Developing a measurement scale and a theoretical model defining corporate credibility and determining its role as an antecedent of consumers' attitude toward the advertisement.

摘要

The credibility of a communicator is an important consideration for marketers when determining promotional strategies for a company, product, brand, or service. Past research indicates that in most circumstances credible sources are more persuasive than non-credible sources. Consequently, source credibility has been the topic of much research in the consumer behavior and promotions area. Very little research, however, has been undertaken concerning the related topic of corporate credibility. It is hypothesized that consumers' perceptions of a corporation's credibility is an important consideration in the development of attitudes toward advertisements, attitudes toward brands, and purchase intentions.;In this study, past research in the areas of source credibility and corporate credibility is discussed. Based upon this past literature, a model is developed that focuses on conceptualizing corporate credibility and its relationship to attitude toward the ad and to other ad-related constructs. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic study to determine the underlying dimensions of corporate credibility and to form the basis for a reliable and valid measurement scale of corporate credibility is conducted. Finally, structural equation analysis using LISREL7 is utilized to test the hypothesized relationships between the constructs and to test the overall fit of the proposed model. The results of the study indicate that corporate credibility plays a significant role in consumers' assessments of advertisements.