A new study has found that COVID-19-related corporate social responsibility ads increased the individual consumer’s sense of well-being. The ads had a positive effect on brand outcomes but a detrimental effect on message compliance. The study showed the effect was stronger in Germany than in the U.S.

The research by University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications doctoral student Sophia Mueller and colleagues appeared in “Do CSR Ads with Public Health Messages Pertaining to COVID-19 Actually Help Consumers, Advertisers, and Society? Insights from the United States and Germany,” published in Current Issues and Research in Advertising on June 13.

The authors developed a comprehensive model that incorporated both the health belief model and traditional advertising variables.

According to the authors, “Our research aims to investigate the effects of COVID-19 CSR health advertising on the general public, corporations, as well as individual consumers. Our goal is to analyze whether COVID-19 corporate social responsibility ads can be beneficial to three audiences: (1) society at large when individuals comply with the health messages; (2) individual consumers through an increased sense of well-being and safety; and (3) the company through positive effects on the brand.”

They found, “The model was largely confirmed in both countries, indicating that it is applicable not just to a single market. The validity of the model was assessed for two countries that differ substantially in their level of ad skepticism and the degree to which they have been affected by the current pandemic.”

Posted: June 20, 2022
Category: College News, Covid-19 Updates, Student News
Tagged as: Covid-19, Sophia Mueller