Corporate Social Responsibility as a Sustainable Marketing Tool to Enhance Brand Reputation and Customer Loyalty: Evidence from Ghana’s Beverage Industry
Authors
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigates the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a sustainable marketing tool for enhancing brand reputation and customer loyalty in Ghana's beverage industry, focusing on Awake Ghana Mineral Water as a case study. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, structured questionnaires were administered to 166 consumers in Accra, Ghana. Data was analyzed with SPSS (v26) using descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression analyses. Diagnostics for multicollinearity, normality, and linearity were performed to validate model assumptions. CSR initiatives exhibit strong positive correlations with both brand reputation (r = 0.715, p < 0.01) and customer loyalty (r = 0.682, p < 0.01). Regression results show CSR explains 61.2% of the variance in brand reputation (β = 0.69, 95% CI [0.54, 0.79]) and 58.9% in customer loyalty (β = 0.67, 95% CI [0.48, 0.76]). Health-focused CSR programs, notably the One4Life initiative, were the most recognized and impactful. CSR serves as a competitive differentiator, particularly when initiatives align with community health and welfare needs. Beverage firms can leverage CSR strategically to reinforce brand image and consumer trust. This study provides empirical evidence from Ghana’s beverage industry on CSR’s influence on brand reputation and loyalty, offering contextual insights into sustainable marketing practices.
Article Details
Copyright (c) 2026 Abdul Rahman Yusif, Mark Ofori Nketia, Juliana Anyei Asiamah

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.
Aftab, J., Veneziani, M., Wei, F., Abid, N., & Aftab, F. (2025). Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Excellence: Examining the Serial Mediation of Green Entrepreneurial Orientation and Differentiation Strategy. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 32(3), 3621–3638.
Agyei, J. (2022). Understanding CSR and customer loyalty: The role of customer engagement. Journal of Social Marketing.
Ali, A. (2023). Assessing The Role Of Corporate Social Responsibility In Creating Competitive Advantage. Competitive Research Journal Archive, 1(02), 202–214.
Amoako, G. K., & Dartey-Baah, K. (2020). Corporate social responsibility: Strategy for boosting brand perception and competitive advantage. In CSR and socially responsible investing strategies in transitioning and emerging economies (pp. 65–78). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
Amprako, J. L. (2024). Corporate social responsibility of food businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa: Comparative capitalism perspectives [PhD Thesis]. University of Kassel.
Anggusti, M., Siregar, F. Y. D., & Chansrakaeo, R. (2025). Corporate social responsibility legal framework in Southeast Asia: Comparing Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. SASI, 31(2), 188–200. https://doi.org/10.47268/sasi.v31i2.2984
Bellido, P. I. V. (2020). Corporate social responsibility in Latin American firms: Exploring the interrelationships between financial constraints, corporate governance, and financial performance [PhD Thesis, University of Manchester]. https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/248801882/FULL_TEXT.PDF
Bhatia, A., & Makkar, B. (2020). CSR disclosure in developing and developed countries: A comparative study. Journal of Global Responsibility, 11(1), 1–26.
Boateng, H., Kosiba, J. P., Adam, D. R., Ofori, K. S., & Okoe, A. F. (2020). Examining brand loyalty from an attachment theory perspective. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 38(4), 479–494.
Chen, H., Jia, Q., Zhao, X., Li, L., Nie, Y., Liu, H., & Ye, J. (2020). The occurrence of microplastics in water bodies in urban agglomerations: Impacts of drainage system overflow in wet weather, catchment land-uses, and environmental management practices. Water Research, 183, 116073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116073
Cheruiyot-Koech, R., & Reddy, C. D. (2022). Corporate social responsibility preferences in South Africa. Sustainability, 14(7), 3792. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073792
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE.
Dittmar, E. C., & Girón, V. M. C. (2025). Barriers and Opportunities in CSR Adoption Among Latin American SMEs in the AI Age. In Transforming Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics With AI (pp. 339–372). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
Esparza Aguilar, J. L., Soto Maciel, A., Zapata Sánchez, J. L., & Pérez Hervert, M. J. (2020). Strategic orientation of Mexican family-owned businesses and its influence on corporate social responsibility practices. Organizations and Markets in Emerging Economies, 11(1), 107–127. https://doi.org/10.15388/omee.2020.11.26
Fransen, L., Kolk, A., & Rivera-Santos, M. (2019). The multiplicity of international corporate social responsibility standards: Implications for global value chain governance. Multinational Business Review, 27(4), 397–426.
Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Pitman.
Gu, S. (2023). Corporate social responsibility and customer loyalty: The mediating role of co-creation and customer trust. Asian Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting, 23(3), 1–19.
Gunawan, W. B. (2025). Elucidating Indonesia’s palm oil supply chain trends: A bibliometric approach. Journal of Sustainability, Society, and Eco-Welfare, 3(1), 1–20.
Hallin, D. C., & Echeverría, M. (2024). Media systems in Latin America. In A. Casero-Ripollés & P. C. López-López (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Political Communication in Ibero-America (pp. 32–48). Routledge.
Heo, Y., Choi, C. W., Overton, H., Kim, J. K., & Zhang, N. (2022). Feeling connected to the cause: The role of perceived social distance on cause involvement and consumer response to CSR communication. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 99(1), 213–236.
