Leverage of a sport mega-event branding : a case study of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
- Authors: Weszka, Pawel
- Date: 2014-01-14
- Subjects: World Cup (Soccer) (2010 : South Africa) , Branding (Marketing) , Sports - Marketing
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7887 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8779
- Description: D.Comm. (Sport Management) , The primary objective of the study was to establish what brand leverage strategies could be implemented in sport mega-event branding based on the case study of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The secondary objectives focused on discovering the dimensions of sport mega-event branding, investigating the areas of sport mega-event impacts and leverage, identifying sport mega-event brand leverage activation tools and understanding the role of mega-event brand leverage activation tools in the context of their potential influence on the development of small and medium enterprises in the host country. Deriving from the research questions and objectives, a theoretical framework of sport mega-event brand leverage was created. It provided a blueprint for seven hypotheses, formulated in this study. A quantitative descriptive design was employed by the researcher. A self-administered web based questionnaire was uploaded at the Statkon website at the University of Johannesburg. The researcher utilised a purposive judgement sampling technique which targeted small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the Gauteng and Western Cape provinces in South Africa. The companies were registered on four major online databases in South Africa – The Box, BizConnect, BizNetwork and online Yellow Pages. The main study was preceded by a two-phase pilot where five individuals representing conveniently chosen SMEs located in the city of Johannesburg filled out a hard copy of the questionnaire in each phase. Once the researcher refined the questions following the second pilot, the main research took place. The total of 8 902 emails, containing the website link, were sent out with 239 returned questionnaires accepted as valid to be included in the statistical analysis (2,95% response rate). The questionnaire was available online for five months between July and November 2011. The researcher made use of factor analysis and the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in the process of data analysis. The exploratory factor analysis enabled a reduction in the total number of latent variables (factors). It was followed by the confirmatory factor analysis, which also computed the goodness-of-fit indices allowing for establishing how well the model explained the data. Once the number of factors were reduced, the EQuationS (EQS) software was used to investigate mutual relationships between different variables and testing the hypotheses. The summary statistics, such as mean, median and standard deviation also helped in the interpretation of the findings. The main finding of the research was that the destination brand (South Africa) was a significant predictor of co-branding and an integral element of the sport mega-event branding (2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa). Co-branding was identified as the main brand leverage strategy – although there were various ancillary events supporting the World Cup. Ultimately the leverage opportunities lay in South Africa co-building the strong 2010 FIFA World Cup brand. In that, South Africa was one of the two dimensions of the mega-event branding which involved event and destination brands. The impact of social and political areas was identified as the most relevant to consider when staging a sport mega-event. In consequence they should be considered by destination brand managers and sport mega-event governing bodies when planning for leverage. Further analysis revealed that national identity and international prestige were found to have been considered as the most valuable areas of mega-event brand leverage in 2010. Close associations between national identity and prestige suggested that achieving one would have an influence on the other. Respondents thought that the aspects related to national identity should be included in marketing communications associated with the mega-event, such as advertising, public relations, sponsorship and licensing. Meanwhile, strengthening of a country’s international prestige should be anticipated when establishing the public relations strategy. In addition, sponsorship and relationship marketing were viewed as potentially having a significant influence on the development of local SMEs while licensing was seen as a solution with the power to boost SMEs growth in the short-term. This suggested that sponsors and other stakeholders should be involved in planning for positive event outcomes from a point of view of a local SME. This research had four main limitations which could not make the findings relevant to the broader population. Those limitations were: the low response rate, specific characteristics of hosting nation South Africa, as well as the fact that the World Cup is the most popular sporting event in the world. In addition, the sample population was limited to South African SMEs located in the Gauteng and Western Cape provinces which had an email and were registered on the four chosen online databases. That decision was driven by the fact that these two provinces are the two major business hubs in the country and were also involved the most in hosting of the World Cup matches in 2010. SMEs’ online presence enabled the researcher to conducts the study in an efficient and cost-effective way. More research is required in the future which would test the framework in different settings, with a different sample and also within an alternative time focus, mainly pre-and post-event.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Weszka, Pawel
- Date: 2014-01-14
- Subjects: World Cup (Soccer) (2010 : South Africa) , Branding (Marketing) , Sports - Marketing
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7887 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8779
- Description: D.Comm. (Sport Management) , The primary objective of the study was to establish what brand leverage strategies could be implemented in sport mega-event branding based on the case study of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The secondary objectives focused on discovering the dimensions of sport mega-event branding, investigating the areas of sport mega-event impacts and leverage, identifying sport mega-event brand leverage activation tools and understanding the role of mega-event brand leverage activation tools in the context of their potential influence on the development of small and medium enterprises in the host country. Deriving from the research questions and objectives, a theoretical framework of sport mega-event brand leverage was created. It provided a blueprint for seven hypotheses, formulated in this study. A quantitative descriptive design was employed by the researcher. A self-administered web based questionnaire was uploaded at the Statkon website at the University of Johannesburg. The researcher utilised a purposive judgement sampling technique which targeted small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the Gauteng and Western Cape provinces in South Africa. The companies were registered on four major online databases in South Africa – The Box, BizConnect, BizNetwork and online Yellow Pages. The main study was preceded by a two-phase pilot where five individuals representing conveniently chosen SMEs located in the city of Johannesburg filled out a hard copy of the questionnaire in each phase. Once the researcher refined the questions following the second pilot, the main research took place. The total of 8 902 emails, containing the website link, were sent out with 239 returned questionnaires accepted as valid to be included in the statistical analysis (2,95% response rate). The questionnaire was available online for five months between July and November 2011. The researcher made use of factor analysis and the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in the process of data analysis. The exploratory factor analysis enabled a reduction in the total