A Comparison of the Source, Media Format, and Sentiment in Generating Source Credibility, Information Credibility, Corporate Brand Reputation, Purchase Intention, and Social Media Engagement in a Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign Presented Via Social Media

ABSTRACT This study addresses the impact of source, media format, and sentiment in the influencing source credibility, information credibility, corporate brand reputation, purchase intention, and social media engagement in a corporate social responsibility campaign presented in a social media environment. The study utilized a 2 x 3 x 2 ANOVA to analyze results from an online survey that exposed respondents to various source, format, and sentiment combinations. The source was designated as either a corporation or a consumer. The media format was a news release, an advertisement or a news article. The sentiment was classified as either \u27with sentiment\u27 or \u27no sentiment.\u27 The ANOVA measured the impact of source main effect, source/format interaction effects, source/sentiment interaction effects, and source/format/sentiment interaction effects. Twenty hypotheses were posed. The results of this study found statistically significant differences in source, media format, and sentiment in stimulating aspects of source credibility, information credibility, corporate brand reputation, and purchase intention when considering source, source/format interaction, source/sentiment interaction, and source/format/sentiment interaction. Forty-six statistically significant differences were found. Of the 20 hypotheses tested, 13 were supported. A detailed description of findings is contained in this study