Perfectly imperfect - A comparison of female millennial consumers’ perceptions towards ‘Brand Activist Aspirants’ and ‘Authentic Brand Activists’ in the lingerie market

Sammanfattning: Purpose: The purpose of this study is to comprehend female millennial consumers’ perceptions towards lingerie brands that are categorised as ‘Brand Activist Aspirants’ compared to ‘Authentic Brand Activists’. Methodology: As this research focuses on studying consumers’ perceptions, a subjective social constructionist view was taken. By using an abductive approach, an exploratory qualitative research was conducted. Theoretical perspective: To understand the overall classification of brands into brand activism categories and the consumers perceived brand authenticity, this study reviewed and applied two theories. One of these was extended upon to include the new category ‘Brand Activist Aspirant’. Empirical Data: 11 semi-structured interviews were carried out with female millennial lingerie consumers who are involved in or familiar with brand activism. These were selected by applying purposive sampling. Additionally, three lingerie brands served as an example of ‘Authentic Brand Activists’ and ‘Brand Activist Aspirants’ for our study. Findings/Conclusion: The findings suggest that consumers prefer activist over non-activist brands but only when their efforts are genuine which is especially important if they are shifting towards such an approach and become ‘Brand Activist Aspirants’. While such aspirants are lacking authenticity as they have only recently taken a stance and are still working on incorporating the key characteristics (purpose, values, marketing messaging, corporate practices, track record), ‘Authentic Brand Activists’ perform well as they follow sincere intentions and have integrated brand activism into their core for a long duration. Practical implications: The results from this study showcase what brands need to consider when aiming to adopt an activist approach, making them ‘Brand Activist Aspirants’. By aligning the five key characteristics, marketing practitioners are able to lead their brands to an ‘Authentic Brand Activist’ approach.