Idemudia, U. (2022). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and development in Africa: A critical overview. In Business and sustainable development in Africa (pp. 16–35).
Jamali, D., & Karam, C. (2018). Corporate social responsibility in developing countries as an emerging field of study. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(1), 32–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12112
Joshi, G., Khandare, V., & Dash, R. K. (2025). Forty-five years of research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development: An overview and research agenda. Cogent Social Sciences, 11(1), 2534145.
Kabiru, S. (2019). Effect of education infrastructure on rural development in Katsina State Nigeria.
Kankam-Kwarteng, C. (2022). Corporate social responsibility, marketing capabilities and consumer behavioral responses. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Koushik, K., Yadav, S., & Sarkar, M. P. (2025). Navigating the landscape of cause-related marketing: A bibliometric review of progress and prospects. Future Business Journal, 11(1), 205.
Kumar, A., & Srivastava, M. (2021). The impact of CSR on customer loyalty in the Indian banking sector. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 61, 102548.
Kvasničková Stanislavská, L., Pilař, L., Margarisová, K., & Kvasnička, R. (2020). Corporate social responsibility and social media: Comparison between developing and developed countries. Sustainability, 12(13), 5255.
Madaan, G., Kaur, M., & Gowda, K. R. (2023). Adapting Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: Analyzing Indian Companies’ Contributions to Sustainable Development Goals During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Review of Sdgs in Emerging Countries, 5, e23–e23.
Maignan, I., & Ferrell, O. C. (2004). Corporate social responsibility and marketing: An integrative framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 32(1), 3–19.
Makgoba, M. (2019). Constructing black economic empowerment in South African mining: Government v corporate discourse. African Studies, 78(4), 568–589.
Maldonado-Guzmán, G., Pinzón-Castro, S. Y., & Cuevas-Pichardo, L. J. (2019). Corporate social responsibility and brand equity in Mexican small firms. International Business Research, 13(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v13n1p18
Masoud, N. (2017). How to win the battle of ideas in corporate social responsibility. Journal of CSR & Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40991-017-0015-y
Meru, A. K., & Kinoti, M. W. (2022). Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Brand Building in Africa’s Emerging Markets. In Marketing Communications and Brand Development in Emerging Markets Volume II: Insights for a Changing World (pp. 211–231). Springer International Publishing.
Motadi, M. S. (2024). The role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in enhancing brand loyalty in South African consumer markets. International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy, 6(4), 49–55.
Okaro, S. C., & Okafor, G. O. (2021). Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria: Corporate Social Responsibility Practices: The Nigerian Experience. In Current Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility: In the Era of Sustainable Development Goals (pp. 525–541). Springer International Publishing.
Park, K. (2024). CSR fit with CEO image: Unpacking its influence on stakeholder engagement and authenticity perception. Journal of Marketing Communications, 1–25.
Salam, M. A., & Jahed, M. A. (2023). CSR orientation for competitive advantage in business-to-business markets of emerging economies: The mediating role of trust and corporate reputation. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 38(11), 2277–2293.
Salifu, S., & Saini, Y. K. (2023). The impact of corporate social responsibility on brand loyalty: Evidence from Ghana. Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 2(12).
Sánchez, L. M. (2024). The Politics of Redress in Violent Democracies: Exile and Transborder Reparations in Colombia.
Santos, F. A., Silva, J. M., & Oliveira, A. L. (2021). Corporate social responsibility and capital structure. Advances in Scientific and Applied Accounting, 16(2), 182–196. https://doi.org/10.14392/asaa.2023160207
Selucká, A. (2023). Conservation-restoration in the Czech Republic. Πρακτικά Συνεδρίου “Συντηρητές Σε Ψηφιακό Περιβάλλον,” 1, Article 5794. https://doi.org/10.12681/acawa-grcp.5794
Sheehy, B., & Farneti, F. (2021). Corporate social responsibility, sustainability, sustainable development and corporate sustainability: What is the difference, and does it matter? Sustainability, 13(11), 5965.
Srivastava, A., Gupta, N., & Rana, N. P. (2021). Influence of consumer cosmopolitanism on purchase intention of foreign vs. Local brands: A developing country perspective. International Journal of Emerging Markets. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-01-2021-0057
Szczepanowski, R., Zarębski, T., & Pieńkowska, A. (2020). Trust from employees’ perspective in Polish companies: A preliminary study. In K. S. Soliman (Ed.), Education excellence and innovation management: A 2025 vision to sustain economic development during global challenges (pp. 2613–2623). International Business Information Management Association.
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict.
Turker, D., & Can, Ö. (2021). Corporate Social Responsibility in Turkey: An Institutional Analysis of Social Responsibility in Turkey during the 2000s. In Current Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility: In the Era of Sustainable Development Goals (pp. 379–398). Springer International Publishing.
Udo-Umoren, I. (2019). Interrogating corporate philanthropy in education: The case of Nigeria. In Philanthropy in Education (pp. 156–178). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Walsh, G., & Beatty, S. E. (2007). Customer-based corporate reputation of a service firm: Scale development and validation. Journal of Marketing, 71(1), 82–95.
Wang, H., Li, J., & Li, S. (2022). Environmental regulation, corporate social responsibility, and green innovation: Evidence from China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 14771. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214771
Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 60(2), 31–46.