rela-
chase behaviour (Fernández et al., 2022). tionship between CSR communication and brand
Enriching benefits, as postulated by the 3E framework, respect.
arise when the customers feel that their beliefs, values and
hopes are being shared and reflected by the brand. In the Brand respect is one of the most significant factors leading
context of this study, when a brand communicates CSR ini- to brand admiration as postulated in the 3E framework of
tiatives on social media, it creates enrichment benefits for brand admiration. People tend to respect the brand which
the consumers as they become aware of the initiatives they recognize for its values and social responsibility and, by
being taken by the brand, the products of which they are extension, the customer using that brand is also respected
consuming and feel that their values and sense of self are (Aaker, 2004). The feeling of being influential and unique in
being resonated by the brand (Han et al., 2018). Enrichment creating a better future through the CSR efforts being under-
benefits are also perceived if the customer feels connected taken by the brand which a consumer patronizes, along with
to others in the society through the brand or assumes a the connectedness to the brand, are expected to lead to higher
unique status by being the customer of a brand which is brand respect and subsequently brand admiration (Park
giving back to the society through its CSR efforts. When et al., 2016) when the customer comes across CSR commu-
the customer feels connected with the purposes for which nication by the brand on social media.
CSR efforts are being undertaken by a brand, they respond
favourably to the brand (Barbarossa et al., 2022). If the H3: Brand respect has a positive influence on brand
customers believe that CSR efforts being undertaken by admiration.
the company are significant in bringing the desired change
for the future of the community, they are expected to per- Enriching benefits are suggested to be creating a high
ceive the enriching benefits from the CSR communication impact on brand admiration through their impact on brand
made by the brand on social media. Thus, the following respect (Park et al., 2013). It has been confirmed in various
hypothesis has been formulated for the study: sociological and psychological studies that respect is the
foundation of a strong and lasting inter-relationship
H1: CSR communication has a positive effect on per- between consumers and a brand (Han et al., 2020; Jahanvi
ceived enrichment benefits. & Sharma, 2021). This leads to the following hypotheses
related to the role of brand respect:
The enrichment benefits arising from CSR communication
are expected to lead to brand respect due to the connected- H3a: Brand respect mediates the relationship between
ness factor which exists between the customer and the perceived enrichment benefits and brand
brand undertaking such as CSR initiatives which the cus- admiration.
tomer values (Jahanvi & Sharma, 2021). The perceived H3b: Brand respect mediates the relationship between
enrichment benefits associated with the awareness of CSR CSR communication and brand admiration.
efforts being undertaken by the brand which the customers H3c: Positive serial mediation effect of enrichment ben-
buy, lead to the feelings of pride, validation, connected- efits and brand respect exists between CSR com-
ness, inspiration and of being influential which evoke munication and brand admiration.
brand respect (Park et al., 2016). Therefore, following the
3E framework of brand admiration, the following hypoth- CSR communication is also expected to exert a significant
esis has been formulated: influence on brand respect that acts as a mediator in affect-
ing consumer intentions (Han et al., 2019). Research shows
H2: 
Perceived enrichment benefits have a positive evidence of individuals manifesting self-value to the group
influence on brand respect. for attaining status (Berger et al., 1972). A person may
4 Vision

