ESG 워싱 위기 대응에서 스토리텔링과 사전 평판의 역할: 프로스포츠 구단을 중심으로

This study investigates the role of storytelling in shaping public responses to ESG-washing crises in professional sports organizations, with a particular focus on the moderating effect of prior reputation. An experimental study employing a 2 (storytelling: presence vs. absence) × 2 (prior reputation: positive vs. negative) between-subjects factorial design was conducted to examine changes in public attitudes, loyalty, and word-of-mouth intentions across different conditions. The results reveal that apology messages incorporating storytelling led to more positive public attitudes, stronger loyalty, and higher word-of-mouth intentions compared to messages lacking storytelling elements. Moreover, significant interaction effects between storytelling and prior reputation offer key insights. Organizations with a strong prior reputation elicited the most favorable audience reactions when storytelling was used. Interestingly, for organizations with a negative reputation, the relative impact of storytelling was even more pronounced than in non-storytelling conditions, suggesting its potential as a strategic crisis response. These findings highlight that organizations with a damaged reputation can strategically leverage storytelling to improve public perceptions, while those with an already positive reputation can further enhance their crisis communication by incorporating storytelling. The study underscores the importance of tailoring storytelling-based crisis responses to an organization's reputation status, demonstrating that storytelling serves not only as a means of emotional persuasion but also as an effective mechanism for rebuilding public trust in ESG-related controversies. This research contributes to both theoretical and practical discussions on crisis communication strategies, emphasizing how storytelling, when aligned with an organization's reputation, can strengthen the effectiveness of ESG-washing crisis management.