Trust Cues and Action Appeals in Indonesian Digital ESG Communication: A Directed Qualitative Content Analysis
Keywords:
Digital Brand Communication; ESG Communication; Message Framing; Qualitative Content Analysis; Trust CuesAbstract
This study examines how social value-based Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) communication constructs brand trust and purchase-intention appeals for Generation Z consumers in Indonesian digital brand communication. The study responds to the growing managerial need for ESG messages that are not only informative but also credible, participatory, and relevant to young consumers who are exposed to brand narratives through digital platforms. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on official digital documents and web-based brand communication from three Indonesian consumer-facing brands: Gojek, Bank Syariah Indonesia, and Unilever Indonesia. The corpus was selected purposively because the texts explicitly communicate sustainability, social responsibility, environmental action, and community-oriented value. Data were analyzed through coding, thematic categorization, and interpretive comparison across five language-style dimensions: message clarity, information transparency, language authenticity, social empathy, and social value relevance. The findings identify five dominant language patterns: institutional commitment language, participatory action language, social-benefit language, evidence-based transparency language, and everyday value-proximity language. These patterns work through credibility, empathy, and value identification mechanisms to construct brand trust and persuasive orientation toward purchase or service use. The study contributes to marketing communication and business research by showing that ESG communication is not merely disclosure but a strategic language practice that shapes consumer meaning, brand legitimacy, and sustainable consumption appeal among Generation Z.
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