“The paper investigates how activism affects consumer impression of brands. We define activism as a signal of a brand’s societal enhancement intentions (connected with say LGBT or anti-racism) and show how it affects core business. For example, opposing racism and implementing measures to fight it positively affect reputation. Moreover, with support for immigration, it allows brands to strengthen their relationship with consumers. Valuing the diversity of employees and consumers allows consumers to strengthen their attitude toward brands that publicly display this,” says Scalco.
The conference was held in San Francisco in the beginning of August. The American Marketing Association was founded in 1937 and strives to be the most relevant force and voice shaping marketing around the world. It runs some of the most influential journals in the field.
“The AMA Summer Conference stands as one of the most important gatherings worldwide for marketing researchers. Ludovica’s paper, chosen as the best among a staggering 800 submissions this year, represents a remarkable accomplishment. It brilliantly spotlights an essential topic in our field,“ says Line Lervik-Olsen, Head of the Department of Marketing at BI Norwegian Business School.
Each summer the conference summer gathers some of the best marketing researchers in the world.
“First of all, I am very grateful to my supervisors and to the department for the support. It is a topic that I am truly passionate about as it concerns issues that are of deep importance to me. To see that research on this topic is awarded as the best in a conference means that this topic is gaining the awareness and relevance in academia that I think it deserves. And lastly, of course I am pleased to see my work recognized at the international level after all the hours spent on it,” says Scalco.