Předložená diplomová práce je zaměřená na použití konceptů a strategie značky sloužící k rozvoji značky Pojišťovny České Spořitelny a.s.., Vienna Insurance Group. Základem jsou teorie marketingových guru Ko Floora, Kapferera, Kellera a konceptů brand identity a brand prismu které jsou použity k analýze současného stavu branding značky. Současně jsou provedeny analýzy konkurentů a prostředí k určení pozice značky na trhu. Na základě výsledků provedených analýz jsou stanoveny návrhy řešení konceptu rozvoje značky.

Internet med dess sociala nätverk som blivit till mediekanaler har kommit att förändra vårt beteende när det gäller hur vi kommunicerar och vad vi kommunicerar. Det senaste skiftet representeras av förskjutningen från datorn till mobilen dit alltmer aktivitet flyttas. Detta skifte beror på den snabba produktutveckling som skett, där mobiltelefonen idag har kommit att innehålla komponenter tidigare isolerade till datorer. Detta har påverkat företagens marknadsföringsstrategier. Rapporten bygger på meningen att använda äldre sådana, applicerade på nya mediekanaler inte är effektivt. Istället behövs nya strategier och metoder, och den interaktiva, sociala delen i hur företag kommunicerar sitt budskap till målgrupper har blivit allt viktigare. Syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka ett nytt verktyg som drar nytta av den mobila trenden när det kommer till social media och människors nya kommunikationsvanor. Produkten som representerar av det nya verktyget här föremål för analys, är Wrapp’s presentkortsapplikation. Vi syftar med analysen fastställa huruvida verktyget hjälper företag att skapa förespråkare av varumärken så kallade brand advocates. Datainsamlingen och analysen av Wrapp som ett varubyggande marknadsföringsverktyg är begränsad till den amerikanska marknaden och två av partnerorganisationernas Facebook kampanjer. Wrapp möjliggör för företag att ge ut gratis och betalda presentkort till Facebook-vänner genom en mobil och webbaserad applikation. I undersökningen har en intervjustudie där respondenterna representeras av Wrapp-anställda genomförts. I denna framgår  spondenternas uppfattningar om i vilken utsträckning Wrapp’s applikation är ett arumärkesbyggande verktyg för företag, som skapar brand advocates. En analys av Wrapp’s kampanjverktyg har också genomförts, för att se om verktyget visar exponentiell tillväxt och en viral spridningscykel vad det gäller antalet skickade presentkort från ett specifikt varumärke. Resultaten från analysen presenteras och paralleller dras mellan de empiriska resultaten och den teori som presenteras i litteraturen, främst gällande brand advocates, social media marketing, viral marketing och Word-of-mouth, WOM. Resultatet från analysen av kampanjverktyget visar att det på den amerikanska marknaden, ännu inte blivit en strategi som leder till en viral spridning och en exponentiell tillväxt i antalet skickade presentkort. Lärdomar från intervjustudien granskas och presenteras med syfte att komplettera resultatet från kampanjverktygsanalysen. Också för att få en bredare förståelse för vad som skapar brand advocacy kring ett varumärke. Till det kompilerade resultatet tillämpar vi en modell som i rapporten antas beskriva hur rand advocates skapas. Genom att göra detta når vi den huvudsakliga slutsatsen, att Wrapp inte nödvändigtvis skapar brand advocates men, möjliggör handlingen av brand advocacy Modellen som sådan skulle kunna vara ett sätt för företag att undersöka huruvida nya sociala medierna skapar brand advocates, genom att undersöka och utvärdera de byggstenar som behövs för att ha en effektiv strategi vad det gäller opinionsbildning kring varumärket eller brand advocates alternativt handlingen av brand advocacy. / The Internet through social online networks and media has come to change our behavior when it comes to how we communicate and what we communicate. The latest shift is that from desktop to mobile, following the product developments happening with mobile phones making them smarter, portable and connected mini computers. This has had an effect on companies marketing strategies. To simply apply older marketing strategies on this new media channel is not sufficient. Instead new strategies and approaches are needed, and the social element needs to be implemented to a larger extent. The purpose with this report is to investigate a new social mobile marketing tool created by the tech start up Wrapp, and to analyse whether or not the tool helps companies create brand advocates. The data collecting and analysis of Wrapp as a brand advocacy tool is limited to the American market and two of the partner brands’ Facebook campaigns  onducted in this setting. Wrapp enables for companies to give out free and paid gift cards to Facebook friends through and mobile and web based application. In the research an interview study where we asked respondents represented by Wrapp employees about their conceptions on brand advocacy and social media marketing was conducted. An analysis of the Wrapp Facebook campaign tool was also done, to see if the tool shows exponential growth and virality in branded gift cards sent. Results are presented and efforts are made to draw parallels between the empirical findings and theory presented in the literature review concerning mainly brand advocates, social media marketing, viral marketing and WOM. The result from the Facebook campaign tool analysis shows, that the Wrapp tool on the merican market is yet to become viral. From the interviews we examine and present results to complement this finding, also to get a broader understanding on what creates brand advocacy. To the compiled results we apply a model assumed to describe how brand advocates are created. By doing this we reach our main conclusion, Wrapp does not based on our analysis create brand advocates, but the act of brand advocacy. The model as such could be a way for companies to investigate whether or not new social media platforms create brand advocates, by examining and evaluating the building blocks necessary to have an efficient brand advocacy strategy.

