Customer perception and response to crisis marketing a study on brand loyalty during economic uncertainty, Poulina Group Holding

Abstract

This study investigates consumer loyalty and trust in the Poulina Group Holding, Tunisia's biggest conglomerate, during a period of acute national economic uncertainty, characterized by high inflation and extremely low purchasing power. Evaluated under the theoretical paradigm of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), where the brand is suggested as a mechanism for managing threat to the economy, research was conducted using quantitative survey approach, gathering evidence from 111 regular Poulina shoppers in Tunisia. The findings indicate a latent gulf between coverage in the marketplace (97.3% utilization) and emotional loyalty. Poulina may be ubiquitous, but its clientele is highly transactional and volatile, with the intention to switch to lower-cost rivals (Mean 3.39/5) being the dominant thinking pattern. The study finds a critical transparency shortfall (Mean 2.96/5), and that how consumers see the brand as truthful—more than the real level of prices—is the primary psychological barrier to defection. The study finds affective drivers (like economic patriotism and attachment) secondary and not sufficient to overcome budget, and most importantly the most susceptible income segments. The research concludes that Poulina's crisis marketing is failing to cope due to low digital responsiveness and a lack of tangible, observable reciprocity. The market has given a categorical mandate: to capture loyalty, the brand must move away from relying on reputational history to utilize procedural fairness in terms of price transparency and to construct relational commitment through systemic loyalty rewards and observable community support. This research is a critical diagnosis instrument for brand resiliency in emerging markets, with the argument that sustained loyalty is predicated on the capacity to convert perceived economic threats into shared corporate sensibilities and measurable value.