IMPACT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON BRAND EQUITY AND CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has moved from a peripheral philanthropic activity to a strategic component of brand management. This analytical paper examines how consumers’ perceptions of CSR influence consumer-based brand equity and, through brand equity, shape purchase intention. The study follows a descriptive–analytical design and synthesizes established conceptual work together with recent empirical studies. The analysis indicates that CSR can strengthen brand equity by enriching favorable brand associations, increasing perceived credibility and trust, reinforcing perceived quality, and deepening loyalty. Brand equity, in turn, increases the probability that favorable CSR evaluations are converted into purchase preference and intention. However, the relationship is not automatic. CSR authenticity, brand–cause fit, consumer involvement, cultural expectations, corporate ability, and skepticism determine whether CSR produces brand value or triggers perceptions of opportunism and greenwashing. The literature also shows that the direct CSR–purchase intention relationship is less stable than the CSR–brand evaluation relationship, which makes brand equity an important explanatory mechanism. The paper proposes an integrated framework in which CSR affects purchase intention both directly and indirectly through brand equity, while contextual variables moderate these paths. The managerial implication is that firms should not treat CSR as a short-term promotional message; CSR creates stronger market outcomes when it is credible, consistent with brand identity, visible to stakeholders, and supported by actual organizational practices. The paper concludes with limitations and directions for longitudinal, experimental, cross-cultural, and digital-communication research.