Cooperatives and Branding
Chapter from the book:
Arslan,
İ.
&
Bozgeyik,
Y.
(eds.)
2023.
Research on Social Sciences- VI.
Synopsis
In the globalizing world, with the extraordinary development and spread of technology, a dizzying speed and diversity have emerged in the world of products, services, and ideas. The tremendous development in the field of communication has also profoundly affected the interaction between people. One-sided communication in the marketing world has left its place for two-way interaction. Thanks to high interaction, the world has almost become a single market. The intensity of competition has made it mandatory for all businesses to raise the level of their products and services. As the consciousness level of the consumers increased, the subject of satisfaction began to show itself not only concretely but also intangibly. Consumers, who do not want to be indifferent to the injustice created by rapid economic developments in income distribution, tend to support disadvantaged producers in large-scale economies with social economy tools such as cooperatives. It is an important economic development that cooperatives produce products for the needs of consumers and offer them their service through the brands they will create. There are moments when the private and public sectors are inadequate in the face of the increasing number and variety of goods and services in the market. At this point, perhaps as a third way, the social economy and its elements emerge. Cooperatives such as associations, foundations, and charities, which are fundamental elements in the social economy, are also part of the search for solutions to consumer needs. Cooperatives are the organizations that support the economy the most among other social organizations. Cooperatives need to be able to exist in a competitive environment and to survive for a long time in the economies they are in. In order to be more effective in the market, they are expected to evaluate the products they have produced in the best way under free market conditions. In this context, branding is a very important issue in their marketing efforts. Although branding efforts in the field of cooperatives face some obstacles, it is a crucial step in the long-term survival struggle of cooperatives in the face of ruthless competition. Cooperatives can only keep consumer interest warm by creating customer loyalty and corporate image through promotional activities such as branding. Day by day the importance of branding efforts in the field of cooperatives and their contribution to the economy will be understood more and more.