number of latent variables (factors). It was followed by the confirmatory factor analysis, which also computed the goodness-of-fit indices allowing for establishing how well the model explained the data. Once the number of factors were reduced, the EQuationS (EQS) software was used to investigate mutual relationships between different variables and testing the hypotheses. The summary statistics, such as mean, median and standard deviation also helped in the interpretation of the findings. The main finding of the research was that the destination brand (South Africa) was a significant predictor of co-branding and an integral element of the sport mega-event branding (2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa). Co-branding was identified as the main brand leverage strategy – although there were various ancillary events supporting the World Cup. Ultimately the leverage opportunities lay in South Africa co-building the strong 2010 FIFA World Cup brand. In that, South Africa was one of the two dimensions of the mega-event branding which involved event and destination brands. The impact of social and political areas was identified as the most relevant to consider when staging a sport mega-event. In consequence they should be considered by destination brand managers and sport mega-event governing bodies when planning for leverage. Further analysis revealed that national identity and international prestige were found to have been considered as the most valuable areas of mega-event brand leverage in 2010. Close associations between national identity and prestige suggested that achieving one would have an influence on the other. Respondents thought that the aspects related to national identity should be included in marketing communications associated with the mega-event, such as advertising, public relations, sponsorship and licensing. Meanwhile, strengthening of a country’s international prestige should be anticipated when establishing the public relations strategy. In addition, sponsorship and relationship marketing were viewed as potentially having a significant influence on the development of local SMEs while licensing was seen as a solution with the power to boost SMEs growth in the short-term. This suggested that sponsors and other stakeholders should be involved in planning for positive event outcomes from a point of view of a local SME. This research had four main limitations which could not make the findings relevant to the broader population. Those limitations were: the low response rate, specific characteristics of hosting nation South Africa, as well as the fact that the World Cup is the most popular sporting event in the world. In addition, the sample population was limited to South African SMEs located in the Gauteng and Western Cape provinces which had an email and were registered on the four chosen online databases. That decision was driven by the fact that these two provinces are the two major business hubs in the country and were also involved the most in hosting of the World Cup matches in 2010. SMEs’ online presence enabled the researcher to conducts the study in an efficient and cost-effective way. More research is required in the future which would test the framework in different settings, with a different sample and also within an alternative time focus, mainly pre-and post-event.
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Determining brand resonance among golfers with respect to golf club brands
- Authors: Bondesio, Carlo
- Date: 2013-05-01
- Subjects: Branding (Marketing) , Golf industry , Product management
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:7487 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8346
- Description: M.Comm. (Business Management) , The South African golf industry has seen growth over the last few years and contributes to the South African economy. The contribution of the industry to the economy was estimated at R29.2 billion in 2008. Golfers in South Africa spent R1.7 billion on golf club brands in 2008. The competition in the industry has become fierce and golf club brand marketers need to focus on how to grow this spend and increase their market share and one way of doing this is to build a strong brand. This study focuses primarily on one of the building blocks of a brand, namely brand resonance. Brand resonance refers to the relationship between the brand and consumers, including the enthusiasm these consumers have to purchase and recommend the brand to others. The purpose for this study is to determine the brand resonance among golfers with respect to golf club brands. The study furthermore focuses on the four categories of brand resonance namely behavioural loyalty, attitudinal attachment, sense of community and active engagement. Information regarding the brand resonance among golfers with respect to golf club brands was gathered from 200 golfers who play golf at two golf clubs, using a self-administered questionnaire. The sampling units (golf clubs) were selected based on the judgement of the researcher and the sampling elements (golf players) were selected based on convenience sampling. The research study was descriptive in nature and quantitative methods were used to execute the empirical part of the research. The findings indicated that the majority of respondents play with TaylorMade golf clubs, and have been playing golf for five years or longer, have a handicap of between 11 and 15, and play golf on a weekly basis. Golfers do perceive a significant difference in the importance of the four categories of brand resonance with respect to golf club brands. Behavioural loyalty and attitudinal attachment realised the highest mean score, followed by active engagement and sense of community. Significant differences between golfers with regard to the four categories of brand resonance could not be uncovered.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Bondesio, Carlo
- Date: 2013-05-01
- Subjects: Branding (Marketing) , Golf industry , Product management
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:7487 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8346
- Description: M.Comm. (Business Management) , The South African golf industry has seen growth over the last few years and contributes to the South African economy. The contribution of the industry to the economy was estimated at R29.2 billion in 2008. Golfers in South Africa spent R1.7 billion on golf club brands in 2008. The competition in the industry has become fierce and golf club brand marketers need to focus on how to grow this spend and increase their market share and one way of doing this is to build a strong brand. This study focuses primarily on one of the building blocks of a brand, namely brand resonance. Brand resonance refers to the relationship between the brand and consumers, including the enthusiasm these consumers have to purchase and recommend the brand to others. The purpose for this study is to determine the brand resonance among golfers with respect to golf club brands. The study furthermore focuses on the four categories of brand resonance namely behavioural loyalty, attitudinal attachment, sense of community and active engagement. Information regarding the brand resonance among golfers with respect to golf club brands was gathered from 200 golfers who play golf at two golf clubs, using a self-administered questionnaire. The sampling units (golf clubs) were selected based on the judgement of the researcher and the sampling elements (golf players) were selected based on convenience sampling. The research study was descriptive in nature and quantitative methods were used to execute the empirical part of the research. The findings indicated that the majority of respondents play with TaylorMade golf clubs, and have been playing golf for five years or longer, have a handicap of between 11 and 15, and play golf on a weekly basis. Golfers do perceive a significant difference in the importance of the four categories of brand resonance with respect to golf club brands. Behavioural loyalty and attitudinal attachment realised the highest mean score, followed by active engagement and sense of community. Significant differences between golfers with regard to the four categories of brand resonance could not be uncovered.
