Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate corporate social responsibility (CSR) platforms and the communication surrounding those platforms in India. It seeks to establish the CSR platforms that are typically used, together with stakeholder attitudes to both the form and content of those platforms. Design/methodology/approach – The paper refers to both primary and secondary sources of data, i.e. a survey of internet sources and a questionnaire survey. Findings – The paper shows that the Indian corporations surveyed pursue a primarily philanthropic platform with a focus on community development projects, as predicted by previous studies. It also indicates, however, that Indian consumers may not value philanthropic CSR as highly as other CSR initiatives and that this may in turn influence their attitudes to different marketing communication strategies. Practical implications – The paper suggests ways in which Indian corporations may formulate the form and content of their CSR policies in the future within a marketing strategy in order to influence their stakeholders positively and increase their competitive advantage. Originality/value – The paper provides an innovative approach to investigating the consequences of how Indian corporations communicate their CSR policies to their stakeholders. It suggests a number of fruitful areas of enquiry with direct implications for Indian business in the future. © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited