Reducing inequalities with sustainable brand communication: learning lessons from brand scandals

The study also majorly focuses on investigating ways in which brands communicate their sustainable efforts in case of a brand scandal. Brands have made efforts like legal processes, arbitration, or rituals to recompense for the original breach to re-build its reputation after such an ethical scandal (Sims, 2009). However, these strategies are applied post brand scandal. There is an utmost need to adapt sustainability as a core value in a brand’s value system. Especially for the weaker or unprivileged sections of our society, the situation has worsened with the covid-19 pandemic, leading to increased income inequalities and reduced availability of basic facilities and amenities (SDG’s Goal 10). There are multiple reasons that a brand may not consider sustainability as an essential goal in their brand value system. It may not wish to be portrayed as a brand for the weaker section of the society, or a brand that may include the less privileged as part of its brand but not empower them, or it may prefer to stay silent about sharing its good deeds of reducing the inequalities. People belonging to the unprivileged class face issues for attaining necessities. Thus, there is a need to lay down ways of communicating such supportive efforts by the brands. These will make the needful aware as well able to take the benefits of their reach and offering. Sustainable contributions by brands shall act as a catalyst for those with no means of uplifting themselves. Accordingly, our research focuses on analyzing sustainable strategies to be adopted by brands that do not practice sustainability in their regime. . Our preparatory study already suggests six research steps, four on the consumers’ side, and two on the marketers’ side. An overview of initial literature gaps, literature review and selected research methodology are discussed. Moreover, this paper highlights future research themes and methos.