ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the brand identity of each consumer cooperative and found common and distinct features among them, which could be a strategic basis of marketing. Consumer cooperatives brand can deliver the principles and social values of co-ops as human associations, and at the same time guarantee the product quality and trust of producer and supplier as a retailer. Korea’s four major consumer cooperatives – namely, iCOOP, Hansalim, Dure, Happycoop – have grown rapidly since their establishment of the 1980s, clearly showing their brand identity as an ‘ecological production and product distributor’ that meets consumers’ needs to have safe food and environment. The data collection and analyzing procedure is based on narrative analysis that is appropriate for finding main elements from the abstract concept of brand identity using data collected from the field. The in-depth interviews were conducted based on semi-structured, open-ended questionnaires according to the literature review of brand identity.
