What Holds Ethical Consumers toa Cosmetics Brand: The Body Shop

1
What Holds Ethical Consumers to a Cosmetics
Brand? The Body Shop

• ltCSR for Cynics Series 1 - Ethical Consumergt

• 19th of April , 2007
• Rosa ChunManchester Business School

2
Image of Cosmetics

• Unethical
• Cosmetics in the 1800s were something that was
  worn by prostitutes, so Queen Victoria publicly
  declared makeup impolite
• I absolutely think . .All colour or complexion
  added to our skins or faces, beyond what is
  purely natural, to be a sin (John Gauden)
• Environment protection issues and use of chemical
  ingredients in the production processes

• The dictionary definition of cosmetic
  non-essential, inessential, superficial.
  (The Oxford English Dictionary)
• Ethical
• Environmental friendly recycled packaging and
  claiming to use only organically grown
  ingredients.
• Competitive more and more cosmetics brands try
  to engage their consumers with a favorable,
  ethical and distinctive image

3
For CSR-led cosmetics brands..

• Their target consumers are supposedly those who
  share similar ethical values and personality to
  the brand.
• The Body Shop is a global operation with people
  working towards sharing common values. Thats
  what has given it a campaigning and commercial
  strength and continues to set it apart from
  mainstream business (Anita Roddick)

4
Self-Brand Image Congruence

• Brand preference is influenced by ones
  perception of how similar the personality of
  brand and their own (Kassarjian 1971)
• Customers make purchase decision on a products
  symbolic meaning and images, which can be used to
  maintain or enhance self-image (Levy 1959)
• A man who considers himself rugged and masculine
  should prefer Marlboro cigarettes, whereas a
  woman who considers herself attractive, modern,
  and liberated should prefer Virginia Slims
  cigarettes.
• Self-brand image congruence, or self identity of
  ethical consumers has not been tested on CSR-led
  cosmetics brands (Shaw, 2005).

5
A Conceptual Model
Self-Brand Image Congruence Ethical Character
Dimensions
Favourable Brand Evaluation Citizenship,
Distinctiveness, Satisfaction
Consumer-Brand Identification Emotional
attachment
6
The Body Shop

• Consumer reaction
• Satisfaction rating (BrandIndex) dropped by 11
  points to 14
• Brands trendiness has fallen by 10 points to 4
• Ethical rating (Ethiscore) plunged from 11 to
  just 2.5 out of 20
• Media reaction
• Brand reputation in risk, Anita sells her
  Body

• The first cosmetics company who created one based
  on the personal ethical values of its customer
• Recent take over by L'Oreal
• who was subject to boycott calls because of its
  animal testing policy
• who is also owned by Nestlé (26), the most
  boycotted company (Baby Milk Action).
• Investor reaction on the takeover
• Shares in Body Shop surged 10 towards the 300p
  mark offered by L'Oreal. They were as low as
  56.5p three years ago

7
Sample Measures

• Sample A survey of 317 Body Shop consumers
• Measures
• Citizenship BS plays a role in our society that
  goes beyond the mere generation of profits
  allocates of their resources to philanthropic
  activities help social problems.
• Distinctiveness BS has a unique identity,
  distinctive brand personality
• Satisfaction I am overall satisfied with BS, I
  would recommend BS to a friend.
• Identification (Emotional Attachment) I feel an
  affinity with the BS I am pleased to be
  associated with the BS.

8
Virtue Ethical Character Scale
Chun (2005) J of Bus Ethics
9
Input
Mediator
Outcomes
Integrity Fit
Satisfaction
Empathy Fit
Courage Fit
CustomerBrand Identification
Consumer Self -Brand Image Congruence
Favourable Consumer Evaluation
Citizenship
Warmth Fit
Zeal Fit
Distinctiveness
Conscientiousness Fit
10
Conclusions

• Contrary to the belief
• Consumer-brand image congruence has little impact
  on their evaluation of the CSR-led cosmetics
  brand.
• Empathy (concerned, reassuring, supportive,
  sympathetic)
• The only ethical character where the self-brand
  image congruence drives citizenship image,
  distinctiveness, satisfaction, via
  identification.
• However, the size of the gaps on empathy was the
  biggest.
• Integrity (honest, trustworthy, socially
  responsible)
• One of the most frequently cited corporate values
  but
• The level of congruence between self-brand
  integrity has no effect on consumer satisfaction
  and identification with the CSR-led cosmetics
  brand.

11
Implications for CSR-led cosmetics brands

• To promote citizenship image, leverage emotional
  attachment of consumers by promoting empathy
• concerned,
• supportive,
• reassuring,
• sympathetic
• Engaging with critics
• Negative comments from NGOs, journalists,
  Anti-corporation websites, publics, consumers