achieve a higher status if he or she appears to be having in the relationship between CSR communication and pur-
relatively greater competence than others (Anderson & chase intentions based on the consumer psychology pro-
Kilduff, 2009), or by placing the interests of the group cess as proposed in the 3E model of brand admiration (Park
before their individual interests (Flynn et al., 2006). et al., 2016) and grounded in various psychological studies
Interdependence and social responsiveness are valued by done in the area of respect and admiration focussed on their
people and lead to a positive social response among people role in consumer–business relationships (Johnson et al.,
(Kraus & Stephens, 2012). This psychology of consumers 2011; Park et al., 2013; Richins, 1994).
can influence their perception of brand image (Kervyn
et al., 2022) and make the customers respect and admire H10: There is a significant serial mediation effect of
the brands which they perceive to be making greater efforts enrichment benefits, brand respect and brand
in CSR arena. Also, the CSR communication which builds admiration between CSR communication and pur-
consumer perception about the organizational CSR initia- chase intentions.
tives can lead directly to brand admiration (Beauchamp &
O’Connor, 2012; Gupta et al., 2021a) providing rationale
for the following hypotheses: Methodology
Sample
H4: CSR communication influences brand respect
positively. The sample for the study was drawn through purposive
H5: CSR communication influences brand admiration sampling technique and comprises of customers of FMCG
in a positive manner. brands in India who are active on social media. The data
H6: Brand respect has a positive impact on purchase were collected through an online survey circulated through
intentions. social media platforms to gather responses from customers
H6a: Brand respect mediates the relationship between who actively engage in social media communication in
CSR communication and purchase intentions. order to get genuine responses regarding their perceptions
of CSR communication made by the FMCG companies of
Positive consumer reaction to CSR efforts of brands has which they are the customers. The survey was also posted
been well documented in literature and its effect on pur- on the official pages of the FMCG brands in comments
chase intentions has been established in various studies section of the posts and in the social media groups follow-
(Cheng et al., 2021; Eastman et al., 2019; Gupta & Wadera, ing various FMCG brands in India at weekly interval for a
2021; Jufri et al., 2022; Rathore et al., 2022), thus provid- period of three months.
ing rationale for the following hypothesis: To determine the sample size for the study, power analy-
sis was conducted using the G*Power software (Faul et al.,
H7: CSR communication has a positive effect on pur- 2009). At a significance level of 0.05 and power of 0.95,
chase intentions. the required minimum sample size was of 218. Finally, 242
complete responses received were analysed for the study
Brand admiration is postulated to have a significant direct which were greater than the minimum requirement and
effect on purchase intentions (Trivedi & Sama, 2020) and hence adequate for running the model. Sample demograph-
it is expected to play a significant mediator from CSR com- ics have been presented in Table 1.
munication to purchase intentions of the consumers (Gupta
et al., 2021a). As brand respect leads to brand admiration Measurement Instrument
(Park et al., 2016) and is also expected to have an associa-
tion with the positive consumer reactions in terms of pur- The instrument started with two screening questions, fol-
chase intentions and brand loyalty (Jahanvi & Sharma, lowed by three questions on demographic variables and 17
2021), brand admiration is expected to mediate the rela- items measured on a 5-point Likert scale with anchors
tionship of respect to purchase intentions. Hence, the ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The
hypotheses have been formulated to be tested as under: first screening question aimed at verifying that respondent
was a customer of one or more FMCG brands existing in
H8: Brand admiration affects consumer purchase inten- India and the next screening question aimed at determining
tions positively. whether the respondent was active on social media. The
H8a: Brand admiration is a mediator in the relationship qualified respondents after the screening were then contin-
of brand respect and purchase intentions. ued to the next section for providing their response to the
H9: Brand admiration mediates the relationship of CSR demographics related questions and their agreement level
communication to purchase intentions to the further Likert scale statements in the instrument.
The items related to enrichment benefits (ENRB), brand
Finally, the study hypothesizes the serial mediation effect respect (BRES) and brand admiration (BADM) were
of enrichment benefits, brand respect and brand admiration developed based on the 3E framework of brand admiration
Mir and Dwivedi 5

Table 1. Sample Demographics.

Demographic Characteristic Frequency Percentage Cumulative Percentage

Gender
Male 146 60.33 60.33
Female 96 39.66 100
Age group (Years)
18–25 98 40.50 40.50
26–40 86 35.54 76.04
41–55 51 21.07 97.11
Above 55 7 2.89 100
Income (`)
Below 5 lacs 66 27.27 27.27
5–10 lacs 118 48.76 76.03
Above 10 lacs 58 23.97 100

