Екологічний брендинг меблевих підприємств України

Abstract

Дисертацію присвячено дослідженню теоретичних та прикладних підходів до екологічного брендингу меблевих підприємств України в контексті «зеленого» зростання. Обґрунтовано необхідність впровадження екологічного брендингу на меблевих підприємствах згідно із концепцією «зеленого»зростання. Вдосконалено трактування екологічного бренду та його класифікацію. На основі проведеного аналізу моделей створення брендузапропоновано вдосконалений процес формування екологічного бренду. Проаналізовано стан українського меблевого ринку, виокремлено основні проблеми та тенденції його розвитку, а також перспективи екологізації. Визначені споживчі очікування щодо питань збереження довкілля та ставлення до екологічних меблевих брендів. Визначено місце екологічної складової в брендах меблевих підприємств України. Розроблено концептуальну модель впровадження екологічного брендингу в бізнес-структуру меблевих підприємств. Запропоновано основні та додаткові підходи до позиціонування екологічного меблевого бренду. Визначено складові комплексу інтегрованих маркетингових комунікацій екологічного бренду на основі принципу омніканальності. The thesis is devoted to studying of theoretical and applied approaches to ecological branding of Ukrainian furniture enterprises in the context of green growth. It is proved that the movement towards greening led to the emergence of the concept of green growth, according to which environmental protection activities should be undertaken by the enterprise not only to improve the environmental situation, but also to further raise capital. The main tasks of an ecological brand as a tool for green growth are to pass on information and build trust with those consumers who are not yet fully aware of the benefits of sustainable consumption, and to build close relationships with those consumers who already have certain expectations about eco-products. It is proposed to interpret an ecological brand as a unique imaginative concept designed to create a deep emotional connection with consumers through activities aimed at preserving the environment and adhering to the concept of green growth. Aclassification system of ecological brands was designed, which allows to take into account the features of each brand when it is introduced into the activity of the enterprise. The process of forming an ecological brand has been improved according to which brand is considered as an important strategic tool of the enterprise and next key stages have been determined: preliminary analysis of the internal and external environment of the enterprise, determination of existing or creation of new environmental benefits, building of a brand vision, creation of a brand identification system, development of a marketing communications system and building loyalty. The research of the furniture market’s state in Ukraine showed that the dynamics of production significantly decreased. It is noted that the production of furniture has a negative impact on the environment in three directions: depletion of extractive resources, increase in the concentration of harmful substances in the atmosphere and environmental degradation. The level of environmental safety of the furniture industry in Ukraine is low and requires significant improvement of the legal field and change of the business behavior. The monitoring of consumer expectations showed the interest of Ukrainians in solving environmental problems, their willingness to change habits and lifestyle in order to solve environmental problems, the frequency of purchase of environmental goods and services and the reasons for their choice, the presence of unmet demand and barriers to the purchase of eco-goods, level of trust in environmental brands, the importance of eco-labeling, environmental friendliness of Ukrainian furniture products, relevance of the characteristics of an ecological furniture brand.The calculation of the significance coefficient of an ecological furniture brand characteristics showed that the most important thing for consumers in furniture arethe absence of harmful substances and compounds, durability of products and availability of wood certificates. According to the analysis of the furniture enterprises’ ecological component, it can be stated that there is considerable potential for the implementation of ecological branding.A conceptual model of the environmental branding implementation in the business structure of furniture enterprises is developed, in which the influence of the main structural units on the formation of consumer loyalty and on the growth of brand equity indicators is considered. It was proposed to evaluate joint actions of enterprise’s departments with such indicators of loyalty as identification, perception of quality and emotional response, which, in turn, is part of the brand ’s capital formation process, including increase of sales, creation of additional value and cash flow. It is suggested four main and two additional characteristics of ecological brand positioning. The main characteristics are: material features, resource efficiency, use and disposal, the content of harmful compounds. The additional characteristics are design and corporate philanthropy. It is stated that the omnichannel approach to marketing communications improves the two-way communication of the brand with stakeholders and provides an opportunity for more effective cooperation. It is advisable to use both internal and external marketing communications. External include offline and digital marketing communications with the mandatory use of eco-labeling.