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Companies' voices on social justice issues, such as racial justice, gender equality and LGBTQ rights, have become increasingly prevalent. To contribute to current knowledge around corporate communication on social justice, this study aims to understand the differential effects of three types of corporate social justice statements – symbolic statements, substantive statements on external actions and substantive statements on internal actions.

A between-subjects experiment was conducted (N = 502), with different types of statements as the independent variable and corporate reputation and perceived corporate relationship-building efforts as outcomes. The three dimensions of perceived authenticity (i.e. perceived benevolence, transparency and commitment) were included as parallel mediators.

This study found that compared to symbolic statements, substantive statements on external or internal actions generated higher perceived authenticity on at least one of the three dimensions, which in turn, led to a more positive corporate reputation and perceived relationship-building efforts. Substantive statements on external actions and on internal actions also had differential indirect effects on the outcomes through different dimensions of perceived authenticity. Partisanship did not have a moderating effect on the mediating effects of perceived authenticity.

This study highlights the importance of authenticity in corporate social justice communication and reveals practical implications about how businesses should communicate with publics when engaging in social justice issues.

This study is among the earliest efforts to examine the effects of different corporate social justice statements. It contributes to the existing literature by demonstrating the impacts of perceived authenticity on publics' evaluation of companies and opens up an avenue for future research to further examine various authenticity dimensions.

This study aims to demonstrate that brand experiences can influence perceived brand authenticity, and perceived quality mediates this link. The proposed nomological net also assesses the impact of perceived quality and brand authenticity on consumers’ loyalty intentions, a key consumer-level outcome.

A survey method based on data from a sample of 405 new car owners was used for empirical analysis. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypotheses.

The results provide broad support for the framework. All the direct effects and the key indirect effect are significant, as predicted.

As consumers are seeking brands that are genuine in its communication and behavior, building authenticity will be crucial to engage customers and create meaningful social values.

This work develops a framework and empirical evidence of how experiential marketing can contribute to brand authenticity directly and through perceived quality.

Authenticity has become increasingly dominant in business practices, particularly in branding and corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, as consumers want it in all aspects of their lives. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the role of perceived CSR authenticity in predicting perceived brand loyalty (i.e. brand trust, positive word of mouth [PWOM]) via perceived brand authenticity by considering the moderating effects of brand image on perceived brand authenticity and loyalty to determine its influence in the global branding context.

Using a non-probability convenience sampling technique, this study received 817 responses from consumers who regularly used global brands. Finally, this research examined 734 responses to test the proposed hypotheses using structural equation modeling.

This study discovered that perceived CSR authenticity strengthened perceived brand authenticity, which fostered perceived brand loyalty by enhancing brand trust and motivating consumers to spread PWOM about global brands. Similarly, perceived CSR authenticity directly influenced perceived brand loyalty by enhancing brand trust but did not affect PWOM. Likewise, the moderating effect of brand image was significant in fostering perceived brand loyalty by enhancing brand trust, but it had no effect on PWOM. In contrast, the brand image had a significant negative effect on perceived brand authenticity.

This research offered many insightful suggestions to global managers in the manufacturing and service industries that might assist them in designing and implementing several branding strategies to achieve corporate objectives.

This novel research contributes to the attribution theory by examining consumers’ perceptions of CSR authenticity, brand image, brand authenticity and brand loyalty from the global branding perspective.

This paper aims to examine the effects of perceived authenticity at an independent, full-service mainstream ethnic restaurant and the moderating effects of diners’ cultural familiarity and cultural motivation on the influence of perceived authenticity on perceived value and behavioral intention.

A total of 417 self-administered questionnaires were collected from customers of an independent, full-service Italian restaurant in southeastern USA. The data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling.

Restaurant authenticity has a positive influence on perceived value. Respondents who are more familiar with and interested in Italian culture and food tend to attach more value to the restaurant authenticity. Respondents tend to use authenticity to convey quality judgment of the restaurant.

First, this study advances previous literature on dining authenticity by incorporating cultural familiarity and cultural motivation. Second, this study extends the theoretical framework of perceived quality of ethnic restaurants by connecting authenticity perceptions and quality assessment.

