Social Brand Activism in a Changing Environment - A Qualitative Case Study on how Sportswear Organizations navigate Social Brand Activism whilst remaining Authentic

Abstract: Through a qualitative study, this thesis aims to investigate how sportswear companies navigate in the new complex field of social brand activism while remaining authentic to their customers and stakeholders. The thesis is conducted in a case study setting, where a total of nine interviews were executed. Seven interviews were held with employees in one of the world's largest sportswear companies and the remaining two from companies used as benchmarks. Legitimacy Theory is used to understand and analyze why sportswear organizations want to engage in social brand activism, along with how they can engage whilst remaining authentic. The findings from the cross-sectional study demonstrate several findings of how sportswear companies can navigate social brand activism while staying authentic, namely acknowledgment regarding its importance, consideration of disclosure processes, and execution of organizational claims, all differing upon firm ownership structure and firm size. This thesis contributes to management research by examining the decision-making process in a real-life setting through a new perspective, legitimacy, along with further highlighting the importance of social brand activism for organizations to consider.