Brand image creation by anti-food waste focused social enterprises on Instagram

As the number of active users on Instagram grew rapidly, businesses are increasingly using the platform to create awareness for their brand and establishing online brand image. Accordingly, the number of social enterprises advocating for a social goal increased. These organizations also started to use Instagram to create a brand image. By advocating their social goal online, social enterprises encourage their followers to contribute to help to achieve this goal. In this case, the focus lays on intending to reduce food waste worldwide. This thesis researches the ways how anti-food waste focused social enterprises build their brand image on Instagram. As Instagram grew into a platform for organizations to identify and present their selves as a brand, brand image creation by social enterprises on Instagram can contribute to a longer existence and higher impact on the social enterprises’ social goal. By conducting thematic analysis on the Instagram pages of three social enterprises, this study examines how the brands create their brand image on Instagram. Hereby, tools and strategies for online brand image creation are considered. The findings point out that social enterprises actively engage their followers through stimulating co-creation and by educating them. By doing so, social enterprises aim to encourage their followers to take action and start reducing food waste. First, the social enterprises under study largely involve their followers to co-create their brand image, as the content of followers is often reposted and input and experiences of followers are regularly asked for. Through this process of co-creation of content and brand image online, an online brand community is built. The creation of online brand communities has become increasingly popular, as the sense of belonging to the community results in loyal customers. Second, social enterprises educate their follower base in the field of food waste. The brands inform and educate their followers in their posts by sharing recipes, tips, and easy hacks, the social enterprises try to involve their followers in their attempt at reducing food waste. Therewith, social enterprises are utilizing different tools and strategies for brand image creation to encourage their followers to get involved in reducing food waste.