Pride and Prejudice: a study on the various types of consumer-brand relationships that brand activism campaigns form

Sammanfattning: Title: ​Pride and Prejudice: a study on the various types of consumer-brand relationships that brand activism campaigns form. Date of the seminar: ​5th June 2020 Course: ​BUSN39 Degree Project in Global Marketing Authors: ​Sarah Jørgensen and Zinar Omar Supervisor: ​Peter Svensson Keywords: ​Brand Activism, Marketing, Consumer-brand relationship, Societal issues, Political debates Purpose: ​The purpose of this study was to understand which types of consumer-brand relationships brand activism campaigns form. To explore this phenomenon, we used three brands that recently launched brand activism campaigns. The selected brands were Nike, Gillette, and Ben & Jerry’s. With this study, we aimed to contribute to the field of brand activism. Literature review and theoretical perspective: ​To analyze the empirical material, previous literature within corporate social responsibility (CSR) and brand activism were examined. Thereafter, we used the existing theoretical consumer-brand relationship framework by Fournier (1998) to categorize which types of consumer-brand relationships brand activism campaigns form. Methodology: ​The present study was conducted in a qualitative form, including virtual observations and a focus group. Furthermore, by using an inductive approach, we sought to systematically develop themes and identify patterns from the data that we have collected to answer the research question. Empirical data: ​The empirical data has been divided into two aspects on consumers' views on brand activism campaigns: (1) consumers agreeing on brand activism campaigns, and (2) consumers disagreeing on brand activism campaigns. Further, we have divided the findings into sub-themes in relation to Fournier’s (1998) consumer-brand relationship framework and dissolution model. Conclusion: ​The present study contributes to novel insights on which types of consumer-brand relationships brand activism campaigns form. Moreover, the paper determines how consumers react when brands are taking a social or political stance in their advertisements. Additionally, consumers form various types of relationships with the brand, depending on if they agree or disagree with the brand activism campaign. Practical implications: ​The study provides marketing professionals and researchers with an understanding of the different types of consumer-brand relationships that are formed in regard to brand activism campaigns. Moreover, it is important to be aware of the consequences that can occur when using brand activism as a marketing technique, since it can result in a loss of consumers.