The impact of message assertiveness on corporate activism: how messaging style and user comments shape perceptions of corporate hypocrisy

Purpose This study aims to investigate how assertive corporate activism messages on social media affect consumer perceptions, particularly examining how the interaction between message assertiveness and negative user comments shapes perceptions of corporate hypocrisy and influences further campaign outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 employed a one-factor (message assertiveness: assertive vs. non-assertive) between-subjects experiment to examine how message assertiveness influences attitudes toward the campaign, attitudes toward the company and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions, mediated by perceived corporate hypocrisy. Study 2 extended this by conducting a 2 (message assertiveness: assertive vs. non-assertive) × 2 (user comment valence: positive vs. negative) between-subjects experiment to assess how user-generated comments moderate the effects found in Study 1. Findings Assertive messages negatively affected consumer attitudes toward the campaign, the company and WOM intentions. These effects were mediated by increased perceptions of corporate hypocrisy. Furthermore, the negative impact of assertive messaging was amplified when consumers were exposed to negative user-generated comments, highlighting the critical moderating role of comment valence. Originality/value This study integrates previous research streams by examining how assertive corporate activism messages and user-generated comments jointly shape consumer responses via corporate hypocrisy perceptions. It provides novel insights into the interactive effects of message tone and social media comments, contributing to both corporate activism and corporate communication literature.