Corporate social responsibility communication of banks in the first days of the Covid-19 pandemic in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication and the ways the pandemic changed CSR communication of banks on social media at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. A content analysis was made on the Facebook accounts of the biggest public, private, and foreign-owned retail banks in Turkey. The findings have shown that banks have increased their overall and health-related CSR communication during the pandemic. Besides, it was found that each bank had its unique CSR approach and shifted its CSR activities online. Messages with CSR content got a higher number of consumer comments than non-CSR messages. Customer interaction levels differed significantly among messages that included different CSR content such as health and society. This study reflects Turkish banks’ CSR communication on social media, presents comparative results for crisis and non-crisis periods, and provides analysis results about CSR communication during the pandemic. Besides, it is among the first studies that examine the financial institutions’ social media marketing communication related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study may help marketing managers in designing their marketing strategies in crisis times.