Muting or Meddling? Advocacy as a Relational Communication Strategy Affecting Organization–Public Relationships and Stakeholder Response

This article conceptualizes organizational advocacy as a relational communication strategy by which organizations take stances on controversial, sociopolitical issues to signal shared commitment with key publics. The authors conducted a series of two-by-two experimental surveys—controlling whether a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journalism & mass communication quarterly 2020-12, Vol.97 (4), p.1026-1053
Main Authors:	Browning, Nicholas, Lee, Ejae, Park, Young Eun, Kim, Taeyoung, Collins, Ryan
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Advocacy Communication Communication strategies
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	This article conceptualizes organizational advocacy as a relational communication strategy by which organizations take stances on controversial, sociopolitical issues to signal shared commitment with key publics. The authors conducted a series of two-by-two experimental surveys—controlling whether an organization took a defined position (advocacy vs. silence) and whether it acted alone or in line with peers (leader vs. follower)—across both less partisan (Study 1) and highly partisan (Study 2) issues. Findings indicate advocacy is an effective relational communication strategy that strengthens organization–public relationships (OPRs) and increases publics’ support for the organization. Theoretical contributions and practical applications are discussed.
ISSN:	1077-6990 2161-430X