CSR engagement via social media: In theory and practice

In this chapter we examine practitioners’ views on, and approaches to, implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications via social media. We particular focus on the extent to which CSR communications can (and should be) integrated with marketing communications. We address this issue by adopting the lens of engagement and we identify three distinct perspectives on the integration of marketing-CSR communications: avoidance, divergence and convergence. Overall we find that practitioners’ reasoning towards their implementation of CSR communications relates to differences in the orientation of marketing and CSR business functions, as well as contextual factors linked to the organisation and the broader environment in which the prominence of social media as a communications platform continues to grow. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research into the implementation of social media communications at the marketing-CSR interface and practical implications for practitioner audiences.