Brand Development Through Sustainability Certifications in Emerging Markets: Adoption of B Corporation Certification in Vietnam

Nguyen, Nguyen Phong; Mogaji, Emmanuel

Abstract

There is increasing emphasis from brands to recognise the social and environmental impact of their business practice. This corporate governance trend has led to the emergence of Certified B Corporations, which are companies certified based on their value creation initiatives for the non-shareholding stakeholders, balancing profit with people and the planet. This study is contextualised in Vietnam as an emerging economy to understand brands’ effort towards sustainability and their brand communication strategies by exploring their adoption of B Corp as a Sustainability Certification. The findings revealed that with 3928 currently listed on the B Corp directories, only two companies in Vietnam are listed and are B Corp certified. Despite this low adoption in Vietnam, these companies are making efforts to communicate their certifications on their websites and social media. This study highlights practical implications relevant for key stakeholders, including managers of organisations considering the certification, making efforts towards sustainability, brand managers responsible for marketing communication and brand development.

Citation

Nguyen, N. P., & Mogaji, E. (2022). Brand Development Through Sustainability Certifications in Emerging Markets: Adoption of B Corporation Certification in Vietnam. In Marketing Communications and Brand Development in Emerging Markets Volume II (233-255). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95581-6_10

• Online Publication Date: May 25, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: May 30, 2023
• Publisher: Springer
• Pages: 233-255
• Series Title: Palgrave Studies of Marketing in Emerging Economies
• Book Title: Marketing Communications and Brand Development in Emerging Markets Volume II
• Chapter Number: 10
• ISBN: 978-3-030-95583-0; 978-3-030-95580-9
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95581-6_10
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-95581-6_10
• Related Public URLs: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-95581-6
• Additional Information: First Online: 25 May 2022