Journal of Yaşar University
Yazarlar: Zanete GARANTİ
Konular:Sosyal
Anahtar Kelimeler:Ethical brand perceptions,Brand loyalty,Brand choice intentions,Emotional brand attachment,Nike
Özet: In recent decades, with the technological advancements available to customers, companies’ actions are more transparent than ever and customers are aware of companies that does not meet society’s moral and ethical values. Those companies are heavily criticized and even boycotted unless they do take corporate actions to address their unethical practices, whether it is labor rights, work conditions, child labor, low and unequal pay or others. Nike, a global sportswear corporation, has suffered from claims regards unethical practices in their subcontracted factories in third world countries since 1970ties, and has implemented several programs and actions at corporate level to address those ethical issues. This study looks at whether after investments and corporate programs dedicated to improve Nikes ethical image, customers do perceive Nike as ethical brand. Moreover, it also investigates the relationship ethical brand perceptions have on emotional brand attachment, as well as brand loyalty and brand choice intentions, and looks at mediating role of emotional brand attachment in ethical brand perceptions and brand loyalty and brand choice intentions relationship. The study was quantitative in its nature, and was conducted on 400 international studies studying in universities in Northern Cyprus, and obtained data was analyzed using PLS-SEM. The study results reveal that ethical brand perceptions does have a positive effect on emotional brand attachment, as well as brand loyalty. In contrast, ethical brand perceptions does not impact brand choice intentions, as students are known to be impulse buyers that quickly switch to other brands. Emotional brand attachment does positively relate to brand loyalty and brand choice intentions, and also is a mediator in ethical brand perceptions and brand loyalty and brand choice intentions relationship. The results are discussed and implications drawn from the findings of the study.