{"title":"Enhancing supportive intention through perceived legitimacy: Social media influencer leadership and charismatic legitimization in CSR communication","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102511","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Partnering with social media influencers (SMIs) in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives has become increasingly popular, but their role in conveying CSR initiatives remains unclear. Grounded in legitimacy theory and Max Weber’s concept of charismatic legitimation, this research investigates how SMIs’ leadership in opinion and taste impacts the normative and pragmatic legitimacy of CSR initiatives. An online survey of 491 U.S. influencer followers shows that perceived SMI opinion leadership enhances CSR normative legitimacy, which in turn increases stakeholders’ willingness to support. Our findings contribute to public relations and CSR research by highlighting the importance of CSR legitimacy, introducing charismatic legitimation to explain SMIs’ roles, and distinguishing between opinion and taste leadership. These insights help companies choose SMIs who enhance CSR legitimacy and support.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48263,"journal":{"name":"Public Relations Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Public Relations Review","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0363811124000900","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Partnering with social media influencers (SMIs) in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives has become increasingly popular, but their role in conveying CSR initiatives remains unclear. Grounded in legitimacy theory and Max Weber’s concept of charismatic legitimation, this research investigates how SMIs’ leadership in opinion and taste impacts the normative and pragmatic legitimacy of CSR initiatives. An online survey of 491 U.S. influencer followers shows that perceived SMI opinion leadership enhances CSR normative legitimacy, which in turn increases stakeholders’ willingness to support. Our findings contribute to public relations and CSR research by highlighting the importance of CSR legitimacy, introducing charismatic legitimation to explain SMIs’ roles, and distinguishing between opinion and taste leadership. These insights help companies choose SMIs who enhance CSR legitimacy and support.
期刊介绍:
The Public Relations Review is the oldest journal devoted to articles that examine public relations in depth, and commentaries by specialists in the field. Most of the articles are based on empirical research undertaken by professionals and academics in the field. In addition to research articles and commentaries, The Review publishes invited research in brief, and book reviews in the fields of public relations, mass communications, organizational communications, public opinion formations, social science research and evaluation, marketing, management and public policy formation.