The purpose of this study was to investigate whether environmental eco-labeling CSR-initiatives have an impact on brand equity. Specifically, if Swan eco-labeling on Ariel’s detergents have an impact on Ariel´s brand equity from a consumer’s perspective. A quantitative study was conducted on Kristianstad University students in Sweden where a sample survey of consumers’ attitudes were collected then analyzed using Spearmans’ correlation coefficient along with independent-samples t-tests. A modified model of Keller´s (2009) customer-based brand equity model (CBBE) was employed along with five proposition regarding CSR´s impact on brand equity. The findings of this study showed that environmental CSR has positive effect on all of the components of brand equity such as; brand awareness, brand image, brand meaning, brand response and brand resonance. In conclusion the findings of this study show that the Swan eco-label on Ariel’s detergents has an impact on how the respondents view Ariel as a brand.

The desire of every marketer is to develop and maintain strong customer relationships. One way this can be accomplished is through effective advertising. Marketers have recently begun to brand flash mobs as a way to effectuate strong brand relationships. Even so, it is unclear whether or not the branding of flash mobs supports or frustrates this pursuit. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is to help marketers understand the potential impact that branded flash mobs may have on consumer behaviour and brand relationships. Since these interactions are complex we need to observe the convoluted whole from untangled vantage points. Marketing scholars and researchers must then attempt to understand the latent opportunities and unsuspecting dangers when branding a flash mob. Toward answering this end, four distinct research studies were used to examine the phenomenon from four different perspectives. The aim of the first paper is twofold. First, it deductively seeks to understand how to categorize branded flash mobs within the marketing literature through an historical and cultural analysis of the phenomenon. Exploratory in nature, this study then employs a mixed methods approach to understand how marketers are currently using flash mobs, and more importantly, if branded flash mobs are an effective tool of communication and persuasion. In the second paper, a field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of a branded flash mob on consumers’ emotions, consumer experience and connectedness in a public market. Qualitative interviews were used to capture the data. Shifting perspectives, the third paper seeks to understand why some branded flash mobs fail to ‘go viral’. Using of a number of focus groups, participants were asked to watch several branded flash mob videos and discuss their willingness to share them online (e.g., email, Facebook, or Twitter). Toward a better understanding of the impact of branded flash mobs on brand equity, the final paper evaluates viewers’ attitude toward the ad. Using netnographic techniques (Kozinets, 2002) 2,882 YouTube comments from three virally successful branded flash mobs ads were examined to understand how branded flash mobs affect brand equity. Responses grouped into one of four archetypical attitudes, each of which has a distinct impact on brand equity. Motivated by the potential for widespread exposure at a relatively low cost, marketers continue to produce branded flash mobs. Sometimes they are fresh and creative, while at others they are out of tune with the spirit of the phenomenon. This thesis uncovers the impact of these efforts on consumer behaviour and brand equity, and concludes with a guide for managers to consider when planning their next branded flash mob. An acknowledgement of the limitations and an outline for directions of future research are also presented. / <p>QC 20140521</p>