(Park et al., 2016) and adapted for CSR communication the brand, their degree of following these activities on
context. A preliminary pool of statements for the instru- social media and engaging with the communication
ment was generated using concept description and sample through likes, comments or shares. Purchase Intentions
measurement items suggested by Park et al. (2016) for the were measured using three items as suggested by Kang and
three variables. Initial five items generated for enrichment Hustvedt (2013) measuring the degree of agreement of the
benefits asked the respondents to express their degree of consumer regarding positive inclinations for purchasing
agreement to the statements mentioning that they feel (a) products of the brand for which they come across CSR
that the brand shares their beliefs and principles, (b) con- efforts communication through social media. The final
nected to others in society, (c) that the brand helps them instrument was tested for reliability and validity of the con-
express their identity, (d) the brand gives them a unique structs by collecting a separate set of data from 242
status and makes them proud and (e) influential and vali- respondents as described in the preceding section.
dated, when they read about the brand’s CSR initiatives
on social media. The five items for brand respect asked
Data Analysis
the respondents to express their degree of agreement to
the statements mentioning that they (a) feel inspired by the This study employed PLS-SEM to analyse the relationship
brand, (b) hold the brand in high esteem, (c) look up to the between CSR communication and purchase intentions with
brand , (d) feel great respect for the brand and (e) commend perceived enrichment benefits, brand respect and brand
the brand for its values, when they come across the brand’s admiration as mediators in the model. PLS-SEM is a non-
CSR initiatives on social media. Four items were initially parametric technique and therefore does not require the
generated for brand admiration asking the respondents to multivariate normality assumption to be met. The data were
express their degree of agreement to the statements men- examined for multivariate normality through WebPower
tioning that they (a) feel personally connected to the brand, analysis tool (Zhang & Yuan, 2018) and Mardia’s multivari-
(b) feel the brand is part of them and who they are, (c) ate skewness and kurtosis measures were found to be signifi-
thoughts towards the brand come to their mind effortlessly, cant indicating non-normality and therefore covariance-
(d) thoughts towards the brand come to their mind instantly based SEM (CB-SEM) would not be appropriate for the
and (e) thoughts towards the brand come to their mind nat- analysis. Another major reason for adopting PLS-SEM
urally. Data were collected by circulating the initial instru- instead of CB-SEM was the greater predictive relevance
ment online to a convenience sample of 146 respondents offered by PLS-SEM as a technique (Hair et al., 2019). As
through social media platforms and an exploratory factor this study aims at predicting the effect of CSR communica-
analysis using principal component analysis with Varimax tion for strategic purpose of brand building and enhancing
rotation was conducted on these data. All the items loaded brand purchase intentions among consumers, it was found
on their respective constructs as expected with a loading useful to apply PLS-SEM which can give a measure for out
between 0.61 and 0.93 except the fifth item of enrichment of sample predictive power through PLSPredict procedure
benefits, and the second and third items of brand admira- which is helpful in taking managerial decisions. As the
tion which were dropped from the final instrument as their model consisted of all reflective constructs, therefore, con-
loadings on the factor were below 0.4. sistent PLS (PLSc) algorithm was run in SmartPLS 4 soft-
Three items were used to measure the engagement of ware (Ringle et al., 2022) to estimate the model. PLSc
customers in CSR communication on social media follow- applies a correction factor for estimating consistent construct
ing van Asperen et al. (2018). These measures related to correlations and indicator loadings in case of a common fac-
the familiarity of customers with social media activities of tor model being in place (Dijkstra & Henseler, 2015).
6 Vision

Results loadings have a value of 0.707 or above (Chin, 2010; Hair

et al., 2019). Reliability of the constructs was examined by
Common Method Bias calculating composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha
Before estimating the model, the data were checked for with former being a liberal measure and latter a conserva-
common method bias (CMB). CMB may exist in researches tive one. The actual reliability of a construct falls within
where variables are latent and measured through instruments these two and is represented by Rho A (ρA) as suggested
on similar type of scales. Common method variance occurs by Dijkstra and Henseler (2015). The above measures fall-
when a bias exists due to the method of measurement used in ing between 0.70 and 0.95 are recommended for establish-
research and not by the structural relationships in the model. ing the reliability of constructs (Hair et al., 2022). A con-
This type of bias can occur because of various reasons such struct’s convergent validity is established by its average
as the effect of general instructions in the beginning of variance extracted (AVE) being above 0.5 (Hair et al.,
instrument in influencing different people to give response 2010) as this indicates the variation of the measured items
in a similar direction reflecting social desirability, thus lead- being more than 50% explained by the construct.
ing to a shared common variance among the various items Discriminant validity of a construct refers to the degree
(Kock, 2015). As this study employed a 5-point Likert scale by which it is empirically distinct relative to other latent
to measure the variables, full collinearity assessment was variables in the structural model. Heterotrait–Monotrait
conducted to rule out the presence of CMB in the data. (HTMT) ratio was suggested to be better in comparison to
According to full collinearity approach, inner VIF values of Fornell–Larcker criterion (Fornell & Larcker, 1981) for
the constructs are tested against a random endogenous vari- examining the discriminant validity of constructs (Henseler
able and any value coming above 3.3 indicates problem of et al., 2015); therefore, the data were analysed for discrimi-
CMB (Kock & Lynn, 2012). As none of the inner VIFs for nant validity using HTMT criterion. HTMT values less
the variables under study exceeded 3.3, it implies that the than 0.85 for conceptually distinct constructs establishes
problem of CMB does not exist (Kock, 2015). discriminant validity. Bootstrapping was run to infer the
significance of HTMT value being different from 1.00.
Assessment of reliability and convergent validity meas-
Measurement Model Assessment ures are given in Table 2, and Table 3 demonstrates the
The measurement model assessment involves the examina- discriminant validity assessment with HTMT criterion.
tion of the indicator reliability and the internal consistency Results indicate that the reliability and validity of all the
reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity of constructs in the model is established as per the recom-
the constructs. Indicator reliability is established if the item mended criteria.

