An Analysis of CSR Communication as Political Satire and its Potential towards the Sustainable Development Goals

This paper offers an investigation of the role of humour in perceptions of organisational hypocrisy in CSR communication. It has been argued that CSR communication is inherently aspirational, hence prone to accusations of hypocrisy. We propose that an appreciation of humour influences the extent to which corporate messages have a performative potential to be seen as either expressions of hypocrisy (i.e. greenwash through dislike and disidentification with the sender) or hyperbole (i.e. political satire through like and identification with the sender). Based on a visual frame analysis of the Diesel ‘Global Warming Ready’ campaign, we argue that conventional expectations of tight couplings between talk and action (‘practice what you preach’) incline audiences to perceive talk-action-decouplings as greenwashing and hypocritical statements from amoral organisations. We offer an alternative explanation. We propose that the display of such talk-action inconsistencies may evoke a politicised and satirical form of humour affording audiences with the opportunity to feel part of a cognizant elite that is knowledgeable about issues of climate change. In doing so, humour elevates the organisation from a position of hypocrisy to one of a hyperbolist; a facilitator of an exaggerated futurological scenario that encourages ambiguity, reflection and potentially positive identification with the organisation. We develop a model that conceptualizes the implications of an absence and presence of humour in interpreting CSR communication and we discuss the implications for CSR communication as well as offering managerial implications and an agenda for future research.