The impact of political brand activism on corporate reputation:
the case of Portuguese brand activism in a war context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18568/cmc.v22i64.2953Keywords:
brand activism, political brand activism, corporate reputation, retail sector, war, sustainable developmentAbstract
The phenomenon of brand activism has been attracting the attention of scholars and businesses, as a new and powerful strategy for brands to take a stand on sociopolitical topics and highlight their values, with high potential corporate gains. However, research on this topic is still at an exploratory stage and there are several companies and academics considering brand activism too risky for brands, especially on sensitive political topics such as war issues. As such, this article aims to study the impact of political brand activism on corporate reputation, analyzing the political activism of a retail company operating in Portugal – Auchan Retail Portugal –, at the start of a particular war. The results showed that brand activism has a significant positive impact on corporate reputation of Auchan Retail Portugal, thus contributing to a better perception of the potential of this strategy to improve corporate performance, by generating competitive advantages for brands. This article thus helps to reinforce the strategic relevance of brand activism for companies, encouraging greater corporate investment in addressing relevant sociopolitical issues.
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