Table 2. Reliability and Validity.

Factor Cronbach’s Composite Average Variance

Construct Loadings Alpha tA Reliability Extracted
CSR communication 0.799 0.806 0.801 0.575
CSRC1 0.714
CSRC2 0.829
CSRC3 0.727
Enrichment benefits 0.909 0.909 0.909 0.713
ENRB1 0.879
ENRB2 0.826
ENRB3 0.858
ENRB4 0.815
Brand respect 0.915 0.916 0.915 0.682
BRES1 0.875
BRES2 0.815
BRES3 0.813
BRES4 0.760
BRES5 0.861
Brand admiration 0.890 0.891 0.890 0.802
BADM1 0.878
BADM2 0.913
Purchase intention 0.917 0.918 0.918 0.788
PINT1 0.860
PINT2 0.886
PINT3 0.916
Mir and Dwivedi 7

Table 3. HTMT Criterion for Discriminant Validity.

BADM BRES CSRC ENRB PINT

Brand admiration (BADM)
Brand respect (BRES) 0.823
(0.751, 0.881)
CSR communication (CSRC) 0.571 0.763
(0.455, 0.673) (0.683, 0.827)
Enrichment benefits (ENRB) 0.626 0.814 0.853
(0.521, 0.717) (0.733, 0.875) (0.793, 0.904)
Purchase intention (PINT) 0.776 0.825 0.677 0.683
(0.702, 0.838) (0.764, 0.880) (0.595, 0.752) (0.590, 0.761)
Note: 5% and 95% bias corrected confidence intervals in parentheses.

Table 4. Explanatory Power and Model Fit.

Explanatory Power: R2
R2 R2 Adjusted
Brand admiration (BADM) 0.690 0.686
Brand respect (BRES) 0.681 0.678
Enrichment benefits (ENRB) 0.729 0.728
Purchase intention (PINT) 0.721 0.717
Effect size: f2
BADM BRES CSRC ENRB PINT
Brand admiration (BADM) 0.155
Brand respect (BRES) 0.943 0.176
CSR communication (CSRC) 0.009 0.050 2.695 0.035
Enrichment benefits (ENRB) 0.003 0.363
Purchase intention (PINT)
Model fit
SRMR 0.036