Vartotojų elgsenos aktualumas verslo praktikoje ir teorijoje neabejotinas – vartotojų elgsenos, ypač pirkimo sprendimo priėmimo stimulų, kylančių iš vartotojų asmenybės bei aplinkoje esančių ir skatinančių pirkti stimulų išskyrimas. Impulsyvaus pirkimo fenomenas mokslinėje marketingo literatūroje analizuojamas jau daugiau kaip penkias dešimtis. Todėl stimulai, sąlygojantys impulsyvaus pirkimo sprendimą ypač svarbūs – tokių stimulų sukūrimas skatintų vartotojus priimti pirkimo sprendimą per sąlyginai trumpą laiko tarpą, o pastaroji tendencija generuotų pelną organizacijai. Dar vienas itin plačiai mokslinėje literatūroje analizuojamas konceptas – prekės ženklo vertė. Prekės ženklo vertė pagrįsta vartotojo sąmonėje susiformavusiomis teigiamos asociacijos su prekės ženklu, prekės ženklo vertės vartotojui sukūrimu bei vartotojų lojalumu prekės ženklui. Visi pastarieji veiksniai mokslinėje literatūroje traktuojami, kaip skatinantys vartotojo sprendimo pirkti priėmimą. Prekės ženklas įvardijamas, kaip vienas iš impulsyvaus pirkimo stimulų. Darbo objektas – impulsyvaus pirkimo stimulai ir prekės ženklo vertė. Darbo tikslas – teoriškai pagrįsti ir empiriškai patikrinti impulsyvaus pirkimo ir prekės ženklo vertės sąsajas „Nivea“ prekės ženklo pavyzdžiu. Darbo struktūra. Magistro darbą sudaro trys dalys. Pirmojoje darbo dalyje pateikta ir nagrinėta impulsyvaus pirkimo koncepcija, vidiniai ir išoriniai impulsyvaus pirkimo stimulai. Taip pat analizuojami prekės ženklo vertę kuriantys... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of this master work – theoretically support and empirically examine the relationship between impulsive buying and brand equity. The structure of thesis. The Master work thesis consists of three parts. The first part of thesis represents and examines the conception of impulsive buying, its internal and external impulsive buying stimulus. It also analyzes the creating factors of the brand value. The analysis of impulsive buying models is also presented. The second part of the thesis represents the structural interface pattern of impulsive buying and the brand equity. The research methodology, aims and tasks are also given. A previous analysis of impulsive buying research results is done. The third part of Master work thesis does the empirical research of the relationship between impulsive buying and the brand equity; the results are generalized. Empirically checked structural model relationshiop between impulsive buying and the brand equity by the example of Nivea brand is done. At the end of the Master work the conclusions are made and suggestions are given. In order to make it more transparent, the work contains of 14 pictures and 17 tables. The theoretical analysis has been prepared using 117 English and Lithuanian literature sources.

Globalisation and advances in communications technology have greatly expanded the potential marketplace for professional teams, especially for internationally popular sports. Lewis (2001) claimed that fans are now more likely to support a team based less on a shared geographic connection than on personal reasons. As Ben-Porat (2000) claimed, for these fans a foreign-based team is like “an 'overseas sweetheart,' far away but close to the heart” (p. 344). These 'satellite supporters,' (Kerr 2008, in press), or 'satellite fans' (Kerr & Gladden 2008) represent significant revenue, especially for those team brands that seek international expansion. In addition, an individual's decision to purchase the sports product is largely dependent upon their level of identification with a chosen team. Team identification, or “the extent to which a fan feels psychologically connected” (Wann, Melnick, Russell & Pease 2001, p. 3) to a particular team, is critical to the financial viability of a sports organisation. However, despite the increased attention paid to team identification, the reasons why satellite supporters identify with a foreign-based team have been largely unexplored. To address this need this study asks: What are the most important antecedents in the identification of satellite supporters with their chosen sports team? Recent research also suggests that a relationship exists between team identification and brand equity (Carlson, Quazi & Muthaly 2002; Kerr 2008; Underwood, Bond & Baer 2001). Therefore, the study also asks: Can a conceptual brand equity framework predict the determinants of team identification of satellite supporters? The thesis adopts a case study approach using mixed methods; a strategy that can provide “a fuller understanding of the sports fan” (Jones 1997b). Online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were administered to members of fan organisations dedicated to the English Premier League's Liverpool F.C. Liverpool F.C. was an appropriate subject for the case study as it has a global fan base, a rich history, and is arguably one of the world's premier team brands. This thesis proposes a number of important antecedents in the satellite supporter's identification with a foreign-based team. These are: media coverage; style of play; the presence of particular player(s); team success; history of success; participation in the highest division; stadium; history of ethical behaviour; and the broadcast quality of games. Furthermore, a conceptual brand equity framework is shown to shed light on the possible determinants of their team identification. This study also confirms that social identity theory is an appropriate perspective to examine foreign fandom; satellite supporters might derive positive psychological benefits from their fandom; and the existence of a brand community dedicated to a professional sports organisation.