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Is country branding a panacea or poison?
- Mugobo, Virimai V., Ukpere, Wilfred I.
- Authors: Mugobo, Virimai V. , Ukpere, Wilfred I.
- Date: 2011-09
- Subjects: Competitiveness , Globalisation , Nation branding , Branding (Marketing) , Country branding
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5776 , ISSN 993-8233 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7783
- Description: The momentum towards complete globalisation advocated by proponents of the benefits of one big business village as the answer to the suffering of third world countries, has now been slowed down by the uncertainty resultant from the hitherto unprecedented global meltdown. With the coughing of America, the whole world seems to be catapulting into one big mess due to the global economic quagmire. Consequently, there is a global scramble for the limited and constantly contracting financial and market resources. Third world countries, rich in natural resources but insignificant global players, have been relegated to perpetual recipients of aid, finished products and obsolete or second rate technology. Despite having 53 countries, Africa is painted en bloc as a “dark continent” dogged by civil wars, disease, poverty and famine. This “bad continent” image thus affects all African countries including those that are fairly stable such as South Africa, Botswana, and Egypt. This scenario necessitates country differentiation through individualised or regionalised country branding.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mugobo, Virimai V. , Ukpere, Wilfred I.
- Date: 2011-09
- Subjects: Competitiveness , Globalisation , Nation branding , Branding (Marketing) , Country branding
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5776 , ISSN 993-8233 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7783
- Description: The momentum towards complete globalisation advocated by proponents of the benefits of one big business village as the answer to the suffering of third world countries, has now been slowed down by the uncertainty resultant from the hitherto unprecedented global meltdown. With the coughing of America, the whole world seems to be catapulting into one big mess due to the global economic quagmire. Consequently, there is a global scramble for the limited and constantly contracting financial and market resources. Third world countries, rich in natural resources but insignificant global players, have been relegated to perpetual recipients of aid, finished products and obsolete or second rate technology. Despite having 53 countries, Africa is painted en bloc as a “dark continent” dogged by civil wars, disease, poverty and famine. This “bad continent” image thus affects all African countries including those that are fairly stable such as South Africa, Botswana, and Egypt. This scenario necessitates country differentiation through individualised or regionalised country branding.
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Iconic branding and profitable brand awareness : a case study of the African Development Bank
- Authors: Gantsho, Karen A.
- Date: 2014-08-19
- Subjects: African Development Bank , Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:12120 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/11863
- Description: M.A. (Marketing Communication) , Communication in the 21st century has been defined as a practice through which members of society achieve shared meanings through the exchange of information, so that the making and managing of meaning creates a shared understanding of a social reality. Recent research emphasises the strong influence of communication platforms such as the media which encapsulates social thought, social discourse and reflects social reality, notwithstanding the prolific digital media as one of the most intriguing benefits of 21st century communication, specifically in the arena of brands and brand awareness. As such, a brand is a promise made by its owners to its consumers, creating brand perceptions and expectations as conveyed by the story of the brand through its various forms of communication. More specifically, media content significantly contributes to consumer perceptions and aspirations to interact with a brand because 21st century media in collaboration with the brand and media-savvy 21st century consumer creates awareness of a social reality such as brand consumption, by influencing public interest on specific characteristics such as the iconicity of a brand, thus setting the agenda for public discourse on the brand. As such the brand achieves an optimal competitive advantage, which contributes to its iconicity or collective high regard that the media find difficult to ignore, thus the application of the principles of the agenda-setting theory, which implies that the media is a fundamental contributor to social thought and discourse, creating public conversation and interest in the brand, ideally infusing the market with profitable awareness of the brand. In acknowledgement of the recognition of the African Development Bank as Africa’s premier development finance institution and as such, an iconic brand, this study addresses the research problem which explores how the African Development Bank uses its iconic branding in order to establish profitable brand awareness among its public sector clients.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Gantsho, Karen A.
- Date: 2014-08-19
- Subjects: African Development Bank , Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:12120 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/11863
- Description: M.A. (Marketing Communication) , Communication in the 21st century has been defined as a practice through which members of society achieve shared meanings through the exchange of information, so that the making and managing of meaning creates a shared understanding of a social reality. Recent research emphasises the strong influence of communication platforms such as the media which encapsulates social thought, social discourse and reflects social reality, notwithstanding the prolific digital media as one of the most intriguing benefits of 21st century communication, specifically in the arena of brands and brand awareness. As such, a brand is a promise made by its owners to its consumers, creating brand perceptions and expectations as conveyed by the story of the brand through its various forms of communication. More specifically, media content significantly contributes to consumer perceptions and aspirations to interact with a brand because 21st century media in collaboration with the brand and media-savvy 21st century consumer creates awareness of a social reality such as brand consumption, by influencing public interest on specific characteristics such as the iconicity of a brand, thus setting the agenda for public discourse on the brand. As such the brand achieves an optimal competitive advantage, which contributes to its iconicity or collective high regard that the media find difficult to ignore, thus the application of the principles of the agenda-setting theory, which implies that the media is a fundamental contributor to social thought and discourse, creating public conversation and interest in the brand, ideally infusing the market with profitable awareness of the brand. In acknowledgement of the recognition of the African Development Bank as Africa’s premier development finance institution and as such, an iconic brand, this study addresses the research problem which explores how the African Development Bank uses its iconic branding in order to establish profitable brand awareness among its public sector clients.