Structural Model Assessment suggested by Cohen (1988, 1992), the effect sizes of 0.02,
0.15 and 0.35 are treated to be small, medium and large,
As the first step in structural model analysis, the inner VIF respectively. CSR communication demonstrates a large
values were examined to rule out any major multicollinear- effect on enrichment benefits which subsequently demon-
ity issues and all inner VIF values were found to be below strate a large effect size on brand respect. Brand respect
5, thus ruling out any serious multicollinearity issue among exhibits a large effect on brand admiration while both
the variables in the model (Hair et al., 2019; James et al., brand respect and brand admiration exhibit medium effect
2013). Model was assessed for explanatory power through on purchase intentions.
coefficient of determination (R2), and the path coefficients Hypotheses were tested by running the model in
were calculated followed by significance tests being done SmartPLS 4 software using consistent PLS algorithm.
through bootstrapping procedure for the assessment of Bootstrapping was run using 5,000 subsamples to test the
structural relationships. Effect size (f2) of individual pre- significance of the coefficients. Table 5 presents the struc-
dictor constructs was also calculated. Model fit assessment tural model results for direct, indirect and total effects and
in PLS-SEM is recommended to be done through the stan- Figure 1 shows the model estimation results. All the direct
dardized root mean square residual (SRMR) value path coefficients were found to be significant except the
(Henseler et al., 2014) with SRMR value below 0.08 indi- path coefficients of CSR communication to brand admira-
cating a satisfactory model fit (Hu & Bentler, 1998). tion and that of enrichment benefits to brand admiration.
Table 4 presents the results of explanatory power and The path coefficient of CSR communication to purchase
model fit for the estimated model. Results demonstrate a intentions was found to be significant at 10% but not at 5%
high explanatory power with R2 values above 0.68 for all level of significance. Therefore, hypotheses H1, H2, H3, H4,
endogenous variables. The f2 value refers to the effect size H6, H8 and H10 stand supported but H5, H7 and H9 are not
of the independent variables on the dependent ones. As supported.
8 Vision

Table 5. Structural Model Results.

Confidence Interval
(Bias Corrected)
Path Coefficient T-statistic P values 5% 95% Inference
CSRC ® ENRB 0.854 26.137 0.000 0.795 0.904 H1 supported
ENRB ® BRES 0.608 4.609 0.000 0.381 0.808 H2 supported
CSRC ® ENRB ® BRES 0.519 4.440 0.000 0.333 0.712 H2a supported
BRES ® BADM 0.957 8.798 0.000 0.795 1.137 H3 supported
ENRB ® BRES® BADM 0.581 3.846 0.000 0.351 0.839 H3a supported
CSRC® BRES® BADM 0.233 1.754 0.040 0.019 0.447 H3b supported
CSRC ® ENRB ® BRES ® BADM 0.496 3.744 0.000 0.299 0.719 H3c supported
CSRC ® BRES 0.243 1.868 0.031 0.027 0.449 H4 supported
CSRC ® BADM −0.104 0.595 0.276 −0.386 0.190 H5 not supported
BRES ® PINT 0.444 2.481 0.007 0.141 0.722 H6 supported
CSRC ® BRES ® PINT 0.108 1.808 0.034 0.022 0.292 H6a supported
CSRC ® PINT 0.155 1.461 0.072 −0.019 0.326 H7 not supported
BADM ® PINT 0.321 2.531 0.006 0.129 0.538 H8 supported
BRES ® BADM ® PINT 0.307 2.170 0.015 0.116 0.558 H8a supported
CSRC ® BADM ® PINT −0.033 0.508 0.306 −0.163 0.048 H9 not supported
CSRC® ENRB® BRES® BADM ® PINT 0.159 1.858 0.032 0.056 0.333 H10 supported

Figure 1. Model Estimation Results.

To test the mediation effects, procedure laid down by were found to be significant establishing the dynamics of
Zhao et al. (2010) was followed. The specific indirect the process through which CSR communication on social
effects were examined for the significance and compared media can influence purchase intentions of the consumers
with the direct effect between corresponding variables. for the brand through the generation of enrichment benefits
Total indirect effects were examined for significance to leading to brand respect and brand admiration.
assess the joint mediation effects in case of serial media- The specific indirect effects of CSR communication to
tion and parallel mediation relationships as hypothesized in enrichment benefits to brand respect and that of enrich-
the model. All total indirect effects as well as total effects ment benefits to brand respect to brand admiration are
Mir and Dwivedi 9

