This thesis explores the issues around the process of brand management in SMEs. Most of conventional principles prescribed in the brand management literature are invalid to be applied to the SMEs’ marketing problems, but there are some relevant researches regarding some proposed branding policies for small businesses.   The purpose of this thesis is to find an effective and practical brand strategy for SMEs, which means I expect to generate a framework for the SME branding process. After I developed a conceptual model, some proposed branding guidelines were examined through a case study. Qualitative interviewing was used to collect data within a Swedish SME –HastaAB.   The empirical findings indicate that the SME branding policies are highly influenced by these factors: brand awareness, marketing strategies, brand recognition and resource etc. Based on the empirical findings, my conceptual model was adjusted by assessing the effect of proposed policies. In conclusion, I came up with a final model of brand management in SMEs which helps SMEs to build and develop their brands. The model involves some executable branding policies for SMEs.

Varumärken är viktiga för företags vara eller icke vara. Ett företag vars varumärke är dåligt eller döende kan gå samma öde till mötes som varumärket. Därför är det förvånande att, enligt en undersökning gjord av en varumärkesbyrå publicerad i en branschtidning, marknads- och informationschefer i Stockholm har dålig koll på sitt varumärke. I vår studie undersöks vilka problem som kundföretag oftast har när de söker hjälp av en varumärkesbyrå. Vi försöker sedan att identifiera varför, och möjliga lösningar för att lösa eller förminska dessa problem. För att kunna göra detta har vi genomfört fyra intervjuer med varumärkesbyråer i Stockholm, varav vissa är erkänt bland de bästa i Sverige. Resultatet är att de vanligaste problemen som varumärkesbyråerna identifierat egentligen inte har med varumärkena i sig att göra, utan mest är av organisatorisk och kunskapsmässig art. Exempelvis gör företag för många undersökningar utan att veta vad dessa ska leda till, varumärkets och företagets värderingar är relativt okända inom företaget, företaget har ett kortsiktigt synsätt, och marknadsföringsavdelningar har för bristfälligt samarbete med ledning samt lite makt att kunna styra nödvändiga förändringar. Vi menar att dessa problem kan lösas genom högre utbildning av dem som har hand om varumärket, brand managers, en generell kunskapshöjning inom marknadsföringsavdelningen vad gäller marknadsföring, och en mer integrerad marknadsföringsavdelning som tar plats med ledning för ökat samspel.

Taiwan development started from agriculture and gradually moves to manufacturing to finally transform the economy into a high-tech industry. The economic miracle was based on Taiwanese diligence, perseverance, and dependability; but the process does not finish there. Since we have come to a knowledge economy era, lots of enterprises in Taiwan have developed from OEM, ODM to OBM to speed up internationalization and upgrade competitive advantages. The best answer from companies is to response quickly and become more creative, vivid and diversified enhancing clients¡¦ involvement. Consequently, the ¡§Storytelling¡¨ era has begun. Enterprises nowadays use ¡§Brand Story¡¨ to draw customers¡¦ attention. Based on this perspective, the study examines how brand stories affect the brand image and brand personality. By using qualitative research, the managers of these four interviewed companies shared experiences of developing brand stories, allowing us to understand the brand spirit and brand position through the use of touching true stories that express the unique image and personality of the brand. The study shows how brand stories influence consumers, employees and other stakeholders bringing the benefits and increasing recognitions, brand image and word-of-mouth. The influencing power of brand stories is truly beyond imagination.

With the gradual decline in gross margin in OEM industry, the development of the brand has been seem as the key to improve revenue performance. Taiwan's industries mostly started from OEM industry, and facing increasingly fierce international competition in recent years, government and industry are also actively promoting the branding. This study takes Taiwan¡¦s notebook industry in 3C industry as the research object and study to explore the relationship between brand equity and purchase intentions and examine the factors that may affect the brand equity. This research uses consumer survey results of the statistical data analysis to explore what key elements should industry pay attention to when they are doing branding. The result shows that by enhancing brand equity, it will also enhance purchase intention. Better brand equity can be achieve by strengthen the brand image, brand trust and customer satisfaction. Moreover, the degree of loyalty will be affected by price and therefore it affects brand equity.

This study aimed to explore the model of building new brand image by integrating case study method, internal manager interview, and external dealer interview. The main objectives of this study are: (1) Probing into the progress and the development stages of SARAI, (2) Exploring the manner of SARAI on using traditional marketing, internet marketing, and community marketing to build brand image, (3) Exploring how SARAI to use ¡¥clicks and mortar¡¦ to build brand image, (4) Making suggestion about the brand image building model of SARAI. This study finds that the advantage of cost and quality is the major drive of the progress of SARAI. Secondly, the way that SARAI using owner as brand endorser, makes benefits of higher customer trust, more brand topics, lower endorsement risk, and higher cost/value effect. Hence, the endorsement model of SARAI becomes the main source and core concept of the brand image building tools about traditional marketing, internet marketing, and community marketing. Thirdly, propaganda artifact, lecture, dealer/store clerk education are the main tools which could make direct influence to the brand image SARAI. Resulting from the sort time period of on-line date, internet and community marketing tools could not make great contribution to brand image yet. Finally, as a result of the strategic and operational consideration and trade-off, building brand image is the main facet of the ¡¥clicks and mortar¡¦ of SARAI. Suggestions are discussed in accordance with findings.

