Creating Television Brand Loyalty through Corporate Social Responsibility Programs of Local TV Channels in Sri Lanka: with Special Reference to the Mediating Effect of Television Brand Trust

Abstract

The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has increasingly been identified in the literature for its potential to deliver a degree of competitive advantage. Therefore, this study’s focus is to study the creation of television Brand Loyalty through CSR programs of local TV channels in Sri Lanka with the mediating effect of Television Brand Trust. The study used the convenience sampling method, and two hundred eighty-six responses were collected from the western province via an online generated questionnaire. The data were analyzed using software SPSS 23. Results show that TV channels’ CSR activities significantly impact Television Brand Loyalty, and Television Brand Trust mediated the relationship between CSR and Television Brand Loyalty. In particular, CSR activities to create customer loyalty are a smart strategy employed by media companies to emotionally connect with the brand. This study’s empirical findings provide valuable insights into how CSR can enhance customer loyalty if used strategically. Many studies have discussed CSR’s impact, but very few are found in Sri Lanka and the TV channel sector. This study calls for more investigation in this area to better understand creating brand loyalty through CSR activities and the mediated effect of television brand trust.