Fly me to the moon: from corporate branding orientation to retailer preference and business performance

Purpose The airline aviation industry is both capital-intensive and competitive. Hence, the evolution of the sector needs original marketing strategies. To study the relationships between corporate branding and corporate image, taking into account two views, namely, corporate strategy and corporate expression in airline identity, this paper aims to analyze the main indicators of the corporate branding that affect the outcomes of the corporate image. Design/methodology/approach To inspect the theories, the foundational configural model was assessed through the perceptions of 395 employees in Indian aviation companies. By using complexity theory, this study matched the concept of equifinality and it examined the data via a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. Findings Findings show that corporate strategy positively influences the corporate image and corporate expression. Corporate expression offers the verbal and visual facets of a brand. Surprisingly, the paper shows that there is no link between corporate expression and corporate image. It also suggests that corporate expression, including corporate community, corporate promise and corporate personality, are all components of a corporate brand and do not influence the corporate image. Finally, the study highlights that corporate image positively affects superior business performance, which influences superior retailer preference. Research limitations/implications The study identifies the corporate identity’s indicators (corporate strategy and corporate expression) that affect the corporate image, which results in stronger, superior business performance and retailer preference. It suggests that managers in the airline industry should follow the recommendations of this research by adopting more objective and fairer procedures to attain superior business performance and retailer preference. In addition, the continued growth and the financial impact of the airline sector require the use of pioneering branding strategies. Future study is needed in various nations to advance the generalizability of the research findings. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is the first to study corporate brand, its sub-dimensions (corporate strategy and corporate expression) and their individual links to brand image, which involves experience, relationships and visual identity.

Customer attribution toward corporate social responsibility: the importance of social justice in COVID-19 donation

Purpose Literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has given much attention to the impact of CSR initiatives on business performance. However, managing customers’ attributions to the company’s social activities are also needed. This study aims to extend the existing knowledge by examining the role of social justice as a moderating variable in the relationships among corporate brand image, CSR motive, corporate brand trust and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach The research data were collected from a sample of 710 respondents in Indonesia through an online survey. The variables used in this study’s questionnaire were adapted from previous studies. The focus of the survey was a COVID-19-related social activity conducted by the biggest private telecommunication company in Indonesia. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. Findings The results showed that social justice moderated the relationship between corporate brand image and CSR motive. Also, social justice that revealed fairness in social life could influence how customers respond on company social activities and thus create corporate brand trust and loyalty. Research limitations/implications This study focused on only one company and one type of CSR activity (i.e. philanthropy) that might limit its generalizability. Future studies can focus on other types of CSR activities from various companies and industries. Practical implications In designing their social activities, companies must consider the importance of social justice. Companies need to address customers’ concerns toward social and society problems, especially to overcome social, environmental or health problems. Hereinafter, companies must design CSR activities that establish and accentuate their value motives by creating communication through media and public relations activities to symbolize their high concern for social problems or disasters. Originality/value Most previous studies consider the outcome of social activities and their impact on business performance. This study focuses on the impact of corporate brand image and social justice (as an individual characteristics) on CSR (social activities) and how it can further enhance business performance (corporate brand trust, corporate brand image, loyalty) and enrich CSR research in emerging economies.

Research on the Mechanism of Consumers' Purchase Intention under the Xinjiang Cotton Incident

Under the brand crisis triggered by the Xinjiang cotton incident, the study selected foreign brands MUJI and H&M, which have high brand awareness, and explored the mechanism of different brand crisis response strategies on Chinese consumers’ purchasing intentions, and explored in-depth the mediating effect of consumer emotions in this process, and constructed a structural equation model. The research result illustrates the correlation between emotions and corporate brand crisis response strategies and attitude towards China. It as well explains how consumer emotions play a mediating role between corporate brand crisis response strategies and purchase intentions. The study also found that consumers’ negative emotions have a deeper impact on their purchase intentions. The research has fully demonstrated the internal emotions and behavioral mechanisms of consumers, guiding companies to choose appropriate response measures, clarifying corporate political positions and attitudes, and implementing appropriate corporate brand crisis strategies.