Background: The modern day era of the Internet gave birth to the growing phenomenon of Internet memes (IM), a type of online user generated content (UGC) (Gangadharbatla, 2008). Now marketers have begun researching the relationship between UGC and consumer based brand equity (CBBE) (Christodoulides et.al, 2012; Rachna and Khajuria, 2017). The problem discussion presents the issue of the diminishing control of brand equity due to the rise of UGC and lack of research on how to manage its influence (Morrison et al., 2013). Leading to the purpose of this thesis, which is to determine the impact Internet memes have on consumer based brand equity. Literature: The review presents two leading contributors to the field, Aaker’s (1991) framework on the different dimensions of CBBE and Keller’s (1993) definition of the concept. In addition recent studies on UGC and brand equity provided the basis for hypothesis development. Method: This thesis assumed a deductive research approach, developing the hypothesis from current literature in the field. A quantitative study, that utilized an explanatory research approach, because it best suited the experimental design. As for the data collection method, surveys were considered (Saunders et al., 2016), which the authors designed as a self-completion questionnaire and pre-tested (Bryman and Bell, 2015). Convenience sampling was chosen to select participants (Hernon, 2004). Construct and content validity was used along with homogeneity and stability to control reliability and measure the quality of research instruments (Bryman and Bell, 2015). SPSS version 25 was used to conduct all statistical analyses. Results: Four hypotheses were developed, to measure the effect of the independent variable IM on each of the four CBBE dimensions. To summarize, three of the hypothesis (H1, H3 and H4) were rejected as the difference in the means are not significant enough and can be explained by chance. The effect on brand association (H2) was however found to be significant therefore H2 was accepted.

It is important for companies to reach their goal of marketing success and a way for them doing so is to improve their sales and differentiate themselves from their competitors. There is in fact a need for companies to focus on sustainable consumption and how customers are influenced by purchasing these products. Since several research has been studying the impact brand equity has on purchase intention, this paper intends to explain this impact further by adding the context of sustainability. In order to explain this, this paper used a quantitative approach where a survey was sent out. A total of 220 responses were collected and the answers given were calculated through the program SPSS. In SPSS a multiple regression line was conducted where the results could be found, where the developed hypotheses showed acceptance or rejection. The result showed that the variables of brand equity had different levels of impact, where three out of four hypotheses were accepted. Even though one of the variables was rejected, the overall representation of brand equity had a positive impact on purchase intention when the context of sustainability was added.

Background: The number of acquisitions is continuously increasing andthey are often an important source for competitive advantage. Meanwhile, acquisitions can be a hazardous investment and many do not succeed in creating the expected value. When seeking value creation, corporations can occasionally rebrand in the company. However, the challenges associated with corporate rebranding are sometimes inevitable. Therefore, a developed understanding of the challenges associated with corporate rebranding is required by investigation. Purpose: The purpose of the research is to investigate the corporate rebranding, from the aspect of customer satisfaction, brand equity and customer mindset. Moreover, the relationship between customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and brand equity will be examined. Execution: A quantitative research method is applied where empirical data is collected through structured interviews with customers of Circle K. The findings will be utilised for the data interpretation and analysis, as well as for the conclusion of the research. Conclusion: Rebranding does not result into a negative customer mindset or brand equity. However, the research shows that the rebranding has a positive influence on the customer satisfaction, and that there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. In turn, the customer loyalty is proven to affect the brand equity positively. The customer satisfaction of the new brand decreased compared to the original brand. Conversely, the difference in customer loyalty between the original and new brand cannot be proven and therefore there is no negative connection between loyalty to the original brand and loyalty to the new brand.

