How CEO/Founders' Social and Political Expression Impacts Gen Z's Brand Loyalty: A Comparative Analysis of Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s, and Spotify
(2025) In LBMG Strategic Brand Management - Masters Paper Series BUSN21 20252Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Purpose: The study examines how CEOs' and founders' social and political declarations
influence Generation Z's conditional brand loyalty in an era in which personal and corporate
identity are more intertwined than ever. Focusing on how leaders' public stands on
controversial topics—in particular the Israel-Palestine conflict—determine consumer trust,
the research aims to establish strategies for dealing with identity spillover and authenticity
threats in the context of Brand Activism.
Methodology approach: Using a comparative multi-case study approach, the research
investigates three global brands: Ben & Jerry's, Starbucks, and Spotify. Social media posting
sentiment analysis, financial statements, and a consumer survey assessing... (More) - Purpose: The study examines how CEOs' and founders' social and political declarations
influence Generation Z's conditional brand loyalty in an era in which personal and corporate
identity are more intertwined than ever. Focusing on how leaders' public stands on
controversial topics—in particular the Israel-Palestine conflict—determine consumer trust,
the research aims to establish strategies for dealing with identity spillover and authenticity
threats in the context of Brand Activism.
Methodology approach: Using a comparative multi-case study approach, the research
investigates three global brands: Ben & Jerry's, Starbucks, and Spotify. Social media posting
sentiment analysis, financial statements, and a consumer survey assessing pre- and
post-exposure value congruence, purchase intention, and Net Promoter Score for each brand
or CEO's political stance yielded the data. The Vision-Culture-Image (VCI) model further
guided the investigation to diagnose mismatched alignment in leadership vision, internal
culture, and public image.
Findings: Research indicates that authenticity, consistency, and identity congruence are the
determinants for sustaining Gen Z consumers' loyalty. Ben & Jerry's authenticity supported
trust and advocacy despite the controversy, while Starbucks and Spotify experienced backlash
due to perceived value misalignment and communication failures. Across cases, brand
activism was a double-edged sword—enhancing emotional engagement for some audiences
while provoking reputational volatility for others.
Originality/value: This research contributes to the literature on CEO and Brand Activism by
illustrating how leadership expression shapes consumer trust and conditional loyalty in
polarised socio-political contexts. The proposed framework offers actionable insights for
decision (Less) - Popular Abstract
- Purpose: This study explores how social media has blurred the line between influential
corporate leaders’ personal brands and corporate identities. Focusing on their public
expressions or actions tied to controversial issues, and their impact on Generation Z
consumer loyalty. Aiming to identify strategies for firms to manage identity spillover risks in
the era of Brand Activism.
Methodology approach: Using a comparative multi-case study approach, we analyse three
global brands: Ben & Jerry’s, Starbucks and Spotify, in how leadership statements or actions
tied to the Israel-Palestine conflict affected consumer perceptions. We leverage sales data,
financial reports, social media posts and a survey to assess the inherent effect.
... (More) - Purpose: This study explores how social media has blurred the line between influential
corporate leaders’ personal brands and corporate identities. Focusing on their public
expressions or actions tied to controversial issues, and their impact on Generation Z
consumer loyalty. Aiming to identify strategies for firms to manage identity spillover risks in
the era of Brand Activism.
Methodology approach: Using a comparative multi-case study approach, we analyse three
global brands: Ben & Jerry’s, Starbucks and Spotify, in how leadership statements or actions
tied to the Israel-Palestine conflict affected consumer perceptions. We leverage sales data,
financial reports, social media posts and a survey to assess the inherent effect.
Findings: The findings reveal that authenticity and consistency between a brand’s values and
its leadership’s public stance are decisive for maintaining loyalty. Four key insights emerge
concerning CEO/Founder Activism and its impact on Gen Z's conditional loyalty within the
framework of Brand Activism.
Originality/value: The study contributes to the literature on Brand Activism and CEO Activism by
highlighting how the fusion of personal and corporate brands generates both opportunities for
deeper stakeholder engagement and heightened reputational risks in polarised socio-political
contexts. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9214282
- author
- Boldrini, Aurora LU ; Paolucci, Elena LU and Schmidt, Simon LU
- supervisor
-
- Frans Melin LU
- organization
- alternative title
- CEO Political Expression and Its Effect on Gen Z Brand Loyalty
- course
- BUSN21 20252
- year
- 2025
- type
- L3 - Miscellaneous, Projetcs etc.
- subject
- keywords
- Brand Activism, CEO Activism, Gen Z, Brand Loyalty, Corporate Identity, Brand Equity
- publication/series
- LBMG Strategic Brand Management - Masters Paper Series
- language
- English
- id
- 9214282
- date added to LUP
- 2025-11-17 08:43:16
- date last changed
- 2025-11-17 08:43:16
@misc{9214282,
abstract = {{Purpose: The study examines how CEOs' and founders' social and political declarations
influence Generation Z's conditional brand loyalty in an era in which personal and corporate
identity are more intertwined than ever. Focusing on how leaders' public stands on
controversial topics—in particular the Israel-Palestine conflict—determine consumer trust,
the research aims to establish strategies for dealing with identity spillover and authenticity
threats in the context of Brand Activism.
Methodology approach: Using a comparative multi-case study approach, the research
investigates three global brands: Ben & Jerry's, Starbucks, and Spotify. Social media posting
sentiment analysis, financial statements, and a consumer survey assessing pre- and
post-exposure value congruence, purchase intention, and Net Promoter Score for each brand
or CEO's political stance yielded the data. The Vision-Culture-Image (VCI) model further
guided the investigation to diagnose mismatched alignment in leadership vision, internal
culture, and public image.
Findings: Research indicates that authenticity, consistency, and identity congruence are the
determinants for sustaining Gen Z consumers' loyalty. Ben & Jerry's authenticity supported
trust and advocacy despite the controversy, while Starbucks and Spotify experienced backlash
due to perceived value misalignment and communication failures. Across cases, brand
activism was a double-edged sword—enhancing emotional engagement for some audiences
while provoking reputational volatility for others.
Originality/value: This research contributes to the literature on CEO and Brand Activism by
illustrating how leadership expression shapes consumer trust and conditional loyalty in
polarised socio-political contexts. The proposed framework offers actionable insights for
decision}},
author = {{Boldrini, Aurora and Paolucci, Elena and Schmidt, Simon}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{LBMG Strategic Brand Management - Masters Paper Series}},
title = {{How CEO/Founders' Social and Political Expression Impacts Gen Z's Brand Loyalty: A Comparative Analysis of Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s, and Spotify}},
year = {{2025}},
}