New England College of Business and Finance Computer Science Questions

What is brand purpose and why is it important to consumers? How do consumers respond when purpose is ‘faked’, as happens with so-called “green-washing” and “woke-washing”? Why are some marketers advocating that firms transition away from brand purpose and toward brand activism, and how can firms successfully make this transition? To help facilitate a discussion of these core issues, please read the assigned readings for class, watch the assigned video excerpt, and respond to the questions below

1. Article: Finally, Brand Activism!

(https://www.marketingjournal.org/finally-brand-activism-philip-kotler-and-christian-sarkar/ (Links to an external site.))

2. Article: A true brand purpose doesn’t boost profit, it sacrifices it https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-true-brand-purpose-doesnt-boost-profit-sacrifices/ (Links to an external site.)

3. Video: Brand purpose, Mark Ritson, watch minute12:18 to 19:44 (Note: Mark Ritson offers his unvarnished opinion of brand purpose and uses some profanity doing so. If profanity makes you uncomfortable, then skip this video excerpt):

Mark Ritson on what does and doesn’t matter in marketing

Your work should satisfy following requirements:

• Offer an example of a company you associate with genuine brand activism/purpose and one you associate with disingenuous brand activism/purpose (e.g., a green-washer, woke-washer). Explain why you chose your examples. (Please do not rely on examples that are already covered in articles or videos.)
• Some consumers respond to brand purpose/activism by “boycotting” the brand (i.e., deliberately not purchasing a brand and possibly denigrating it in protest, e.g., consumers burning Nike shoes on social media). Other consumers might respond by “buycotting” the brand (i.e., deliberately purchasing a company’s products in support of their policies/actions, or to counter a boycott). What factors might determine or moderate these extreme consumer responses to brand activism/purpose?
• Disingenuous brand activism/purpose is a transgression that can compromise consumer trust. When brands transgress, history tells us that some brands survive a transgression better than others. Why might consumers more easily forgive some brands’ transgressions more than others?

• Green-washing: https://youtu.be/CcGwX2Pp_JU
• Woke-washing: https://youtu.be/OfrCqnKbHKk

In responding to questions 2 and 3, you should consider buyer characteristics (e.g., culture, social groups, personality, demographics, etc…), the buyer’s black box (e.g., processes of attention, perception, memory, decision-making), aspects of the brand (e.g., its positioning, 4Ps), and/or other aspects of buyers’ environments (e.g., the technological, economic, political environment).