Beyond the Target Market : Investigating the Impact of Brand Activism on Brand Authenticity and Attitude in Non-Targeted Markets

Abstract: Nowadays, people around the world are connected through social networks. This hyperconnectivity implies that companies need to think about the perceptions and opinions of consumers who were not directly targeted by a campaign. As a result, brand activism, an emerging phenomenon that describes companies taking a stand on polarizing sociopolitical issues, must be explored more thoroughly in relation to non-targeted markets. Therefore, this thesis examined perceptions of brand activism in non-targeted markets and the role of perceived authenticity in shaping consumer perceptions and attitudes toward these campaigns. Furthermore, due to an ethnocentric view of previous research conducted mainly in Anglo-Saxon and European markets, this study focused on a non-Western market, specifically Singapore. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with Singaporean exchange students to examine their perceptions of two brand activist campaigns launched in the US and Australia. It was also examined whether their purchase intentions and brand perceptions changed as a result of the campaigns. The results showed that a missing cultural context, poor communication by the companies, the politically and socially safe options taken by the brands in launching their campaigns, and the general belief that for-profit companies use activism as a calculated move to generate more sales, led to a lack of perceived authenticity in Singapore. It was also found that authenticity and brand attitude are perceived differently depending on geographic location and age group. Brand activism was perceived as more acceptable in Western countries and younger generations than in more conservative countries such as Singapore, and older generations. In addition, Western research on authenticity must be re-evaluated for non-Western markets and cannot be assumed to be universally applicable. Finally, the perception of brand activism led to neutral or slightly positive brand attitudes, suggesting that in Singapore, authenticity does not need to be assumed for activist campaigns to be successful.