Problembakgrund: Sportorganisationer, lag och atleter har allt mer börjat ses som varumärken. Precis som att ett varumärke anses vara den absolut mest värdefulla tillgången för ett företag, är det en minst lika värdefull tillgång för sportorganisationer. Dock verkar många sportorganisationer ändå underskatta styrkan i deras varumärke. Problematiken i den tidigare varumärkeslitteraturen är att det verkar finnas ett kunskaps gap i hur man stärker en hel sports varumärke.  Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera hur marknadskommunikationen idag ser ut hos en sportorganisation, där den huvudsakliga finansieringen kommer från spelmarknaden. Dessutom belysa vilka kommunikationsverktyg en sport effektivast kan använda i förhållande till resurser och maximal spridning. Slutligen beskriva hur en sportorganisation kan bygga upp ett starkare varumärke.  Metod: Studien är baserad på en fallstudie, där en kvalitativ metod valts och ett deduktivt angreppsätt. Undersökningens empiriska material utgörs av tre djupgående intervjuer med sportorganisationens marknadsavdelning och tre stycken fokusgrupper vilka representerades av hästspelare, sportspelare och neutrala individer, som utgör galoppsportens passiva målgrupp.  Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att en sportorganisation kan stärka sitt varumärke genom att fokusera på den unika emotionella koppling som individer har till sporter, samt att strategiskt välja kommunikationskanaler som passar väl ihop med organisationens resurser och möjligheter. Slutligen måste en integrerad varumärkeskommunikationsplan integreras i alla sportens avdelningar, för att kunna koordinera budskap och kanaler på ett effektivt sätt. / Sport organizations, teams and athletes have increasingly begun to be seen as brands. Just like a brand is considered to be by far the most valuable asset for a company, it is just as valuable to sport organizations. However, many sport organizations still seem to underestimate the strength of their brands. The difficulties in the previous brand literature is that there seems to be a lack of knowledges about how to strenghten an entire sport.   The purpose of this study is to identify how the market communications today looks like for a sport organization, where the main funding comes from the gambling industry. Then identify which communication tools a sport can use moste effectively in relation to resources and maximum awareness. Finally, decribe how a sport organization can build a stronger brand.  The study is based on a case study, where a qualitative method is chosen, with a deductive approach. The empirical evidence of the survey consists of three interviews with the selected sport organization’s marketing departement and three focus groups which were represented by the horse racings passive taget group, which consist of horse gamblers, sport gamblers and neutral individuals.  The results of the study shows that a sport organization can strengthen it’s brand by focusing on the unique emotional connection that individuals have to sports, and to strategically choose communication channels that fit well with the organization’s resources and options. Finally, an integrated brand communication plan must be integrated throughout all the divisions within the sport, in order to coordinate messages and channels in the most effective way.

Denna kvalitativa studie syftar till att undersöka hur fenomenet Brand Communities skapas och upprätthålls inom det svenska modefältet. Brand Communities innebär en grupp människor som är sammankopplade på grund av ett gemensamt intresse kring samma varumärke. Studien inkluderar Brand Communities från tre varumärken inom olika segment vars konsumenter undersökts genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Netnografiska observationer har följaktligen genomförts för att undersöka varumärkena samt deras konsumenter. De teoretiska ramverk som har tillämpats i analysen är Brand Community, Brand Loyalty, Brand Love, Lifestyle Marketing samt förtrollning. Resultatet tyder på att likasinnade människor befinner sig inom samma community. Där har historia och personifiering av varumärket möjligen lett till att medlemmarna i gemenskapen har identifierat sig med den livsstil varumärkena presenterar. Slutligen påvisas det att medlemmarna i ett community aktivt bidrar till att upprätthålla gemenskapen, detta genom att skapa och utveckla relationer med varandra. Då dessa gemenskaper bringar sammanhang och betydelse för människor kan Brand Communities skapa ett magiskt element och därigenom återförtrolla medlemmarnas liv. / This qualitative study aims to investigate how the phenomenon of Brand Communities is created and maintained in the Swedish fashion field. Brand Communities are a group of people who are connected due to a common interest in the same brand. The study includes Brand Communities from three brands in different segments whose consumers are investigated through semi-structured interviews. Netnographic observations have consequently been conducted to study the brands as well as their consumers. The theoretical framework that has been applied in the analysis are Brand Community, Brand Loyalty, Brand Love, Lifestyle Marketing and enchantment. The result indicates that like-minded people exist within the same community. The history and personification of the brand has possibly led to members of the community identifying with the lifestyle that the brands present. Finally, it is demonstrated that the members of a community actively contribute to maintaining the community. This by creating and developing relationships with each other. As these communities bring context and meaning to people, Brand Communities can create a magical element and thereby re-enchant members' lives.

