Brand Hijack: How do Belgian consumers perceive Fred Perry’s association with extreme groups?

Details

Supervisors

Kervyn De Meerendré, Nicolas

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

This thesis seeks to find the impact that a brand hijack by extremist groups can have on the image of a brand, focusing on Fred Perry, which has been hijacked by extreme left and extreme right groups (such as the Proud Boys). In the second part, the focus will be on how Belgian Fred Perry customers react towards the associations with these extremist groups. Overall the impact remains limited, but the brand should always pay attention to the way it communicates with its target market and make sure it doesn’t lose consumers by focusing on hijackers.