Date: 8 November 2024, Friday
Time: 13.30 – 14.30
Place: MA-330
“From Washing to Hushing: Brand Ecosystem Positioning Strategies and Their Impact on Social Media Engagement”
by
Francesca Sotgiu
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Abstract
Social media enables brands to take a more interactive approach to brand building, allowing them to stay relevant by shifting towards dimensions relevant to the larger ecosystem in which they operate, even when these dimensions are not central to their brand identity. For example, a brand may align its positioning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. When this communication is not supported by clear actions, brands may be accused of “washing” practices. At the same time, brands may decide to remain silent on social media on topics central to their brand identity but potentially controversial, opting for a “hushing” strategy. These adaptations lead to misalignment between the brand identity and brand positioning, creating tension between the need of brands to stay relevant, avoid controversy, and the marketing communication mantra advocating for a consistent brand positioning. Such a misalignment may erode customer support, reflected in decreased social media engagement. This paper examines whether brands can deviate from their brand identity without risking losing customer support, focusing on positioning dimensions (what brand say), and brands actions (what brands do). Specifically, we quantify the engagement lift generated for different positioning strategies, highlighting the greater risks of hushing practices, which have been largely overlooked.
Bio
Francesca Sotgiu is professor of Marketing at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She holds a doctoral degree in marketing from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. Francesca’s research focuses on retailing, in particular on the impact of changes in the retailing landscape on brand manufacturers’ and retailers’ performance. Her research investigates the consequences of channel changes (e.g., price wars, cross-chain effects, price promotions, front-of-package labels, planogram decisions) and media changes (eWOM, social media, location-based advertising, mobile push notifications). Her work has been presented at numerous conferences and published in journals such as Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Product and Brand Management, International Review of Retail, Distribution & Consumer Research, Micro & Macro Marketing and Revue Française du Marketing. She serves as Area Editor for Journal of Retailing and is on the editorial board of Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and Journal of Interactive Marketing.
Her research was selected as finalist for the prestigious Weitz-Winer-O’Dell Award (2021), as well as for the AMS Sheth Foundation Best Paper Award (2021), and won the Best Paper in Track Award Winter AMA (2020), the Best Paper AMA Marketing and Public Policy Conference (2019), ABRI Best Faculty Paper Award (2016) and the William Davidson Honorable Mention (2017). Her work has been featured as “high impact” and “recommended for managers to read” by the Marketing Science Institute.