CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, A TOOL IN CREATING CORPORATE BRAND AWARENESS: A CASE STUDY OF THE TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY IN GHANA

Abstract This study is an effort to find out the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in creating Corporate Brand Awareness. University students have been identified by the telecommunication companies as an attractive target group with financial prospects. Therefore, questionnaires sought to find the views of 120 students that provided insight to the role that CSR plays in creating corporate brand awareness in the telecommunication industry. The results from the research showed that CSR plays a role in creating brand awareness for the companies that are highly engaged in it; in this case, Zain and MTN. This is particularly so because, these companies made sure that customers and the public at large were aware of their CSR activities. On the other hand, the CSR activities of a company like Kasapa were not known to the public and so it was considered to be inactive in CSR. It is also important to mention that, most consumers factor into their purchasing decision, the element of brand awareness, implying that they were more likely to purchase a product or service of a brand that they are more aware of. Therefore, creating brand awareness through CSR moves a company further to completing the purchase of its product or service. Other benefits derived from using CSR as a tool in creating corporate brand awareness include protection of brand reputation and a solid foundation for brand perceived loyalty and quality