Social responsibility as a unique dimension of brand personality and consumers' willingness to reward

Consumers expect organizations to behave in a responsible fashion and want to be informed about those actions. The current research examines the extent to which consumers are willing to reward brands for their socially responsible behavior. Two studies are reported in which social responsibility (SR) was conceptualized as a unique dimension of brand personality. Participants in both studies were presented advertisements in which the personality dimensions of ruggedness, excitement, and SR for a fictitious brand were manipulated. The results indicate that SR is a distinct brand personality dimension and that willingness to reward moderates the effect of SR on attitudes toward the product, advertisement, and brand. Specifically, in all but one case across both studies, the positive effect of SR on attitude was greater for those most willing to reward. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.