REPUTATIONAL CAPITAL AS A FACTOR IN THE CAPITALIZATION OF INTANGIBLE ASSETS OF CRAFT ENTERPRISES: SOCIO-COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AND DECOLONIAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

In the context of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine and the ongoing decolonization of the national socio-cultural space, the study of intangible asset capitalization mechanisms through strategic communications has gained particular resonance. Investigating craft production as a representative of local identity and cognitive resistance is critical for understanding the contemporary model of Ukrainian economic resilience. The subject of the study is the socio-communicative technologies of intangible heritage capitalization and the formation of decolonial narratives within Ukraine's craft sector under martial law. The aim of the research is to analyze integrated communication strategies that ensure the conversion of cultural codes and historical memory into reputational and symbolic brand capital (based on the nationwide project “Craft Christmas” and the regional initiative “Craft Zaporizhzhia”). The methodology is based on a combination of systemic and decolonial approaches, the theory of identity claims, as well as elements of digital content discourse analysis and case studies. The analytics of the implemented cases indicate that decolonial communication creates a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), significantly increasing the product's added value through a “narrative of search” and the legitimation of local knowledge. The application of Google Ads and SE Ranking tools allowed for the verification of public demand for craft content, confirming a high correlation between strategic brand communications and increased digital audience engagement (specifically within the “Craft Christmas” project). It is proven that the transformation of social media from advertising platforms into socio-communicative institutions facilitates the formation of “digital clusters”, where intangible assets (trust, solidarity) are converted into the financial stability of a region. The study of memorializing lost heritage (e.g., the Chateau Trubetskoi case) and social rehabilitation through fair activities demonstrates that craft serves as a tool for the “decolonization of the mind” and the restoration of community agency. The analysis of the “Craft Christmas” case identified a series of terminological definitions describing new socio-communicative phenomena in the Ukrainian business environment: “Craft Banking” – a strategic model of financial communication where a banking institution transforms from a technocratic service into an active mediator of cultural meanings, investing in “humanity” and unique customer experience; “Investment Authentication” – the process of verifying a local producer by large capital, granting the craft product the status of a national heritage and increasing its reputational value; “Digital Identity Incubation” – the use of large-scale media capacities (mobile apps, bank social networks) to bring local micro-brands out of “information shadow” into the broad public space. Special significance in the context of the craft sector's survival is attributed to the strategy of collective agency. Our research confirms the hypothesis that in a Wartime Economy, the “solo survival” model is the least effective. It is critically important for craft producers to integrate into clusters, initiatives, and digital platforms. Joining communities provides several strategic advantages: distribution of communication costs, the “umbrella trust” effect, and narrative synergy. Thus, the transition from an individualistic model to network collaboration is not merely a business recommendation but a necessary condition for the decolonization of the Ukrainian market, where fragmented producers become a single powerful economic front. Conclusions. The research highlights the priority of the relational communication model (co-creation of meanings) over the transactional one; the effectiveness of cross-sectoral collaborations between large capital and micro-entrepreneurship as a Win-Win-Win model; and the necessity of forming a Ukrainian craft narrative as a component of national security and cognitive resistance that dismantles imperial stereotypes regarding the “peripherality” of local production.