In recent years esports has evolved from strictly being a hobby of playing videos games for many to becoming a highly commercialized and professionalized sport. Nowadays, there are more unique viewers of the largest esport competitions than physical sport events like the NBA finals or the Super Bowl. With this growth, the field of esports has come under the radar for professional football clubs and several football clubs has made brand extensions into the field. The study has identified a gap of knowledge of why professional football clubs in Sweden extend their brand to the esport. Hence, the purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how professional football clubs, on an elite level, can affect their brand through creating esports teams as brand extensions. Results show that professional football clubs can benefit from positive short - and long term effects by brand extensions to esports as well as enhance the brand equity of the sportclub. The football clubs suggest brand extensions to esports such as FIFA is logical to the clubs as the sports are much alike, which minimizes the risk, but also reduce the opportunities as FIFA is a relativity unpopular game, results show. However an brand extension to esports further away from the core of the football clubs was not an option at this point. The paper contributes with a introduction to the phenomenon that is esports and its effects on professional football clubs on an elite level, however we acknowledge that there is more research to be done in the field. / På senare år har e-sport utvecklats från att vara en fritidsaktivitet utövad genom tv-spel till att bli ett högt kommersialiserat och professionaliserat sätt att tävla. Nuförtiden har esportens största tävlingar fler unika tittare än de största fysiska idrottsevenemang som NBA-finalen eller Super Bowl i USA. Tack vare denna utveckling, har e-sporten fått uppmärksamhet av professionella fotbollsklubbar och ett flertal fotbollsklubbar har genomfört varumärkesutvidgningar till e-sporten. Studien har identifierat en kunskapslucka om varför professionella fotbollsklubbar i Sverige valt att utvidga sin verksamhet till att omfatta e-sporten. Med stöd av detta, är syftet med studien att öka förståelse för hur svenska fotbollsklubbar på elitnivå kan påverka sitt varumärket genom att starta e-sportlag. Resultatet visar att professionella fotbollsklubbar anser sig kunna uppnå kort- och långsiktiga fördelar genom att varumärkesutvidga till e-sporten samt bidra till att öka fotbollsklubbens totala varumärkeskapital. Resultatet visar även att varumärkeutvidgningar till e-sporten och FIFA har en logisk koppling till fotbollen tack vare dess likheter, vilket minskar risken för misslyckande men även reducerar möjligheterna med satsningen. Detta förklaras vara då FIFA inte anses vara ett så populärt spel i dagsläget. Däremot har det visats att varumärkesutvidgningar till e-sportspel mer distanserade från kärnverksamheten inte var ett alternativ. Uppsatsen bidrar med en introduktion till fenomenet e-sport och dess påverkan på professionella fotbollsklubbar på elitnivå samtidigt som vi erkänner att det finns ytterligare forskning att göra inom fältet.

