This conceptual framework depicts the processes of brand equity enhancement through social initiatives co-creation, extends and enhances the initial conceptual framework presented in the literature review session of this thesis. By incorporating the views of the research case company (Brekete Family) gathered through semi-structured face-to-face interviews and observation, the researcher empirically validated the previously presented conceptual framework.
It is imperative to state that though several researchers have examined topics related to social marketing, co-creation and brand equity enhancement, no research has developed a research framework (validated or not) similar to that of this study.
The empirically validated framework advocates that for social change organisation to attain the two objectives of ‘doing well while doing social good’, it must engage and co-create its social behavioural change initiatives with its target audience, partners and stakeholders. Like the tentative framework, the empirically validated framework consists of five modified stages: (1) Initial social change idea, (2) Stakeholders engagements, (3) Co-creation, (4) Doing social good, and (5) Doing well.
Figure 2: The empirically validated framework for brand equity enhancement through social initiative co-creation.
8.1.1 Initial social change idea
The empirically validated framework indicates that the ideas for social behavioural change initiatives originate from change organisations. To comprehensively convey these ideas to the intended beneficiaries and seek the support of partners and other stakeholders, change organisations use their existing communication channels.
Effective social behavioural change ideas communication is not about the behavioural change ideas alone, but also reflects the brand and initiative positioning of the social marketing organisation.
While the behavioural change ideas detail the benefit of the change initiative to the target audience, the brand positioning reflects what the organisation is about, and the initiative positioning gives insights into how the organisation influences social behaviour. In its simplistic form, the initial social change ideas, brand and initiative positioning are a form of an open invitation to potential stakeholders to join the organisation in doing common social good.
8.1.2 Stakeholders engagement
Potential stakeholders that find the communicated social change idea, the brand essence and the social behavioural change processes of the initiating organisation appealing, engage in the conversations, offering their opinions, support, ideas, criticisms, resources and expertise. In most cases, these engagements happen on social media platforms in the forms of likes, retweets, shares, posts and comments, direct online and or offline contact with the instigating organisation seeking clarifications, expressing opinions and asking for ways to help. In some other instances, these conversations happen through word of mouth (WOM) shared among the members of the communities in which the social behavioural change initiatives are to be implemented.
The outcome of these online and offline conversations forms the active ingredients for refining the social behavioural change idea and reshaping of the brand and initiative positioning.
8.1.3 Co-creation
The instigating social behavioural change organisation do critical review and analysis of the responses emanating from the potential target audience, communities, policymakers and other stakeholders to the tentative social change ideas, and brand and social change initiative positioning. In addition to reviewing and analysing stakeholders’ responses, the social change organisation also reviews the various individuals, groups and organisations, to identify their potential stake in the intended social behavioural change initiative.
As all respondents cannot be active participants of the social behavioural change co-creation processes, the instigating organisation make formal contact with some selected stakeholders, inviting them to become part of the social behavioural change co-creation ecosystem, to co-refine the social behavioural change idea.
While it is the primary responsibility of the social change instigating organisation to decide on how its brand and social change initiative are positioned, from this
empirical study, the researcher realised that by bringing stakeholders into the co-creation processes, the views and contributions of co-creators are used by the instigating organisation to refine its positioning strategies.
8.1.4 Doing social good
The co-refined social change idea, brand and initiative positioning strategies, which are the outcome of the co-creation process, are co-implemented by the organisation and stakeholders. While social marketing strategies could be used to influence social behavioural change in almost all areas of human activities, currently, social change organisations have devoted much of their efforts to influence human social behaviours in the areas of environment, health and education for the good of the target individuals, communities and the society at large.
8.1.5 Doing well: Brand equity enhancement
While the primary goal of social marketing is to influence social behaviour for the good of the society and the target audience, this study has empirically proven that social behavioural change organisations can leverage their doing social good for their brand equity enhancement.
The analysis of the interview and observation data of this research arrived at the conclusion that co-created and co-implemented social behavioural change initiatives bequeath to instigating organisations the opportunities to extend their brand to other social and commercial undertakings and enhance the elements of brand awareness, loyalty, perception and association.
8.2 RQ1. What are the benefits (if any) of social initiative co-creation to brand