Corporate social advocacy (CSA) and crisis communication: Examining the effectiveness of crisis responses to backlash

Ruoyo Sun (2026). “Corporate social advocacy (CSA) and crisis communication: Examining the effectiveness of crisis responses to backlash,” In Y. Lee, J. Y. Li, & W. Tao (Eds.), Strategic communication for corporate social advocacy (CSA). Palgrave Macmillan.  Abstract: When companies take public stances on controversial socio-political issues, they risk facing backlash from opposing individuals or groups. This chapter investigates how companies can effectively respond to such backlash by analyzing Generation Z’s perceptions of M&M’s and Target’s responses to their respective corporate social advocacy (CSA) backlashes through in-depth interviews. The findings reveal that Gen Z evaluates companies’ responses across three key dimensions: (1) transparency of the response, (2) the justification for the action taken in response to backlash, and (3) the tone of the response. Additionally, Gen Z expects companies to double down on their stances and clearly provide follow-up action steps when handling CSA backlash. These insights advance research on CSA and offer practical guidance for companies navigating backlash.