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Internal marketing and its role in the corporate brand of a tertiary educational institution
- Authors: Botha, Monray Marsellus
- Date: 2012-06-06
- Subjects: Marketing , Corporate culture , Branding (Marketing) , Marketing management , Corporate image , Branding
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:2533 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4988
- Description: M.Comm. , Institutional changes at tertiary educational institutions are an example of change that followed the first democratic elections in 1994. On 31 May 2002, a merger that formed part of the higher education landscape restructuring undertaken by the Department of Education was initiated. The merger entailed that the Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR), the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) as well as two Vista University campuses situated in Soweto and East Rand merge as one new academic institution. The University of Johannesburg (UJ) was established on 1 December 2005 with over 40 000 full-time students and 2 700 permanent employees. This merger was as a result of the National Plan for Higher Education. Owing to the merger, the UJ had to undertake a major change management initiative. There is a perception that, although the UJ has established its corporate brand, employees are not familiar with the vision, mission and strategic goals set by the corporate brand. Some employees, especially those previously employed by the pre-merger institutions, still refer to these institutions and do not refer to the post-merger institution when they communicate with each other and people from outside. An exploratory research approach using both qualitative and quantitative research was followed in this study. The sample constituted 81 respondents who filled in the computerised questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two sections. Section A covered the demographics of the respondents and section B consisted of 37 close-ended questions and three open-ended questions. From the research it is clear that the UJ in fact established this new brand, but that more should be done with regard to proper internalising of the brand. The role of employees in the promotion of the brand and service quality should be revaluated by the UJ in order to overcome the problems currently perceived by employees.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Botha, Monray Marsellus
- Date: 2012-06-06
- Subjects: Marketing , Corporate culture , Branding (Marketing) , Marketing management , Corporate image , Branding
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:2533 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4988
- Description: M.Comm. , Institutional changes at tertiary educational institutions are an example of change that followed the first democratic elections in 1994. On 31 May 2002, a merger that formed part of the higher education landscape restructuring undertaken by the Department of Education was initiated. The merger entailed that the Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR), the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) as well as two Vista University campuses situated in Soweto and East Rand merge as one new academic institution. The University of Johannesburg (UJ) was established on 1 December 2005 with over 40 000 full-time students and 2 700 permanent employees. This merger was as a result of the National Plan for Higher Education. Owing to the merger, the UJ had to undertake a major change management initiative. There is a perception that, although the UJ has established its corporate brand, employees are not familiar with the vision, mission and strategic goals set by the corporate brand. Some employees, especially those previously employed by the pre-merger institutions, still refer to these institutions and do not refer to the post-merger institution when they communicate with each other and people from outside. An exploratory research approach using both qualitative and quantitative research was followed in this study. The sample constituted 81 respondents who filled in the computerised questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two sections. Section A covered the demographics of the respondents and section B consisted of 37 close-ended questions and three open-ended questions. From the research it is clear that the UJ in fact established this new brand, but that more should be done with regard to proper internalising of the brand. The role of employees in the promotion of the brand and service quality should be revaluated by the UJ in order to overcome the problems currently perceived by employees.
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Improving company throughput at a South African company
- Motebele, Makhala Mpho, Mbohwa, Charles
- Authors: Motebele, Makhala Mpho , Mbohwa, Charles
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Customer loyalty , Consumer satisfaction , Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:6171 , ISSN 2010-3778 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13778
- Description: Research has largely concentrated on customer responses to the products they have received from tiger brands. The present study sheds light on the determinants of customer loyalty to a content-based service, improving company business processes and optimum productivity in a manufacturing company. General fundamentals of productivity must build a loyal customer base in order to attract repeat business and have a competitive advantage over competitors. Need fulfillment, responsiveness, security and technical functionality of the company are shown to influence productivity. Managerial implications are provided.
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- Authors: Motebele, Makhala Mpho , Mbohwa, Charles
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Customer loyalty , Consumer satisfaction , Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:6171 , ISSN 2010-3778 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13778
- Description: Research has largely concentrated on customer responses to the products they have received from tiger brands. The present study sheds light on the determinants of customer loyalty to a content-based service, improving company business processes and optimum productivity in a manufacturing company. General fundamentals of productivity must build a loyal customer base in order to attract repeat business and have a competitive advantage over competitors. Need fulfillment, responsiveness, security and technical functionality of the company are shown to influence productivity. Managerial implications are provided.
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The process of cause related marketing : a case study of Nedbank's Green Affinity Programme
- Authors: E'Silva, Bronwyn
- Date: 2011-08-25T06:31:52Z
- Subjects: Nedbank - Marketing , Nedbank Green Affinity Programme , Branding (Marketing) , Social responsibility of business
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7171 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3782
- Description: M.A. , The shift from the Old to the New Economy has developed due to four key trends, namely globalisation, consumerism, environmentalism and corporate governance. Globalisation and the Internet has resulted in consumers being able to track the behaviour of corporations (Vise, 2006:119) and consequently, a New Consumer has emerged, where emphasis on corporate transparency and the environment has become a key concern for these New Consumers. New Consumers are characterised by Lewis and Bridger (2000:21) as independent, sophisticated, involved and well informed about the production of goods and services, where these New Consumers are feeling the pressure to confront and act upon the fact that unbridled production and consumption, which was proliferate in the Old Economy, comes with escalating pollution at a significant human/animal/earth cost (Trendwatching, 2007). Moreover, in the world of globalisation and information overload, Salzer-Mörling and Strannegård (2004:224) argue that the proliferation of brands as well as a cluttered marketplace has meant that corporations now need to not only be differentiated in the marketplace, but also be distinct and one of the ways which corporations in the New Economy are achieving this is by focusing on the corporate brand as the point of differentiation.