As marcas estão presentes no cotidiano dos consumidores e das organizações. Para os indivíduos, as marcas são carregadas de simbolismos, representações e complexos signos de posicionamento social enquanto, para as empresas, as marcas se tornam um ativo extremamente valioso, capaz de diferenciar as suas ofertas em um mercado comoditizado e influenciar o comportamento do consumidor. Neste cenário, o cuidado com a marca na percepção dos consumidores surge quase como condição para uma eficaz gestão estratégica de marketing nas empresas e, também, terreno fértil para pesquisas acadêmicas. Entre os cuidados que a empresa deve ter com as marcas sobre as percepções do consumidor, as estratégias promocionais baseadas na redução de preços merecem atenção. O presente estudo verifica o impacto que a promoção de preços (descontos e ofertas) exerce sobre o Consumer-based Brand Equity (CBBE). Por meio de uma pesquisa experimental do tipo between-subject, uma amostra de 300 estudantes universitários divididos igualmente em seis unidades de teste, foi estimulada através de anúncios impressos, a avaliar o CBBE de duas marcas de tênis (Diadora e Nike) que apresentavam três diferentes níveis de desconto (nenhum, baixo e alto) sobre um preço de referência - em um design fatorial 2x3 - a fim de avaliar se a presença e a intensidade das promoções de preços, presentes no anúncio, influenciariam as percepções dos respondentes sobre as marcas. A pesquisa também avaliou simultaneamente o comportamento de duas metodologias de mensuração distintas: (1) a metodologia de Yoo e Donthu (2001) que mensura elementos cognitivos e comportamentais e (2) a metodologia de Vázquez, Río e Iglésias (2002) que mensura o Consumer-based Brand Equity com base em duas dimensões de utilidade da marca: valor funcional e valor simbólico. Entre os principais achados desta pesquisa, pode-se destacar que - ao contrário do suporte teórico - neste experimento, a promoção de preços quando aplicada em anúncios impressos, não gerou impacto estatiscamente significativo sobre a média geral do Consumer-based Brand Equity e tão pouco sobre suas dimensões separadamente. A principal contribuição gerencial desta pesquisa consiste na indicação de evidências de que as promoções de preços, enquanto estratégias de curto prazo, podem continuar sendo uma das mais utilizadas estratégias de promoção de vendas sem prejuízo ao valor da marca na percepção do consumidor. Sob o ponto de vista acadêmico, este trabalho contribui principalmente na validação da escala de Yoo e Donthu (2001) no contexto brasileiro e em pesquisas experimentais. Da mesma forma, esta pesquisa ajuda a validar a ainda pouco utilizada escala de Vázquez, Río e Iglésias (2002) indicando que esta escala de mensuração precisa de outros estudos mais robustos até adquirir a solidez necessária à sua ampla utilização. Também como uma das implicações acadêmicas desta pesquisa, destacam-se os indicativos que, em um contexto de pesquisa experimental, os achados de alguns autores como Yoo, Donthu e Lee (2000), Villarejo-Ramos e Sanchez-Franco (2005) e Buil, Chernatony e Martínez (2008, 2011) que identificaram a influência das promoções de preços sobre certas dimensões do Consumer-based Brand Equity merecem ser revistos. / Brands are present in consumers life and organizations. For individuals, brands are loaded with symbolism, representations and complex social positioning signs. As for businesses, brands become an extremely valuable asset, able to differentiate their offerings in a commoditized market and influence consumer behavior. In this scenario, the care with the brand in consumers' perception emerges almost as a condition for effective strategic marketing management in firms and also fertile ground for academic research. Among the care the company should have with brands on consumer perceptions, promotional strategies based on reducing prices deserve attention. This study evaluates the impact of price promotions (discounts and offers) exerts on the Consumer-based Brand Equity (CBBE). Through an experimental study of the between-subject type, a sample of 300 college students divided equally into six test units was stimulated through print ads, to evaluate the CBBE of two sneaker brands (Nike and Diadora) which had three different discount levels (none, low and high) on a reference price - in a 2x3 factorial design - in order to assess if the presence and intensity of price promotions, present on the announcement, influence the perceptions of respondents about brands. The survey also assessed simultaneously the behavior of two different measurement methodologies: (1) the methodology of Yoo and Donthu (2001), which measures cognitive and behavioral elements and (2) the methodology of Vázquez, Rio and Iglesias (2002) which measures the Consumer-based Brand Equity based on two dimensions of use of the mark: functional value and symbolic value. Among the key findings of this research, it can be noted that - unlike the theoretical support - in this experiment, the promotion price when applied in print ads did not generate statistically significant impact on the overall average of the Consumer-based Brand Equity and neither on its dimensions separately. The main managerial contribution of this research is the indication of evidence that price promotions, when used as shortterm strategies, may still be one of the most used strategies to promote sales without prejudice to the value of the brand in consumer's perception. From the academic point of view, this work contributes mainly in the scale validation of Yoo and Donthu (2001) in the Brazilian context and experimental research. Likewise, this research helps validate the still underused scale of Vázquez, Rio and Iglesias (2002) indicating that this scale of measurement needs other more robust studies to acquire the necessary strength to its extensive use. Also as one of the academic implications of this research highlight the indicative that in the context of experimental research, the findings of authors like Yoo, Donthu and Lee (2000), Villarejo-Ramos and Sanchez- Franco (2005) and Buil, Chernatony and Martínez (2008, 2011) who identified the influence of price promotions on certain dimensions of Consumer-based Brand Equity deserve to be reviewed.

Abstract Background: Most of existing literature in the field of sharing economy has focused on aspects of sustainability and business model structure. Research on brand image in the sharing economy has up until today not been an area of investigation. The purpose of a company’s marketing activities is to influence the perception and attitude towards the brand and stimulate consumers’ purchasing behavior by establish the brand image in consumers’ mind. The peer-to-beer based structure of sharing goods and services in the sharing economy consequently means less involvement from the focal company and presents the challenge of influencing the customers’ perception of the brand. Purpose: Page and Lepkowska-White (2002) developed the ‘Web Equity Framework’ which illustrates factors affecting brand equity in an online environment. By using this framework as a foundation for interviews, the purpose of this study is to understand how brand image is built and uncover factors that affects brand image in the sharing economy. Method: This is a qualitative study using an abductive approach. Seven in-depth interviews have been held with sharing economy companies in Sweden to collect data and gain an understanding in the field of study. Conclusion: The findings of this study show five factors that affect brand image in the sharing economy. The factors in Page and Lepkowska-White’s (2002) framework have been found to affect brand image also in the sharing economy, to different extent. However, two of them have been renamed to more appropriately fit the field of study and one additional factor has been identified, namely Peer trust, which has been illustrated in a revised model. Since trust between consumers becomes more apparent in the sharing economy, this is also one of the factors that impact the way consumers perceive the brand.