PhD Defence Florian Lückenbach | Strategic Brand Management in Social Entrepreneurship | Bridging Theory and Practice

Strategic Brand Management in Social Entrepreneurship | Bridging Theory and Practice

Florian Lückenbach is a PhD student in the department Product–Market Relations. (Co)Promotors are prof.dr.ir. J. Henseler from the Faculty of  Engineering Technology (ET), University of Twente and prof.dr. H. Schmidt from the International University of Monaco.

In recent decades, there has been a growing social awareness of social and environmental challenges that has fundamentally changed both companies and organisations. While profit-oriented companies are increasingly integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their strategies and brands are increasingly positioning themselves as “conscientious brands”, the importance of organisations whose primary purpose is to solve social problems is growing in parallel. Social Entrepreneurship Organisations (SEOs) play a special role here, as they represent hybrid forms of organisation in which social objectives are combined with market-based logic. This hybridity leads to specific areas of tension, particularly with regard to legitimacy, stakeholder expectations and long-term competitiveness. Against this background, strategic brand management is becoming increasingly important for SEOs.

The aim of this dissertation is to make a substantial contribution to the scientific discussion on strategic brand management in SEOs and to show how SEOs can strategically build, manage and sustainably develop brands in order to strengthen their social mission and organisational performance in equal measure. The thesis is designed as a cumulative dissertation and comprises four interlinked studies, which are presented in Chapters 2 to 5.

Chapter 2 creates the conceptual and methodological basis of the work by developing and validating a measurement model to capture the central strategic orientations of SEOs. The focus is on brand orientation, market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation as well as their relationship to organisational performance. Performance is understood as a multidimensional construct that encompasses economic survival, social effectiveness and institutional legitimacy. The chapter makes an important contribution to the operationalisation of previously insufficiently researched brand and strategy concepts in the specific context of SEOs.

Chapter 3 builds on this measurement model and empirically analyses the influence of the three strategic orientations on different performance indicators of SEOs. Based on an international sample of 130 SEOs, both direct effects and interaction effects are analysed using partial least squares (PLS) path modelling and a configurational analysis (fsQCA). The results show that market and entrepreneurial orientation in particular contribute to social and market-related performance, while brand orientation in combination with market orientation has a complementary effect on economic performance. The chapter thus provides new insights into the strategic orientation of SEOs in highly competitive environments.

Chapter 4 shifts the focus from the strategic orientation to the concrete design of SEO brands. Based on a qualitative, multi-perspective study, it examines how brand meaning is created in SEOs and which factors, processes and stakeholders are involved in this process. The results lead to the development of the Social Impact Brand Model (SIBM), which is based on two core principles: social impact orientation and entrepreneurial logic. The model emphasises the importance of internal branding and the founder's personality, as well as the co-creative involvement of relevant stakeholders. It offers a specific explanatory framework for achieving authentic and stable branding in SEOs.

Chapter 5 extends the analysis to a specific organisational context and examines brand management in SEOs during and after crisis situations. A case study in the context of a natural disaster is used to analyse how brands can be built, transformed and sustainably anchored in different crisis phases. On this basis, a Crisis-Responsive Brand Model (CRBM) is developed that systematically takes into account the dynamics of crises, changing stakeholder networks and central drivers of brand identity. The chapter shows how brand trust built up during a crisis can be utilised in the long term and transformed into sustainable brand values.

A concluding chapter then analyses theoretical and practical implications as well as future research approaches for the research areas discussed.

Overall, this dissertation makes a valuable contribution to the field of brand research in the context of hybrid organisations by bringing together strategic, operational and contextual perspectives of brand management in SEOs. Furthermore, it offers practical implications for SEOs who want to use brands in a targeted way to build legitimacy, mobilise stakeholders and sustainably increase their social impact.