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- Authors: E'Silva, Bronwyn
- Date: 2011-08-25T06:31:52Z
- Subjects: Nedbank - Marketing , Nedbank Green Affinity Programme , Branding (Marketing) , Social responsibility of business
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7171 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3782
- Description: M.A. , The shift from the Old to the New Economy has developed due to four key trends, namely globalisation, consumerism, environmentalism and corporate governance. Globalisation and the Internet has resulted in consumers being able to track the behaviour of corporations (Vise, 2006:119) and consequently, a New Consumer has emerged, where emphasis on corporate transparency and the environment has become a key concern for these New Consumers. New Consumers are characterised by Lewis and Bridger (2000:21) as independent, sophisticated, involved and well informed about the production of goods and services, where these New Consumers are feeling the pressure to confront and act upon the fact that unbridled production and consumption, which was proliferate in the Old Economy, comes with escalating pollution at a significant human/animal/earth cost (Trendwatching, 2007). Moreover, in the world of globalisation and information overload, Salzer-Mörling and Strannegård (2004:224) argue that the proliferation of brands as well as a cluttered marketplace has meant that corporations now need to not only be differentiated in the marketplace, but also be distinct and one of the ways which corporations in the New Economy are achieving this is by focusing on the corporate brand as the point of differentiation.
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Mega trends in regional shopping centre branding : a trend analysis
- Authors: Thomas, Charles Robert
- Date: 2012-05-07
- Subjects: Shopping centers marketing , Consumers , Retail stores marketing , Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2256 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4708
- Description: M.A. , Shopping centres in South Africa, regional ones in particular, find themselves existing in an increasingly competitive marketplace, where despite a move towards creating better marketing communications around centres, consumers are overwhelmed by such communications messages and by the abundance of centres from which to choose. This has created a problem of brand parity, where there is very little differentiation between centres, yet development shows no signs of slowing down. This causes further confusion by giving the consumer more choice, leading to brand switching. The problem is exacerbated by consumers who have become much more knowledgeable and far more demanding in terms of what they expect from products and services (Evers, 2005; trendwatching.com, 2007), including shopping centres. Additionally, shopping centre marketers have to deal with developers, owners, management companies and leasing agents, as well as tenants, who neither understand the process of branding nor believe in it, while also having to deal with their own lack of skills in the area of branding regional shopping centres. In light of this, there is a need to strategically conduct trend analysis, to see where the shopping centre industry is headed, so as to help centres create a sustainable competitive advantage in terms of branding (Gossen & Gresham, 2002) by being aware of trends, so that they can better meet the needs of the potential markets that they serve. Specifically, this requires a look at future mega trends that are affecting regional shopping centres based on what is termed the 3Es of branding, which are experiential branding, emotional branding and electronic branding. To this end, an ethnography was conducted, based on the trend analysis technique known as Trend Unit (Evers, 2005: trendwatching.com), which comprised a 14-year immersion study and encompassed the collection of data using participant observation, informal unstructured personal interviews and the review of media artefacts. The trend analysis revealed three new trends that are coined based on the 3Es of branding.
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- Authors: Thomas, Charles Robert
- Date: 2012-05-07
- Subjects: Shopping centers marketing , Consumers , Retail stores marketing , Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2256 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4708
- Description: M.A. , Shopping centres in South Africa, regional ones in particular, find themselves existing in an increasingly competitive marketplace, where despite a move towards creating better marketing communications around centres, consumers are overwhelmed by such communications messages and by the abundance of centres from which to choose. This has created a problem of brand parity, where there is very little differentiation between centres, yet development shows no signs of slowing down. This causes further confusion by giving the consumer more choice, leading to brand switching. The problem is exacerbated by consumers who have become much more knowledgeable and far more demanding in terms of what they expect from products and services (Evers, 2005; trendwatching.com, 2007), including shopping centres. Additionally, shopping centre marketers have to deal with developers, owners, management companies and leasing agents, as well as tenants, who neither understand the process of branding nor believe in it, while also having to deal with their own lack of skills in the area of branding regional shopping centres. In light of this, there is a need to strategically conduct trend analysis, to see where the shopping centre industry is headed, so as to help centres create a sustainable competitive advantage in terms of branding (Gossen & Gresham, 2002) by being aware of trends, so that they can better meet the needs of the potential markets that they serve. Specifically, this requires a look at future mega trends that are affecting regional shopping centres based on what is termed the 3Es of branding, which are experiential branding, emotional branding and electronic branding. To this end, an ethnography was conducted, based on the trend analysis technique known as Trend Unit (Evers, 2005: trendwatching.com), which comprised a 14-year immersion study and encompassed the collection of data using participant observation, informal unstructured personal interviews and the review of media artefacts. The trend analysis revealed three new trends that are coined based on the 3Es of branding.
