Authentic corporate social responsibility, emotional brand attachment, and customer citizenship behavior: a model for strengthening customer relationships in banking

Purpose While corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been extensively scrutinized in the banking sector, its specific link to customer citizenship behavior (CCB) remains relatively underexplored. This paper aims to propose and assess an integrated conceptual framework that positions customer-bank identification (CBI) and emotional brand attachment (EBA) as key intervening mechanisms in the relationship between CSR authenticity and customer citizenship behavior (i.e., advocacy, feedback, tolerance, and helping) in an emerging market context (i.e. Morocco). Design/methodology/approach For practicality, a non-probability sampling approach, combining self-selection and snowball sampling techniques, was employed. Data were collected over a four-month period (February to May 2023) from 681 retail banking customers in Morocco. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrapping techniques with 5,000 resamples were used to test the proposed conceptual model and assess the significance of the direct and indirect effects. Findings Our findings indicate that CSR authenticity significantly strengthens both customer–bank identification and emotional brand attachment, which subsequently drive customer citizenship behaviors (i.e., advocacy, feedback, tolerance, and helping). The mediation analysis further indicates that the direct effect of CSR authenticity on emotional brand attachment increases after the inclusion of customer–bank identification, thereby confirming its role as a suppressor in the relationship between CSR authenticity and emotional attachment. Practical implications Banks, particularly in emerging markets, should prioritize transparent and authentic CSR communication to strengthen customer identification and emotional connections. These emotional bonds serve as a catalyst for voluntary, value-adding extra-role behaviors that go beyond transactional interactions, ultimately improving brand loyalty, advocacy, and customer retention. Originality/value This research provides a novel perspective on how CSR authenticity influences customer citizenship behavior in a banking era dominated by mobile banking. By integrating emotional and relational mechanisms into the CSR–CCB framework, our findings convey fresh insights for promoting sustainable customer relationships, particularly in a context that has received limited attention in prior CSR research.