Consumer reactions to firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication range from favorable approval to outright skepticism toward the company. This paper contributes to the CSR literature by introducing a so-far overseen but relevant variable that helps to explain why consumer sometimes react positively and sometimes negatively to CSR communication: the ambient temperature. With a controlled 2 (CSR communication with ecological vs. economic motives) × 3 (ambient temperature: warm vs. moderate vs. cold) between-subject laboratory experiment, the authors confirm that ambient temperature moderates consumer evaluations of CSR communications. In warmer ambient temperatures, reports of ecological (vs. economic) motives induce consumer skepticism toward the CSR communication from the firm; colder temperatures appear to have no influence, in line with prior findings suggesting that the human body has a greater tolerance for cold than heat. Our findings bear several implications for managers. If they lack knowledge about ambient temperature when placing CSR campaigns, firms may risk unexpected backfiring effects. If managers can control the ambient temperature (e.g., in retail stores), they are well-advised to be cautious when placing CSR-related advertisements in warm settings.

消费者对公司的企业社会责任（CSR）沟通的反应范围从赞成到对公司的完全怀疑。本文通过引入一个迄今为止可以忽略但又相关的变量，为CSR文献做出了贡献，该变量有助于解释为什么消费者有时对CSR交流产生积极而消极的反应：环境温度。在受试者之间的实验室实验中，受控的2（具有生态动机与经济动机的CSR交流与环境动机之间的关系）×3（环境温度：温与中，相对于寒冷）之间，作者确认环境温度可以缓和消费者对CSR交流的评估。在较高的环境温度下，有关生态（相对于经济）动机的报道引起了消费者对企业对CSR沟通的怀疑。低温似乎没有影响，与先前的研究结果一致，表明人体对冷的耐受性大于对热的耐受性。我们的发现对管理者有一些启示。如果他们在开展企业社会责任活动时对环境温度缺乏了解，则企业可能会面临意想不到的回火效应。如果管理人员可以控制环境温度（例如，在零售商店中），则在将CSR相关的广告放置在温暖的环境中时，建议谨慎使用。