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Customer experience within a process-centred approach at the Industrial Development Corporation
- Authors: Shuping, Thato Tshepo
- Date: 2014-10-20
- Subjects: Consumer satisfaction , Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:12642 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/12460
- Description: M.Com. (Business Management) , What really drives business success? Ten, twenty years ago, it would have been somewhat easier to answer this pertinent question. What were seen as central to business success were functional hard core derivatives i.e. operational efficiency, financial discipline and speed to market. Customers, essentially customer experience, were never part of the equation. For those very few organisations that bid to be anything different, the concepts customer experience and customer satisfaction were merely an afterthought. Today the picture is slightly different. Organisations are now applying a contemporary business approach and showing more appreciation for customers. Organisations realise that by creating an environment that is pro—consumer, an environment that achieves and maintains a fair balance between organisational process efficacies and customers’ needs, an environment that harnesses employees productivity and encourages fluid communication passage between the organisation and its customers, they will not only connect with their customers on an emotional level, but they will be able to build a sustainable brand asset and a long-lasting profitable relationships with their customers. It is for this reason that the four customer experience elements namely: process, people, channel approach and branding were selected as premise for this study. This study tries to understand and establish the influence of customer experience elements on customer satisfaction at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). An investigation was conducted on customer experience within a process-centred approach at the IDC. The study was steered in two stages. The first stage focused on exploratory research, and the second stage focused on descriptive research. The sample consisted of 276 customers. In-depth interviews were conducted with customers to assist the researcher in developing the statements in the questionnaire. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on theoretical literature provided within the study and information gathered through the in-depth interviews. Various statistical analysis procedures were used to achieve the objectives of the study, including factor analysis, rotated factor matrix, Cronbach’s alpha, multiple regression and comparison analysis.
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- Authors: Shuping, Thato Tshepo
- Date: 2014-10-20
- Subjects: Consumer satisfaction , Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:12642 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/12460
- Description: M.Com. (Business Management) , What really drives business success? Ten, twenty years ago, it would have been somewhat easier to answer this pertinent question. What were seen as central to business success were functional hard core derivatives i.e. operational efficiency, financial discipline and speed to market. Customers, essentially customer experience, were never part of the equation. For those very few organisations that bid to be anything different, the concepts customer experience and customer satisfaction were merely an afterthought. Today the picture is slightly different. Organisations are now applying a contemporary business approach and showing more appreciation for customers. Organisations realise that by creating an environment that is pro—consumer, an environment that achieves and maintains a fair balance between organisational process efficacies and customers’ needs, an environment that harnesses employees productivity and encourages fluid communication passage between the organisation and its customers, they will not only connect with their customers on an emotional level, but they will be able to build a sustainable brand asset and a long-lasting profitable relationships with their customers. It is for this reason that the four customer experience elements namely: process, people, channel approach and branding were selected as premise for this study. This study tries to understand and establish the influence of customer experience elements on customer satisfaction at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). An investigation was conducted on customer experience within a process-centred approach at the IDC. The study was steered in two stages. The first stage focused on exploratory research, and the second stage focused on descriptive research. The sample consisted of 276 customers. In-depth interviews were conducted with customers to assist the researcher in developing the statements in the questionnaire. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on theoretical literature provided within the study and information gathered through the in-depth interviews. Various statistical analysis procedures were used to achieve the objectives of the study, including factor analysis, rotated factor matrix, Cronbach’s alpha, multiple regression and comparison analysis.
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The perceived influence of the elements of internal marketing on the brand image of staffing agencies in South Africa
- Authors: Burin, Candice Natalie
- Date: 2012-06-08
- Subjects: Employment agencies - Customer services , Internal marketing , Branding (Marketing) , Corporate culture , Corporate image , Kelly Group (South Africa)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8755 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5106
- Description: M.Comm. , The primary objective of the study is to determine the influence of service quality on the perceived relationship between internal marketing and the brand image of the South African staffing brands and staffing subsidiaries of the Kelly Group. The study will further seek to determine how the different elements of internal marketing influence the brand image of employees and clients of selected staffing agencies in South Africa. The elements of internal marketing mix, namely product, price, promotion, distribution, people, processes and physical evidence will be separately observed in terms of their influence on the brand image dimensions, namely brand consistency, brand trust, brand satisfaction and brand commitment. The influence of the dimensions of service quality, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy on the dimensions of brand image and the influence of service quality on the elements of internal marketing, will be explored in order to determine the influence of service quality on the relationship between internal marketing and brand image. A framework to manage internal marketing, service quality and brand image in an integrated manner was determined. The conclusion and findings of the study were found to support the objectives of the study, and the results of the statistical analysis were found to accept the hypotheses of the study. Various recommendations for staffing agencies were given, based on the findings of the statistical analysis. These recommendations included the need for staffing agencies to monitor service quality gaps and confirmed that the internal product was highly influential to service quality, and therefore staffing agencies need to provide a competitive internal product to employees. Internal distribution was found to be highly influential towards the responsiveness, assurance and empathy of a service, and therefore staffing agencies need to focus on creating higher levels of internal service quality and teamwork within their organisations. Physical evidence and tangibles were found to be influential regarding the assurance and empathy of service quality and the importance of a modern, open-plan staffing environment and a professional employee dress code were identified. Internal promotion was found to be influential to the responsiveness of a staffing agency’s service, and therefore the need to segment employees to determine how much and how frequently information needs to be communicated to each group of employees was mentioned. The importance of staffing agencies considering the use of new media such as social networking websites, intranets and wikis was identified as most staffing agency employees work at the clients’ premises.
