| Abstract [eng] |
This Master’s thesis analyzes the significance of corporate social marketing communication for brand equity in the Lithuanian market. The relevance of the research is determined by rapidly growing consumer expectations regarding corporate social responsibility. In today’s saturated and highly competitive market, social marketing communication is becoming not only a tool for encouraging changes in social behavior but also an important factor in the creation of brand equity. The theoretical part of the thesis examines the theoretical foundations and key characteristics of social marketing communication, as well as reviews brand equity theories. Different dimensions of brand equity – reputation, trust, and consumer perception – are analyzed in the context of value-based communication. The study also addresses the challenges and limitations of social marketing communication, including the complexity of measuring social impact, consumer skepticism, and other related risks. The empirical part of the thesis presents a qualitative research approach based on semi-structured interviews with communication experts. The findings reveal that social marketing communication has the strongest impact on emotional dimensions of brand equity, such as reputation and trust. The results indicate that consistent and authentic communication enables value-driven brands to contribute to social progress; however, from a commercial perspective, it does not function as a mechanism for increasing consumers’ price tolerance. |
