The effect of corporate social responsibility authenticity on brand trust and brand authenticity

Corporate social responsibility is a very important issue for the business world from the perspective of globalization. Corporate social responsibility needs to be adressed in the social, economic, ecological and ethical senses as well as with the legal obligations of businesses. Companies can create customer satistaction and profitability together for internal and external environment thanks to corporate social responsibility approach. To survive in the long run is the main objectives for companies and corporate social responsibility approach helps companies to achieve it. At the core of brand trust concept there are promises given by companies to the consumers and meeting customer expectations. Businesses that can build a trustbased relationship with their customers will get closer to achieveing sustainable competitive advantage in the long run. In addition to the advantages that the brand trust concept will provide for the development of brand value and the formation of brand loyalty, also companies can follow new brand strategies. The concept of authenticity is also very important for the relationships between companies and the consumers today. The presence of the perception of authenticity in the minds of consumers will enable businesses to establish a long-term relationship with their customers. From this point of view this research wants to determine the effect of Corporate Social Responsibility Authenticity on Brand Trust and Brand Authenticity. Survey method was used to acquire data by the researcher. Ülker and Eti were the brands surveyed because they are still leaders of Turkish food market. Corporate Social Responsibility projects which was created by these brands recently were included in the survey. In the final section of thesis the results of the survey are summarized. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Brand Trust, Brand Authenticity, Corporate Social Responsibility Authenticity, Ülker, Eti