significant and in the same direction as the direct effects Conclusion

between the corresponding variables, thus the mediation
relationships hypothesized in H2a, and H3a, H3b and H3c are Discussion
established as partial complementary mediation. Also, the The article aimed to analyse the complete dynamic psycho-
direct effect of CSR communication to brand admiration is logical process of the effect which CSR communication on
insignificant while specific indirect effect through brand social media exerts on the purchase intentions of the con-
respect is significant which shows that brand respect fully sumers. The whole dynamics built on consumer psychol-
mediates the relationship between CSR communication ogy is initiated with the perceived enrichment benefits
and brand admiration. Similarly, the specific indirect effect leading to brand respect which further leads to brand admi-
from CSR communication to brand respect to purchase ration and finally purchase intentions. The results of this
intention and that from brand respect to brand admiration study manifest a significant conclusion in terms of this
to purchase intention when compared with the direct effects dynamics by bringing out the actual mechanism through
also establishes the mediation relationships hypothesized which CSR communication influences purchase inten-
in H6a and H8a as partial complementary mediation. tions. The relative strength of relationship between CSR
communication with enrichment benefits is found to be
PLSpredict stronger as compared to the direct relationship of CSR
communication with brand respect confirming the signifi-
Further, the out of sample predictive power of the model was cant role which enrichment benefits play in the process.
analysed using the Q2 values and prediction errors obtained This is even more compelling to note that the direct rela-
from the PLSpredict procedure in SmartPLS 4. Out of tionship between CSR communication and brand admira-
sample prediction through PLSpredict is considered to be a tion was insignificant, thus providing an important and
major advantage of using PLS-SEM-based causal-predictive interesting insight on the mediation effect of enrichment
models (Chin et al. 2020). PLSpredict results are presented benefits and brand respect in generating brand admiration
in Table 6. The comparison of prediction errors of the through CSR communication.
PLS-SEM model used for the study with a naïve benchmark Similarly, the effects of enrichment benefits on brand
linear model also shows that the PLS model has lower errors respect and of brand respect on brand admiration are stronger
for all measured variables indicating the high predictive than the direct effect of CSR communication on brand
power of the model and Q2 values for all the measured as respect. These results elucidate the importance of enrich-
well as latent variables are above zero confirming the out of ment benefits and brand respect as serial mediators in the
sample predictive power of the model (Shmueli et al., 2016). consumer psychology process and support the 3E

Table 6. PLSPredict Results.

Prediction Error Comparison

Measured Variable Q² Predict PLS-SEM RMSE PLS-SEM MAE LM RMSE LM MAE
BADM1 0.178 0.980 0.765 0.986 0.774
BADM2 0.226 0.905 0.717 0.913 0.721
BRES1 0.383 0.811 0.624 0.818 0.619
BRES2 0.277 0.889 0.686 0.897 0.695
BRES3 0.330 0.853 0.659 0.861 0.665
BRES4 0.272 0.899 0.700 0.907 0.710
BRES5 0.299 0.881 0.702 0.883 0.704
ENRB1 0.459 0.727 0.570 0.729 0.571
ENRB2 0.393 0.795 0.601 0.796 0.608
ENRB3 0.434 0.790 0.601 0.791 0.602
ENRB4 0.368 0.868 0.672 0.869 0.673
PINT1 0.260 0.946 0.719 0.954 0.730
PINT2 0.272 0.904 0.709 0.912 0.716
PINT3 0.320 0.859 0.668 0.861 0.670
Latent variable Q2
BADM 0.227
BRES 0.423
ENRB 0.530
PINT 0.533
10 Vision

