Abstract
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been studied by academics and business leaders and they have proven that consumers develop a positive attitude towards companies that behave in socially responsible ways. However, they also suggest that CSR communication is subject to consumer scepticism. This implies that organizations and brands while communicating about their CSR activities may have the risk to be encountered with consumers' disbelieve. Furthermore, the previous global economic crisis limits CSR effectiveness due to consumer's concerns regarding their purchasing power. As a result, customers may feel guilty or unable to pay for products coming from engaged enterprises, which are considered sometimes by consumers as premium products. Moreover, a large body of research on CSR communication discusses the effectiveness of the message content and the efficiency on communication channels, within the case of multinational enterprises. However, there is little research linking CSR communication in the case of SME and perceived value and trust, whereas the topic of SME is an important research issue for national or international governmental entities. Also, the lack of empirical research on this issue is surprising, as perceived value and trust are considered by researchers as natural antecedents of customers brand loyalty ((Holbrook, 1994, 1999; Sirieix and Dubois, 1999; Frisou, 2000; Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001; Aurier, et al.,2001). As a result, this work aims to fill this gap in order to better understand the effects of socially responsible communication on two dimensions of perceived value: social value and ethical value and consumers' trust. In order to enhance understanding with regards to our research question: “What is the influence of CSR communication on perceived value and trust”, a qualitative research was conducted with consumers and practitioners. Additionally, an experiment has been conducted in which the level of CSR involvement from an SME in the food industry has been manipulated. A set of four different printed ad magazines has been considered as stimuli and communication channel for the experiment: one with an environmental message, with a social message, message or with a mix of these two messages together (social and environmental) or a control message. An online survey is conducted to a heterogeneous sample of consumers (n=645) Results reveal an interest for the SME to communicate prioritary through their environmental engagements. Results suggest that the environmental message is not only more effective on the ethical and social value perception but on consumers trust as well. Also, neither scepticism nor consumer's purchasing power concern show to moderate the positive effect between the CSR communications on perceived value and trust. The originality of the research lies in the consideration of the perceived value theory on the CSR communication research. More generally, the conceptualization and the study of perceived value on CSR communication highlight a more efficient CSR communication strategy between consumers and the SME.