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- Authors: Burin, Candice Natalie
- Date: 2012-06-08
- Subjects: Employment agencies - Customer services , Internal marketing , Branding (Marketing) , Corporate culture , Corporate image , Kelly Group (South Africa)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8755 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5106
- Description: M.Comm. , The primary objective of the study is to determine the influence of service quality on the perceived relationship between internal marketing and the brand image of the South African staffing brands and staffing subsidiaries of the Kelly Group. The study will further seek to determine how the different elements of internal marketing influence the brand image of employees and clients of selected staffing agencies in South Africa. The elements of internal marketing mix, namely product, price, promotion, distribution, people, processes and physical evidence will be separately observed in terms of their influence on the brand image dimensions, namely brand consistency, brand trust, brand satisfaction and brand commitment. The influence of the dimensions of service quality, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy on the dimensions of brand image and the influence of service quality on the elements of internal marketing, will be explored in order to determine the influence of service quality on the relationship between internal marketing and brand image. A framework to manage internal marketing, service quality and brand image in an integrated manner was determined. The conclusion and findings of the study were found to support the objectives of the study, and the results of the statistical analysis were found to accept the hypotheses of the study. Various recommendations for staffing agencies were given, based on the findings of the statistical analysis. These recommendations included the need for staffing agencies to monitor service quality gaps and confirmed that the internal product was highly influential to service quality, and therefore staffing agencies need to provide a competitive internal product to employees. Internal distribution was found to be highly influential towards the responsiveness, assurance and empathy of a service, and therefore staffing agencies need to focus on creating higher levels of internal service quality and teamwork within their organisations. Physical evidence and tangibles were found to be influential regarding the assurance and empathy of service quality and the importance of a modern, open-plan staffing environment and a professional employee dress code were identified. Internal promotion was found to be influential to the responsiveness of a staffing agency’s service, and therefore the need to segment employees to determine how much and how frequently information needs to be communicated to each group of employees was mentioned. The importance of staffing agencies considering the use of new media such as social networking websites, intranets and wikis was identified as most staffing agency employees work at the clients’ premises.
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The alignment of internal and external branding in a leader group
- Authors: Naidoo, Vinessa
- Date: 2013-07-18
- Subjects: Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7630 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8500
- Description: D.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) , Many employees do not associate with their company's brand, because there is a gap between what they experience and perceive and what their company conveys about the brand. The external brand suffers as a result. Company leaders who fail to recognise the importance of internal branding and the need to align internal branding with external branding are primarily responsible for this. An initial literature review of the phenomenon led to the question of how the concrete experiences and views of managers of an organisation with regard to branding can be explored so as to develop a model of the alignment of internal and external branding. The question was answered by means of a study of managers of a South African organisation. The objectives were to use qualitative research to capture and unravel the experiences and views of the managers, to study the work of prominent scholars in the relevant study field in order to infer theoretical constructs and demarcate research findings that are relevant to understanding the managers' experiences and viewpoints, and finally to develop a model of branding that integrates the everyday experiences and viewpoints of the managers with the scholarly concepts. I opted for the modernistic qualitative approach, presented my research philosophy (ontology and epistemology) and key scientific beliefs (my position as to the use of literature and theory, and research ethics), and described the key decisions I took during the research process. The study was conducted in a leading South African motor retail company, which operates countrywide in more than 100 wholly-owned dealerships. Ten leaders of the company were interviewed, mainly during unstructured interviews, and detailed data were obtained. These data were complemented with observations, field notes, unsolicited essays and company documents. I used a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) program, namely Nvivo 9, to assist me in sorting the comprehensive data set. I analysed the data with grounded theory's open, axial and selective coding. Altogether 36 themes regarding the company's branding and brand leadership emerged during open coding. With the aid of axial coding, the 36 open codes were grouped into 15 broad themes in the first round of axial coding, and consolidated into 6 core categories in the second round of axial coding. Having identified categories, properties and themes, I moved on to selective coding so as to find the core construct of the study, namely: the importance of the role of leadership in internal and external branding. Using Mouton and Marais's (1990) analytical "tools" to illuminate phenomena and Schutz's (1962) first-order and second-order constructs typology, I developed the Leadership and Brand Alignment Model (LBAM). More particularly, I integrated the first-order constructs (the participants' experiences and views) with the second-order constructs derived from theoretical discourse and research findings. The study contributes to theory by proposing the LBAM. Its methodological contribution lies in the application of grounded theory to create the model, being the first attempt of this nature in this field in South Africa. The successful use of Nvivo 9 instead of Atlas pi paves the way for the use of Nvivo 9 for data ordering and analysis in qualitative and grounded theory research in this country. In terms of a practical contribution, the study reiterates the need for synergy between the human resource department and the marketing department. The LBAM sheds light on the steps leaders should take to ensure that internal branding takes place in their organisations so as to produce satisfied customers. It also underscores that the responsibility for efficient internal organisational processes rests squarely on the shoulders of a company’s leaders. It is recommended that the LBAM be verified both in South Africa and abroad, that employees' views on company leaders' branding performance be explored so as to determine the success of branding, and that the relationship between brand performance, company performance and time be subjected to further research to establish how length of time impacts on brand and company performance. The validity of the employee-brand link and the suggestion that a brand is internalised when organisational socialisation establishes a fit between individuals' values and brand values should also be tested by further investigation.