Results suggest that the managers at independent, full-service mainstream ethnic restaurants should focus on the restaurants’ environment and atmospheric authenticity, especially for customers who possess cultural familiarity and cultural motivation, while also ensuring the quality of food and service.

This study makes an initial attempt at studying the role of authenticity in a mainstream ethnic restaurant context and adds to the knowledge of restaurant authenticity from the perspectives of cultural familiarity, cultural motivation and perceived quality.

This study aims to empirically examine young tourists’ perceptions of object-based authenticity, existential authenticity and perceived value perceptions on satisfaction. Data were collected from young heritage tourists at the Little India heritage precinct in Singapore.

Qualitative data were collected via a pen and paper questionnaire at Little India in Singapore. Young tourists below 30 years of age were identified to complete the questionnaire. A total of 288 sets of valid responses were collected to perform statistical analysis to test the relationships between the key constructs in the research model.

The results of the study reaffirmed the application of the perceived value framework to authenticity. Object-based authenticity, existential authenticity and perceived monetary value yielded significant and positive effects on overall perceived value and, subsequently, satisfaction. Further, overall perceived value was found to mediate the relationships between object-based authenticity, existential authenticity and perceived monetary with satisfaction.

This study provides researchers with a better understanding of authenticity and value perceptions of young tourists. It also lends further support for the integration of object-based and existential authenticity into the multidimensional approach to perceived value.

The results help destination marketers and policymakers better understand this important segment to develop more effective and sustainable marketing and management strategies.

This study addresses the lack of research in the literature on young tourists who will shape the tourism landscape of the future. It also further assesses the propriety of integrating authenticity measures into the measurement of perceived value.

The present study examines the dimensions that are meaningful to define the perceived authenticity of online-only brands (OOBs) (i.e. retail brands that trade exclusively online) from a consumer's perspective. Past frameworks of perceived authenticity exist in the branding literature but consistently focus on contexts beyond e-commerce settings like OOBs.

We employed a mixed-method research design, consisting of quasi-qualitative and quantitative studies with online customers, to establish the dimensions meaningful for the perceived authenticity of OOBs. Our work has theory testing and building components.

We identify five dimensions that are meaningful to define consumers' perceived authenticity of OOBs. They are “honesty”, “connection”, “continuity”, “craftsmanship” and “accessibility”. Representing by multiple factors, “craftsmanship” serves as the most meaningful dimension followed by “accessibility”. Often being considered incompatible with perceived authenticity, we find accessibility particularly relevant to the context of OOBs. It describes the “convenient” and “affordable” aspects of OOBs, which typically serve as unique selling propositions.

Our work confirms the utility of established dimensions to define consumers' perceived authenticity of OOBs. This highlights that consumers hold some consistent authenticity image between non-online and online brands. Our work also reveals the accessibility dimension being neglected by the branding literature, suggesting a more up-to-date perspective is needed when studying consumers' perceived authenticity of OOBs.

The study aimed to investigate the role of staged authenticity on guests' overall experience when visiting a theme park. It also assessed their evaluative perception of the “real experience” versus the “staged experience.” In addition, the study explored the variables that may predict guest's perceived level of authenticity, realism and truth when experiencing “reproduced” landmarks at a theme park.

The study's setting was the World Showcase at Disney's Epcot theme park that features well-known “staged” landmarks. The study adopted a theoretical framework initially developed by Naoi that measures guests' perceived authenticity at tourist attractions. Personal interviews were conducted with 336 local residents, domestic and international tourists in Central Florida using a structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS and included descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multiple regression analysis.

Patrons' overall experience at Epcot's World Showcase was perceived to be “unique,” “authentic,” “fantasy,” “exotic,” “adventurous,” “secure,” “safe” and “sanitary.” Respondents also perceived the country pavilions to be “truthful,” the architecture to be “realistic” and the ethnic food to be “authentic.” Respondents' perceived level of authenticity, realism, and truthfulness was predicted by their travel experience, visiting experience to Epcot and other Central Florida's theme parks, demographic characteristics, and several variables that measured perceived authenticity.