framework (Park et al., 2016) proposition. Findings have serial mediation effects of enrichment benefits and brand
significant implications for communication and branding respect in generating brand admiration.
strategists to devise communication campaigns for CSR ini-
tiatives with a targeted approach of resonating with the
beliefs and values of the customers so as to induce brand
Practical Implications
respect (Jahanvi & Sharma, 2021) through generation of The findings are also of significant practical value for brand-
enrichment benefits. Finally, the findings confirm the posi- ing and communication strategists as well as CSR practitio-
tive effect of brand admiration on purchase intentions which ners who need to emphasize on effectively communicating
is in line with existing literature (Gupta et al., 2021a,b). CSR efforts for positive outcomes (Chaudhri, 2016). First, it
This article has attempted to fill a significant gap in is interesting to note that CSR communication in itself does
CSR and branding literature by examining the effect of not lead to brand admiration directly. The association is
CSR communication on purchase intentions with mediat- established with the full mediation of brand respect.
ing role of enrichment benefits, brand respect and brand Consumers feel respect for the brand through the enrichment
admiration. Findings have theoretical as well as practical benefits they derive out of the awareness about CSR initia-
implications in devising well-structured and targeted CSR tives being taken by the brand they consume and only
campaigns and communicating them well in order to maxi- through this respect, the admiration is instilled. Therefore,
mize the economic and social benefits from the CSR initia- the communication regarding CSR initiatives on social
tives as discussed in the following sections. media should be focussed on convincing the existing and
potential customers of their shared beliefs and values that the
brand reflects and connect to their self-identity (Marin et al.,
Theoretical Implications 2009) so as to garner respect for the brand rather than expect-
There has been a dearth of studies measuring the effect of ing brand admiration to be generated directly by the com-
CSR communication on consumer perceptions with most of munication of the initiatives as a general information.
the previous CSR literature focussed on CSR disclosure Second, the positive effect of CSR communication on
effects on financial performance variables (Cochran & Wood, purchase intentions has been established which implies
1984; Choi et al., 2010; McGuire et al., 1988; McWilliams & that CSR initiatives should not only be a matter of follow-
Siegel, 2000; Nair & Bhattacharyya, 2019; Wang & Sarkis, ing the minimum compliance requirements laid down by
2017), sustainability performance (Abdulaziz-al-Humaidan law and regulations; rather, they should be seen as a strate-
et al., 2022) and effect of CSR communication on employee gic tool to generate higher revenues. As this article estab-
perceptions and engagement (Schaefer et al., 2020). This lished the complete consumer psychology process that
study has important theoretical implications which add to the leads to higher purchase intentions, the practical strategy of
limited literature on the effect of CSR communication on con- communicating CSR initiatives of the brand must focus on
sumer perceptions of a brand and their purchase intentions. creating content for social media that engages potential and
First, the previous literature on effect of CSR communi- existing customers by optimizing it to focus on the values,
cation on purchase intentions has not delved into the com- beliefs and causes that are important in context of the
plete process of the effect creation and has completely society the brand is functional in (Nan & Heo, 2007).
missed the role which enrichment benefits and brand Third, the brand building efforts must incorporate the
respect play in this process. Thus, this article makes a sig- use of communication of CSR initiatives as a strategy for
nificant contribution in exploring the mediation process in building a brand which is respected by its customers. This
generating the final effect of CSR communication on pur- will lead it to become a brand that is admired and has a
chase intentions. connect with customers’ self-identity leading to higher
Second, the article finds that brand admiration has an brand recall and purchase intentions.
effect on the relationship between CSR communication
and purchase intentions (Gupta et al., 2021a, b) but it is
Limitations and Scope for Further Research
only through the mediating effect of brand respect which
signifies the importance of the role of brand respect which This research is not without its limitations. The study focussed
has not been investigated in CSR context previously. The on the effect of CSR communication only on the enrichment
findings of this study thus bring forth an important theo- benefits and further on brand respect as the context of CSR
retical implication in understanding the effect of CSR com- fitted in a better manner theoretically with conceptualization of
munication by highlighting the actual psychological the enrichment benefits as compared to the enabling or entic-
influence of such communication which leads to high ing benefits in the 3E model of brand admiration. But we can-
brand respect but does not have a significant direct effect not ignore the empirical findings in existing literature regard-
on brand admiration or purchase intention. ing the effect of CSR on brand love and brand trust. Further
Third, the study confirms the relevance of the 3E model research is needed to assess if CSR communication affects
of brand admiration in the context of CSR initiatives com- brand love for commercial brands the way it does for sports
municated by a brand through the findings of significant team brands (Baena, 2018) as this effect has started gaining
Mir and Dwivedi 11

