A quantitative study on the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility on South African Millennial’s brand resonance with fuel brands within the South African market.

Abstract

Since petrol prices do not vary depending on the brand, it is still unclear which factors contribute to building brand resonance with South African Millennials within the fuel industry. This study aims to explore the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on South African Millennials' brand resonance with fuel brands within the South African market. A quantitative research approach will be used with a positivist paradigm to address the research problem and determine whether CSR plays a significant role in building brand resonance. Carroll's CSR pyramid model will be used to determine the importance of CSR amongst South African Millennials. Furthermore, the study will implement Keller's customer-based brand equity model to measure the level of brand resonance between South African Millennials and fuel brands. The study will use an online survey to collect numerical data. The data will be analysed using a coding system with cross-tabulation to establish the association between the two variables: CSR and brand resonance. The study found that CSR does play a vital role in building brand resonance with South African Millennials. However, other factors such as distance to the fuel brand, loyalty programme and convenience store at the fuel brand are the main repeat purchasing factors.