Brand Activism in a New Power World: A Case Study of the Social Media Communications of Patagonia
Authors
Hermansen, Maria Abild ; Tuason, Caroline Victoria Viken
Term
4. term
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-05-30
Pages
122
Abstract
This thesis examines how brand activism and New Power are operationalized in corporate social media through a qualitative case study of Patagonia. Drawing on Sarkar and Kotler’s Brand Activism and Heimans and Timms’ New Power, we analyze how Patagonia seeks to influence political and societal issues, engage consumers in its activist agenda, and motivate other businesses to adopt brand activism on social media, as well as whether its communication changed during the study period. Empirically, we assembled posts from LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using purposive sampling and conducted coding and thematic analysis guided by the Brand Activism framework while allowing data-driven codes to emerge. The analysis indicates Patagonia prioritizes the common good within its business, consistently issues calls to action that lower barriers to participation, and amplifies messages by sharing content across platforms. Communication patterns show no dramatic change across the period studied; Patagonia persistently communicates as an activist brand and has embedded New Power values in its business methods. The case suggests Patagonia can serve as an example for firms considering brand activism, while also highlighting that companies with more traditional models may struggle to embrace New Power without a fundamental review of purpose and values; otherwise, activism risks remaining superficial and confined to marketing.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan brand-aktivisme og New Power omsættes i virksomheders kommunikation på sociale medier gennem et kvalitativt casestudie af Patagonia. Med udgangspunkt i Sarkar & Kotlers Brand Activism og Heimans & Timms’ New Power analyserer vi, hvordan Patagonia søger at påvirke politiske og samfundsmæssige forhold, engagere forbrugere i en aktivistisk dagsorden og inspirere andre virksomheder til brand-aktivisme, samt om kommunikationen har ændret sig i undersøgelsesperioden. Empirisk indsamlede vi opslag fra LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook og Instagram via formålsbestemt udvælgelse og gennemførte kodning og tematisering med afsæt i Brand Activism-rammen, suppleret af datadrevne koder. Analysen viser, at Patagonia prioriterer fælles bedste i sin forretning, konsekvent udsender opfordringer til handling og sænker deltagelsesbarrierer for at mobilisere offentligheden, samt forstærker budskaber ved at dele indhold på tværs af platforme. Kommunikationsmønstrene viser ingen markante ændringer i perioden; Patagonia kommunikerer vedvarende som en aktivistisk virksomhed og har integreret New Power-værdier i sine forretningsmetoder. Casen antyder, at Patagonia kan fungere som forbillede for virksomheder, der ønsker at engagere sig i brand-aktivisme, men fremhæver samtidig, at virksomheder med mere traditionelle modeller kan have svært ved at omfavne New Power uden en grundig afklaring af formål og værdier; ellers risikerer indsatsen at blive overfladisk og primært forblive i marketing.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]