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- Authors: Naidoo, Vinessa
- Date: 2013-07-18
- Subjects: Branding (Marketing)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7630 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8500
- Description: D.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) , Many employees do not associate with their company's brand, because there is a gap between what they experience and perceive and what their company conveys about the brand. The external brand suffers as a result. Company leaders who fail to recognise the importance of internal branding and the need to align internal branding with external branding are primarily responsible for this. An initial literature review of the phenomenon led to the question of how the concrete experiences and views of managers of an organisation with regard to branding can be explored so as to develop a model of the alignment of internal and external branding. The question was answered by means of a study of managers of a South African organisation. The objectives were to use qualitative research to capture and unravel the experiences and views of the managers, to study the work of prominent scholars in the relevant study field in order to infer theoretical constructs and demarcate research findings that are relevant to understanding the managers' experiences and viewpoints, and finally to develop a model of branding that integrates the everyday experiences and viewpoints of the managers with the scholarly concepts. I opted for the modernistic qualitative approach, presented my research philosophy (ontology and epistemology) and key scientific beliefs (my position as to the use of literature and theory, and research ethics), and described the key decisions I took during the research process. The study was conducted in a leading South African motor retail company, which operates countrywide in more than 100 wholly-owned dealerships. Ten leaders of the company were interviewed, mainly during unstructured interviews, and detailed data were obtained. These data were complemented with observations, field notes, unsolicited essays and company documents. I used a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) program, namely Nvivo 9, to assist me in sorting the comprehensive data set. I analysed the data with grounded theory's open, axial and selective coding. Altogether 36 themes regarding the company's branding and brand leadership emerged during open coding. With the aid of axial coding, the 36 open codes were grouped into 15 broad themes in the first round of axial coding, and consolidated into 6 core categories in the second round of axial coding. Having identified categories, properties and themes, I moved on to selective coding so as to find the core construct of the study, namely: the importance of the role of leadership in internal and external branding. Using Mouton and Marais's (1990) analytical "tools" to illuminate phenomena and Schutz's (1962) first-order and second-order constructs typology, I developed the Leadership and Brand Alignment Model (LBAM). More particularly, I integrated the first-order constructs (the participants' experiences and views) with the second-order constructs derived from theoretical discourse and research findings. The study contributes to theory by proposing the LBAM. Its methodological contribution lies in the application of grounded theory to create the model, being the first attempt of this nature in this field in South Africa. The successful use of Nvivo 9 instead of Atlas pi paves the way for the use of Nvivo 9 for data ordering and analysis in qualitative and grounded theory research in this country. In terms of a practical contribution, the study reiterates the need for synergy between the human resource department and the marketing department. The LBAM sheds light on the steps leaders should take to ensure that internal branding takes place in their organisations so as to produce satisfied customers. It also underscores that the responsibility for efficient internal organisational processes rests squarely on the shoulders of a company’s leaders. It is recommended that the LBAM be verified both in South Africa and abroad, that employees' views on company leaders' branding performance be explored so as to determine the success of branding, and that the relationship between brand performance, company performance and time be subjected to further research to establish how length of time impacts on brand and company performance. The validity of the employee-brand link and the suggestion that a brand is internalised when organisational socialisation establishes a fit between individuals' values and brand values should also be tested by further investigation.
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The relationship between employment brand perceptions and employer and employee brand perceptions : an exploratory case study
- Authors: Spence, Sarah Audrey
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Branding (Marketing) , Personnel management , Organizational effectiveness , Employment - Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/235273 , uj:24071
- Description: M.A. , Abstract: The purpose of this study was to present a valid, theoretical framework to describe and understand the relationship between the brand concepts employment, employer and employee brand and other branding concepts such as corporate brand and reputation, in order to reveal the brand value of these concepts for the organisation. A review of available literature pointed to a lack of clarity in the distinction and understanding of the relationship between employment brand and its’ components – employer and employee brands. This lack of clarity and distinction extended to related branding concepts namely corporate brand and corporate reputation. No theoretical framework had been developed in the literature which had the ability to depict and describe the relationships between employment, employer and employee brand within an organisational context. It was surmised that such a theoretical framework would have the potential to reveal the interdependent relationships which influence employment, employer and employee brand. It could also reveal the subsequent relationship of these branding concepts within, and in relation to the brand value of these concepts for an organisation. The formulation of a sound, valid theoretical framework was achieved through a multi-step research approach which included an extensive literature review and a case study analysis of an organisation in the financial services industry. The dimensions of the systems based theoretical framework constructed from the literature review were measured quantitatively by means of a survey to determine internal validity and reliability, and then qualitatively, by means of semi-structured interviews to ensure trustworthiness of the results. The quantitative and qualitative results revealed that the majority of the theoretical framework dimensions were valid and that the theoretical framework was sound. The objective of depicting, describing and defining the relationships between employment, employer and employee brand and related brand...
- Full Text:
- Authors: Spence, Sarah Audrey
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Branding (Marketing) , Personnel management , Organizational effectiveness , Employment - Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/235273 , uj:24071
- Description: M.A. , Abstract: The purpose of this study was to present a valid, theoretical framework to describe and understand the relationship between the brand concepts employment, employer and employee brand and other branding concepts such as corporate brand and reputation, in order to reveal the brand value of these concepts for the organisation. A review of available literature pointed to a lack of clarity in the distinction and understanding of the relationship between employment brand and its’ components – employer and employee brands. This lack of clarity and distinction extended to related branding concepts namely corporate brand and corporate reputation. No theoretical framework had been developed in the literature which had the ability to depict and describe the relationships between employment, employer and employee brand within an organisational context. It was surmised that such a theoretical framework would have the potential to reveal the interdependent relationships which influence employment, employer and employee brand. It could also reveal the subsequent relationship of these branding concepts within, and in relation to the brand value of these concepts for an organisation. The formulation of a sound, valid theoretical framework was achieved through a multi-step research approach which included an extensive literature review and a case study analysis of an organisation in the financial services industry. The dimensions of the systems based theoretical framework constructed from the literature review were measured quantitatively by means of a survey to determine internal validity and reliability, and then qualitatively, by means of semi-structured interviews to ensure trustworthiness of the results. The quantitative and qualitative results revealed that the majority of the theoretical framework dimensions were valid and that the theoretical framework was sound. The objective of depicting, describing and defining the relationships between employment, employer and employee brand and related brand...
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