Increasing Brand equity at Rreclusa: analysis of a premium fashion brand with a social cause

Abstract

Reclusa is a Portuguese non-profit social business that aims to help female inmates reintegrate into society after serving their sentences, by selling premium handmade bags and accessories manufactured at a Portuguese prison. Although the brand is developing a unique social business concept, it is not achieving the desired financial sustainability. This Work Project was developed to provide branding and marketing recommendations to Reclusa, for the project to become more profitable and self-sufficient and, therefore, be able to better achieve its social mission. In order to do so, a brand audit was developed, including secondary data, alongside a primary research, through participant observation and qualitative interviews, to gather more in-depth insights. Findings reveal that Reclusa has a low brand equity, once consumers do not have a high level of familiarity with the brand and do not hold strong brand associations. As so, recommendations provided are tools for Reclusa to increase brand awareness, improve brand positioning and establish a more positive brand image, in order to reach a higher brand equity, increasing the brand's value to attain financial sustainability.