attention only recently (Lee et al., 2022; Quezado et al., 2022). Baskentli, S., Sen, S., Du, S., & Bhattacharya, C. B. (2019).
Also, as this study could not establish the direct effect of CSR Consumer reactions to corporate social responsibility: The
communication on brand admiration, the components of brand role of CSR domains. Journal of Business Research, 95,
admiration apart from brand respect need to be assessed in an 502–513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.046
integrated model to derive conclusions about the relative Beauchamp, L. L., & O’Connor, A. (2012). America’s most admired
companies: A descriptive analysis of CEO corporate social
importance of brand love and brand respect and also brand
responsibility statements. Public Relations Review, 38(3),
trust to gauge the overall effect of CSR communication on 494–497. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.03.006
brand admiration. Beig, F. A., & Khan, M. F. (2018). Impact of social media
There is also evidence of the longitudinal effects of marketing on brand experience: A study of select apparel
CSR on consumer relationships (Lacey & Kennett-Hensel, brands on Facebook. Vision, 22(3), 264–275. https://doi.
2010) which this study has not been able to focus upon due org/10.1177/0972262918785962
to the cross-sectional research design. Future studies may Berger, J., Cohen, B. P., & Zelditch, M. (1972). Status charac-
be conducted for measuring the effects of CSR communi- teristics & social interaction. American Sociological Review,
cation over a period to establish the longitudinal effects. 37, 241–255.
This study focussed on FMCG sector in India. Further Boyd, D. E., McGarry, B. M., & Clarke, T. B. (2016). Exploring
studies may also be conducted to test the relationships for the empowering & paradoxical relationship between social
other sectors and countries which may be characterized with media & CSR activism. Journal of Business Research, 69(8),
2739–2746. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.11.009
different type of consumers so as to establish the generaliz-
Brown, T. J., & Dacin, P. A. (1997). The company & the
ability of the process dynamics explored in this article.
product: Corporate associations and consumer product
responses. Journal of Marketing, 61(1), 68–84. https://doi.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests org/10.2307/1252190
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect Chaudhary, R. (2017). Corporate social responsibility and
to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article. employee engagement: Can CSR help in redressing the
engagement gap? Social Responsibility Journal, 13(2),
Funding 323–338. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-07-2016-0115
Chaudhri, V. (2016). Corporate social responsibility and the
The authors received no financial support for the research, author-
communication imperative: Perspectives from CSR manag-
ship and/or publication of this article.
ers. International Journal of Business Communication, 53(4),
419–442. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488414525469
ORCID iD Cheng, G., Cherian, J., Sial, M. S., Mentel, G., Wan, P., Álvarez-
Otero, S., & Saleem, U. (2021). The relationship between CSR
Anubhuti Dwivedi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0640-9179 communication on social media, purchase intention, & e-wom
in the banking sector of an emerging economy. Journal of
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Mir and Dwivedi 15

Wang, R., & Huang, Y. (2018). Communicating corporate social About the Authors
responsibility (CSR) on social media: How do message
source & types of CSR messages influence stakeholders’ Maroof Ahmad Mir ([email protected]) cur-
perceptions? Corporate Communications: An Internatio- rently works as an Associate Professor at Asian Business
nal Journal, 23(3), 326–341 https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ- School, Noida, India. He has an overall experience of 15
07-2017-0067 years in academics and holds a PhD in Management from
Wang, Z., & Sarkis, J. (2017). Corporate social responsibil- Aligarh Muslim University, India. He has published sev-
ity governance, outcomes, and financial performance. eral research papers, including those in Scopus and ABDC
Journal of Cleaner Production, 162, 1607–1616. https://doi. journals and a case with Case Centre, UK. He has also con-
org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.142 ducted several management development and faculty
Xie, C., Bagozzi, R. P., & Grønhaug, K. (2019). The impact of development programmes in business strategy, financial
corporate social responsibility on consumer brand advocacy: modelling and research methodology, and has presented
The role of moral emotions, attitudes, & individual differ-
papers in international as well as national conferences at
ences. Journal of Business Research, 95, 514–530. https://
reputed institutes.
doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.043
Yang, J., Basile, K., & Letourneau, O. (2020). The impact of Anubhuti Dwivedi ([email protected]) is the
social media platform selection on effectively communicating Founder Director of EdMaestro Private Limited, a training
about corporate social responsibility. Journal of Marketing and consulting company registered in India. She has an
Communications, 26(1), 65–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/1352
experience of over 20 years in academics, research and
7266.2018.1500932
consulting. Prior to establishing her own venture, she
Zhang, Z., & Yuan, K.-H. (Eds.). (2018). Practical statistical
worked as Professor and Dean at Asian Business School,
power analysis using WebPower & R. ISDSA Press.
Zhao, X., Lynch Jr, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering India. Her national and international publications include
Baron & Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analy- 6 books, 18 research papers and 2 cases. She also has a
sis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197–206. https:// successful research project funded by New York University
doi.org/10.1086/651257 and NSE, India, to her credit.