This study investigates the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and product evaluation and the role of brand familiarity in moderating the relationship between CSR and product evaluation. Using different levels of brand familiarity (high versus low) and CSR initiatives (high versus low), a between‐subjects experiment was carried out. The study finds that CSR has a positive impact on product evaluation and this positive impact is greater for products with high brand familiarity than products with low brand familiarity. The level of brand familiarity moderates the relationship between CSR and product evaluation. The study also reveals that the higher the CSR commitment and the brand familiarity, the more positive the product evaluation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment