An integrative approach to the nexus of brand loyalty and corporate social responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategic tool that empowers competitive differentiation through coagulation of societal and business objectives. Against this context, it has been proposed that rational and emotional factors can develop a mechanism that can elucidate consumers' reaction towards CSR. To date, literature that evaluates the role of rational and emotional variables in this realm is practically nonexistent. The objective of the current study is to develop a parsimonious model to analyze the inter-relationship of CSR and loyalty by incorporating mediators, rational (customer satisfaction) and emotional (brand affect), in the low-involvement product category. The information provided by 294 valid responses was analyzed using structural equation modelling and the PROCESS method. The finding supported the hierarchical chain of effects of CSR practices influencing customer satisfaction (rational variable), which further impacts brand trust and brand affect (emotional variable) and finally paves its way for brand loyalty in the low-involvement product category.