Meeting Consumers’ Expectations: Exploring Corporate Social Advocacy Communication in China

Baobao Song and Xiaomeng Lan
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Baobao Song: Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Xiaomeng Lan: Programme of Public Relations and Advertising, Beijing Normal University–Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai 519087, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Unlike Western corporations, Chinese companies have yet to widely adopt corporate social advocacy (CSA) as a proactive strategy for corporate communication due to the different cultures and business environments. With only a handful of Chinese companies committing to CSA communication, the consequences of such practice on consumer relationship building and maintenance remain elusive. In light of expectancy violations theory (EVT), this study explores Chinese consumers’ expectations of domestic CSA on the issue of same-sex marriage and the effects of proactive corporate social advocacy communication. Through structure equation modeling of 418 survey responses, this study examines the relationship between the violation of Chinese consumers’ expectations of CSA and the quality of consumer relationships through the mediation of violation valence, violation expectedness, and relationship certainty.

Keywords: corporate social advocacy; organization–public relationships; Chinese consumers; expectancy violations theory; same-sex marriage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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