Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify, define and describe the challenges of sustaining positive brand equity gained as an outcome of Cause-brand alliances. Therefore, this study is conducted from the perspective of companies engaging in Cause-brand alliances, with the aim to provide academic and managerial implications of managing brand equity over time following a Cause-brand alliance. Methodology: This thesis performs qualitative research and uses a longitudinal research design in order to conduct exploratory research. A case study is conducted on Gina Tricot’s CBA with UNICEF. Data is collected through the use of both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data collection is conducted through semi-structured interviews that are formed and analysed through open coding and grounded theory. The secondary data is collected through an analysis of Gina Tricot’s social media, reports, external media and sustainability reports from the company participating in this case study. Empirical findings: The empirical findings demonstrate that Gina Tricot has issues capitalizing on their CBA with UNICEF. A result of some of the challenges Gina Tricot is facing in sustaining brand equity following a CBA, including difficulty in gaining coverage in the media, unreliability in motives, fear of consumer criticism, ineffective communication strategy, intangible projects and lack of marketing prioritization from top management. Conclusions: The present study found indications that the benefits of CBA’s are not applicable to all industries. In order to gain brand equity, and sustain it following a CBA, it is of highest importance to overcome fear of public criticism and thus communicate the CBA to consumers by implementing an effective CSR communication strategy. Doing so requires prioritization from top management which can be challenging unless the CBA has proven results.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-420487 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Filipovic, Dora |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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