Perceived corporate reputation and consumer satisfaction - An experimental exploration of causal relationships

Corporate reputation is increasingly recognised as an important intangible asset of the firm. Therefore, investigating its causes and consequences is of interest to practice and research alike. While some authors argue that consumer satisfaction is a cause of reputation, others hold the contrary view and claim that reputation determines satisfaction. This controversy in the literature is the starting point for the present paper in which the causality of the relationship between corporate reputation and consumer satisfaction is investigated. By conducting two experiments, we show a significant effect of consumer satisfaction onto corporate reputation as perceived by consumers. However, no significant impact of reputation onto satisfaction could be detected. These findings lead to implications for the marketing of new products and firms' reputation management.