Impact of Perceived CSR on Brand Equity through Brand Admiration and Customer Advocacy Behaviour: Moderating Role of Brand Attitude and Customer Loyalty

Purpose: This study intends to explore the positive impact of perceived Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on brand equity with respect to behaviors and emotions. The motive behind this study was to examine the sequential mediating role of emotion of brand admiration and customer advocacy behavior between perceived CSR and brand equity. Moderators of brand attitude and customer loyalty were also explored in this study.Design/Methodology/Approach: Quantitative research method has been adapted for this study. A questionnaire with 5-point likert scale was adopted from existing scholarly work to collect data from 364 customers of 5 food production companies placed in Pakistan. Collected data were analyzed with the help of SPSS and Smart PLS3 through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique.Findings: Results show that brand admiration and customer advocacy behavior significantly mediate the relationship of perceived CSR and brand equity. Moreover, moderating role of brand attitude and customer loyalty was found positive and significant. This was the novelty of this research.Implications/Originality/Value: This research will be helpful for food production companies in Pakistan to formulate strong customer-brand relationships in order to strengthen their brand equity by effectively positioning their CSR practices into the minds of consumers.