When It Doesn't Go to Plan

This chapter examines the emerging intersection between Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA) and crisis communication, focusing on how CSA can function as both a potential crisis trigger and an effective crisis management strategy. Drawing on Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) as a theoretical framework, the chapter explores how SCCT’s evolution—particularly the emergence of the paracrisis concept—provides valuable insights for understanding CSA-related risks and opportunities. The chapter contextualizes the growing importance of CSA in contemporary business environments, explaining how heightened stakeholder expectations for corporate engagement in sociopolitical issues have transformed the crisis landscape. The chapter also explores how proactive and reactive CSA approaches can serve as crisis management strategies—building stakeholder relationships that provide reputational buffers during crises or helping rebuild relationships following crises. By examining both the risks and strategic potential of CSA in crisis contexts, this chapter contributes to our understanding of how organizations can navigate the increasingly complex terrain of corporations’ social and political engagement. The chapter concludes with future directions for crisis communication research in the CSA context.