Abstract
This study aims to evaluate the empathic brand initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia and analyse the online sentiments toward the philanthropy of corporations, non-profits organisations, citizens and society. Sentiment analysis was conducted on related posts of 15 companies from March to June 2020 with varying preliminary times for each company as the first donor. To complete the perception, the authors conducted a focus group discussion (FGD). Research shows that medium size and small–medium enterprises, such as local cosmetic companies and budget hotel are the first donors, followed by large or multinational companies (MNCs). In contrary with previous research, public perception was not influenced by the amount and the time of giving but was impacted by communication strategies, the empathy of the brand itself, and the company behaviour before COVID-19 period. This research’s novelty is the emphatic communication model to create, maintain and protect a company’s reputation.
Highlights
During a disaster and pandemic, many organisations conduct a corporate social responsibility (CSR) to demonstrate how firms participate and care for each other
An focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted by gathering participants of different ages, professions and locations to analyse the perception and discuss their opinion about the philanthropy programmes conducted by brands during the pandemic in Indonesia
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to Indonesian people being increasingly empathetic
Summary
During a disaster and pandemic, many organisations conduct a corporate social responsibility (CSR) to demonstrate how firms participate and care for each other. Prior research shows that stakeholders give a positive perception and are willing to support organisations providing large donations to the community (Chen et al, 2008; Olsen et al, 2003). The organisation needs to do the CSR properly, but it is important to spread the information on the media. In this competitive market, an organisation must grab adequate attention from their market through media advertising and approach, since it is proven to improve consumer behaviour towards its products or services (Sama, 2019)
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