How to tell the crisis: effects of stealing thunder by self-disclosing corporate violations

Tensions between legal counsel and crisis teams are well established. Crisis management best practices in marketing communication urge for quick and full disclosure in the organization and society’s interest. Further, governments encourage organizations to voluntarily report misdeeds. However, organizations often hesitate on quick and full disclosure or even resort to silence, fearing social and legal ramifications of a spokesperson’s words and proactive actions. This study investigates crisis communication outcomes of a voluntary disclosure strategy referred to as stealing thunder to manage a crisis caused by legal violations. The results of a series of moderated serial mediation analyses show that perceived crisis severity and anger serially mediate the relationship between the stealing thunder x CSR history interaction to influence (a) attitudes toward the company, (b) perceived company ethics, and (c) investment intentions. Results add to recent theory building surrounding stealing thunder in crisis communication while pragmatically supporting a transparent approach to marketing communication practices.