The Effect Of Corporate Social Marketing (CSM) Attributes And Ethical Issues Observation On Consumer’s Behavior Change Intention With The Mediating Role Of Attitude: A Hierarchical Model

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of corporate social marketing characteristics and compliance with ethical principles on the intention to change consumer behavior. Hence, the effect of CSM attributes and Ethical issues observation in social marketing campaigns on consumer’s behavior change intention have been investigated in present study. Meanwhile, the mediating role of attitude has been taken into consideration too. Hence, at first via literature review, ethical issues observation and CSM attributes factors along with their dimensions were identified and the relationship between them and consumer’s behavior change intention with the mediating role of attitude were hypothesized. Then the Representatives of Karaj insurance companies were selected as the statistical community and 95 questionnaires using the cluster sampling method collected. The causal relationships between variables were tested employing a partial least squares-based structural equation model in smart PLS 3 and a hierarchical model was presented. Results show that CSM attributes and ethical issues observation influence a consumer’s behavior change intention, respectively indirectly with the mediating role of attitude and directly. In addition, in terms of assigning priority to management-oriented measures relative to the results IPMA analysis, the factor ‘ethical issues observation’ has more importance that in designing CSM program strategies must be take into consideration. This study demonstrates that CSM attributes and ethical issues observation factors result in the intended prosocial behavior adoption and more corporate benefits creation. Presented framework provides managers with further insight into how and why the company can generate social and corporate benefits through CSM.