In the past, beauty industry is classified as traditional industry but it nowadays emphasizes on professional medical cosmetic. Celebrity is the key for the success of medical cosmetic beauty industry because they can drive the output value of enterprises and access to consumer acceptance. This is the critical factor of profit in beauty industry. The Brand Identity Implementation System (Aaker, 1996) is the framework to study the development process of the personal brand. Though documentation analysis and case study, the study inducted the process and mode of successful personal brand, discussed the importance of personal brand to the beauty industry and studied how to successfully build personal brand. The study used multiple sources to collect and analyze data to study the chosen case during its life cycle. The study results that the founders¡¦ background of personal brand would be the variance to establish consumer trust, develop brand identity and declare brand value. Second, the good use of media or advertisement will be the good linkage of founder¡¦s specialty or intention and product effectiveness. In addition, personal brand should be aware of the amount of disposable income and the change of consumption pattern to develop various marketing strategies.

¡§Giant¡¨ is the study case of this research, which attempts to establish what influences consumers¡¦ attitude to brand extension and brand attitude when Giant promoted extension of its brand. The study also investigated the influence of brand image and product involvement on attitude to brand extension. The methodology of the study includes in-depth interview and questionnaire survey. Consumers with high and low levels of product involvement were interviewed. An understanding of their perspective on brand image was gained. Interviewers¡¦ free thoughts of potential brand extensions were gathered. These were used in the brand extension items of the questionnaire. It is found from the study, with respect to the influence of brand image on product and service extension, functional brand image bears significant influence on product and service extension. In other words, consumers have positive responses to functional product (the bike and personal gear) and service (bike repair, assembly tuitions and exercise courses) extensions. Secondly, high and low consistencies both bear significant influence on the service extension. Consumers have the greatest response to highly consistent service extension (bike repair, assembly tuitions and exercise courses). Consumer response to low consistent service extension (bank and insurance) is the lowest. Furthermore, with respect to the influence of involvement in high and low consistent service extension, those with high involvement have significant influence on high consistency service extension (bike repair, assembly tuitions and exercise courses). The level of involvement has not significant influence on product extension and low consistency. With respect to the influence of involvement on brand image, those with high involvement has more positive response on functional, symbolic and experience brand image.

Social media is a newer emerging media outlet that could serve as a good communication tool for companies, marketers, and advertisers alike; yet, studies into the effects that social media may have on people’s perceptions is more limited. The goal of this research study is to investigate whether or not social media has the ability to influence people’s perceptions of brands. It applies cultivation theory to social media and specifically looks at whether or not social media can cultivate brand affect, trust, and loyalty. As a result, this study will allow for potential understanding of how to use social media effectively to communicate messages and where additional research can be done to better understand this newer media outlet. / text

Abstract Purpose – The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding on how brand equity for non-profit entertainment-based service firms in the cultural sector can be cultivated. Design/approach/methodology – An existing model to cultivate brand equity in commercial service firms is utilised to assess the applicability on specific non-profit firms. Furthermore, five interviews have been held to investigate the case companies’ practises and a survey has been taken to measure the perceptions from the visitors/customers’ point of view, which is referred to as a triangulation method. Findings – The findings show that brand equity can be cultivated by the means of the tested model, though, the popularity and famousness of a particular artist temporarily transfers its brand equity to the particular cultural institution wherefore the brand awareness is boosted significantly and brand meaning becomes more elucidated. As a result, entertainment-based cultural (non-profit) firms need to guarantee high quality experiences in which both the service and performance are amalgamated. Furthermore, companies must adapt to the rapid changing advertisement methods to reach (new) visitors. Thereby, a new model has been developed based on the study outcomes, which includes a new factor that influences the cultivation of brand equity in the specified sector and firms. The added factor in the developed model is “Programme Brand Equity” and exerts its influence on the original factors. Limitations and further research – Limitations are that the findings from these particular firms may not be found in other similar firms, which is a typical implication of every case study. Furthermore, this research is first in this topic wherefore supplementary literature is obligatory. Consequently, the findings of this research may have substantial abnormalities from practise. The developed model should be tested for generalisation of outcomes. Originality/value – This study links brand equity cultivation methods to entertainment-based cultural non-profit service firms and is first on this topic hence suggestions for further enlightenment are provided since it brings implications along. Key words – Brand equity, Word-of-Mouth/WOM, Brand Meaning, Brand Awareness. / <p>none</p>

The purpose of this Bachelor’s Thesis Project in Business Administration is to investigate how companies communicate their company brand identity online. The writing of this paper has been motivated by a lack of researches regarding the companies’ dimension in term of identity communication and the brand identity promotion process online. This paper is based on a quantitative research on companies from French and Swedish. The research question is formulated as follows: How companies communicate their brand identity online through virtual media? In order to investigate the companies, a questionnaire was implemented and shared by an emailing process. This questionnaire, following a quantitative approach, has been constructed by combining several theories about the branding process, the brand identity concept, its keys concepts and also the online business landscape since the development of the Internet. According to our analysis, companies mainly share their brand identity online through two main vehicles, Website and Facebook. These media are the ones mainly used to share the three identity dimensions and to support the tools to communicate this company brand identity communication. By this analysis, deeper knowledge was created in order to provide useful data for future analysis.