Caught in a Bad Romance - The Contradiction of Woke Brands in Consumers' Lives

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to discover the characteristics of consumer brand relationships between consumers and woke brands and thus contribute to the research field of consumer brand relations. This will be achieved by looking to the relationship in the context of postmodern consumers and specifically three purposively selected cases; Pepsi, Always and Gillette. The study is based on three cases, making it a multiple case study with a qualitative approach, where the main empirical collection consists of life history cases which was used to describe behaviors, attitudes, drivers and barriers in relation to the brands. The gathered data has been analyzed by idiographic and cross-case analysis, but also by identifying life themes and projects based on the theoretical framework. Within the context of the postmodern era, the relationship between consumers and brands are of interest. Consequently, the report takes its stand from Susan Fournier’s research, a pioneer within the field of consumer brand relationship theory. Within the context of consumers’ life histories and life-worlds a framework is created, consisting of postmodern consumers, woke as branding and marketing strategy, and consumer brand relationship theory. The empirical data has been obtained through a multiple case study of three international brands. Three consumers, one of each brand, have participated in the study. All respondents are purposely selected and screened, to create a condition for rich empirical collection, and interviewed through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The empirical material combined with the theoretical framework provide factors which characterize woke consumer brand relationships which illustrates that Fournier's framework is not enough the explain the fragmented consumers of today. The final framework creates a holistic view and describes key characteristics, where a woke consumer brand relationship can be metaphorically understood as an umbrella under which all the contradictions are gathered. The umbrella shelters them from the rain and keeps them close together – despite their differences.