The study was conducted in the world's third busiest theme park and therefore, guests' perception of “staged authenticity” may be different in other theme parks. The instrument used was adopted from studies that were not conducted in the theme park industry. The study provided a theoretical contribution on the measurement and prediction of guests' level of perceived authenticity when visiting a theme park. This theoretical framework can be extended to other hospitality operations that present “staged authenticity” settings like hotels, restaurants, festivals, events, retail outlets and more. The findings may also be useful for investors, designers, operators, and marketing executives when developing “staged authenticity” experiences for different market segments.

With the continuing growth of the global theme park industry, coupled with its high capital investment in architecture and design, it is necessary to investigate the impact of “staged authenticity” attributes on the overall guest experience.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of territory of origin (TOO) associations for consumers’ perception of product authenticity and empirically tests the chain of effects, from TOO associations to perceived authenticity, and to consumers’ self-brand connections.

An experimental method and a partial least square approach were adopted. Hypotheses were tested on data collected across 665 Chinese consumers.

Results demonstrate that TOO exerts a positive impact on perceived product authenticity, which in turn leads to stronger consumers’ self-brand connections. In addition, compared with country of origin (COO) information, TOO has a unique positive impact on perceived authenticity and a direct positive effect on consumers’ self-brand connections. Also, the positive impact of TOO on perceived authenticity is enhanced through consumers’ familiarity with the TOO and through congruence between the product category and the TOO.

One possible outcome of TOO (perceived authenticity) and one product category (lavender soap) were considered in this study.

Given the diminishing relevance of COO associations, this study demonstrates that TOO is an appealing alternative strategy for strengthening brand equity.

Facilitated by image retouch tools, social media influencers can digitally enhance their self-image in product recommendation posts. This paper proposes that image enhancement may serve as a cue for the audience to assess the authenticity of the influencer (“true to oneself”), which further affects the influencer's product recommendation effectiveness (i.e. attitudes toward the post and recommended product).

Experiment 1 examines the effect of image enhancement on consumers' perceived influencer authenticity and product recommendation effectiveness. Experiment 2 considers the moderating role of post type, examining the effects in informational versus storytelling posts.

Consumers perceived an influencer to be more authentic when the image is not enhanced; in turn, consumers reported more favorable attitudes toward the post and the recommended product upon reading the post. The effects are moderated by post type: the effect of image enhancement (through perceived influencer authenticity) exists in posts using an informational message format but is attenuated for those using a storytelling message format.

This research enriches the literature on authenticity cues by documenting a novel visual cue and contributes to influencer marketing by identifying a nuanced interactive effect between image enhancement and post type on recommendation effectiveness.

This study aims to apply attribution theory to examine how internal stakeholders’ attributions affect the perceived company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on employees’ pro-environmental behavioral intention through a mediated perceived CSR authenticity.

A questionnaire-based survey was used because of the standardized questions and ease of acquisition of the target data with the assistance of a Web-based tool.

The perceived company’s other-centered CSR motives are positively associated with the perceived authenticity of the CSR engagement. The small company had a significantly stronger relationship than the large company. The perceived company’s self-centered CSR motives are not associated with the perceived authenticity of the CSR engagement. The perceived authenticity of CSR engagement is positively related to its own pro-environmental behavioral intention.

A larger sample size across different industries can improve the result. When the authors examine the effect of company size, multi-group sizes can be used instead of two groups. The above scenario usually works in normal businesses. How about the “dirty” business situation? Examples of dirty businesses are tobacco, gambling, alcohol and mining companies. During their business operations, they destroy our environment or create harmful effects on our health. Thus, dirty businesses engaging in CSR practices at the same time seems contradicting.

The management should ensure that employees perceive the company’s CSR initiatives as other-centered rather than self-centered. Company size matters in terms of delivering other-centered CSR messages. Specifically, employees who work in a small company (i.e. less than 100 employees) are more favorable to other-centered CSR messages.

This study extends the CSR literature by examining how internal stakeholders’ attributions (i.e. employees’ attribution) of the perceived company’s CSR initiatives influence employees’ pro-environmental behavior through a mediated perceived CSR authenticity.