We have all heard about the ebola crisis, whether it be from reading an article, hearing it on the radio, discussing the issue with friends, or receiving and email asking to donate.
It’s rapidly becoming a world-wide issue that must be dealt with on a global scale. Governments are donating money to combat the disease however some nations are not donating as much as seems sociably acceptable for example Austria who is donating a mere £164, 143. On the other hand, some companies are donating an extraordinarily large amount such as Ikea who is donating £4.1 million. (Wheaton, Oliver). Although most news articles discuss the lack of donation from many european companies, the underlying message is Ikea has donated £4.1 million.
This viral information must be doing wonders for Ikeas brand image. This is their largest donation in the history of the company, and is an excellent move from the corporate social responsibility department of the company. (O’Mahony, Paul). Ikea even has a whole non-profit sector of the business called “The Ikea Foundation” found at http://www.ikeafoundation.org/ This foundation has earned Ikea a well-known image of being a moral and ethical business which would make potential employees more willing to work there as well as potential consumers more likely to purchase Ikeas products. This relates to the “social” aspect of the triple based line as it helps Ikea connect with its customers in a moral way and it increases brand awareness. Although it is a large cost for Ikea, it could be seen as a long term investment into their brand image as in the future potential customers may be more likely to buy their products due to their high morality, with it becoming a larger and larger factor in todays world.