Corporate social and environmental responsibility advertising: Advertising effectiveness as a function of viewing context

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) advertising, and programme-advertisement congruency, on advertising effectiveness. In a between-subjects design, participants (N = 128) viewed either three CSER or three neutral advertisements for the same brands embedded in either a “sustainable” or “neutral” programme. Measures of memory for advertising (free recall, cued recall, and brand recognition), and buying intention were obtained. The percentage recall and buying intention scores were significantly higher for CSER than neutral advertisements, but there was no effect on brand recognition. There were no significant effects of programme type nor significant interactions between programme and advertisement types found. The effectiveness of CSER advertising as measured by free recall was found to vary as a function of the brand being advertised, which was attributed to differences in the type of message being carried by the CSER advertisements.