Background: All brands need to keep moving and to keep building their stories by bringing new and exciting products or experiences. During the last twenty years, companies have been more and more convinced that their brands are among their most valuable resources and today we see an increasing trend of brand extension attempts, however with a significant number of failures, as well.The strategies of how a brand extension should be done, have been published in several books during the last decades. Despite of this, some companies still do not see the link between brand extension and business development. There seem to be a certain lack of knowledge and understanding of the underlying factors that affect a brand extension. In this study, we would therefore like to examine and identify these different factors in order to create a greater understanding of branding strategies.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to research, describe and analyse the nature of horizontal brand extensions in order to create a theory regarding the essential key factors to take into consideration before considering an extension. Based on the theory, the hypothesis will be tested empirically in order to strengthen- or reject it.Methodology: This study is made with a deductive approach, where the theoretical framework, based on previous presented theories, has led to the conformation of our hypothesis, which has later on been applied to the findings from the empirical researches in order to confirm or discard our hypothesis.The empirical basis consists of qualitative interviews with respondents from two companies with experience from horizontal brand extension: Craft of Scandinavia and Peak Performance.Conclusion: Our conclusion from this research is that for a horizontal extension to be successful it must:‐ Be a part of a brand with a clear brand image and plan, for the brand ­‐ Fit the brand ‐ Live up to the original brand promise - Fit with the old associations and generate new, positive associations to the brand ­‐ Have high perceived quality and trust in the mind of the customer- Be a part of a risk evaluation in order to limit the risks and obtain a more realistic view of the extension. / Program: Textil produktutveckling med entreprenörs- och affärsinriktning

Brand loyalty represents an important asset to any business. While a considerable amount of research focuses on brand loyalty, empirical tests on the brand loyalty influences in the agribusiness environment have not been conducted. The primary purpose of this study was to measure brand loyalty in the agribusiness environment by applying a validated model that measures brand loyalty for this environment. The brand loyalty influences were empirically validated, their reliability was determined and they were measured. Adaptions to this model were proposed to fit the needs of the agribusiness environment. Based on-the findings, conclusions and recommendations were presented. The measurement of brand loyalty in the agribusiness environment is based on Moolla's brand loyalty framework for the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry. The study aimed to determine whether Moolla's FMCG brand loyalty framework is applicable to the agribusiness environment. The twelve brand loyalty influences identified by Moolla include: customer satisfaction; switching costs; brand trust; repeat purchase; involvement; perceived value; commitment; relationship proneness; brand affect; brand relevance; brand performance and culture. The empirical study was conducted among 100 farmers in the North West region. The methodology included the sampling procedure, data collection, questionnaire development and statistical techniques used. Results were analysed with regard to the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (KMO), Bartlett's test of sphericity, Factor analysis, Cronbach Alpha coefficients and mean values. The results of this study concluded that the brand loyalty influences as identified by Moolla are important for measuring agribusiness brand loyalty. The importance of this study is the contribution_ of a brand loyalty framework to measure agribusiness brand loyalty which will aid agribusinesses in the strategic management thereof. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Brand loyalty represents an important asset to any business. While a considerable amount of research focuses on brand loyalty, empirical tests on the brand loyalty influences in the agribusiness environment have not been conducted. The primary purpose of this study was to measure brand loyalty in the agribusiness environment by applying a validated model that measures brand loyalty for this environment. The brand loyalty influences were empirically validated, their reliability was determined and they were measured. Adaptions to this model were proposed to fit the needs of the agribusiness environment. Based on-the findings, conclusions and recommendations were presented. The measurement of brand loyalty in the agribusiness environment is based on Moolla's brand loyalty framework for the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry. The study aimed to determine whether Moolla's FMCG brand loyalty framework is applicable to the agribusiness environment. The twelve brand loyalty influences identified by Moolla include: customer satisfaction; switching costs; brand trust; repeat purchase; involvement; perceived value; commitment; relationship proneness; brand affect; brand relevance; brand performance and culture. The empirical study was conducted among 100 farmers in the North West region. The methodology included the sampling procedure, data collection, questionnaire development and statistical techniques used. Results were analysed with regard to the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (KMO), Bartlett's test of sphericity, Factor analysis, Cronbach Alpha coefficients and mean values. The results of this study concluded that the brand loyalty influences as identified by Moolla are important for measuring agribusiness brand loyalty. The importance of this study is the contribution_ of a brand loyalty framework to measure agribusiness brand loyalty which will aid agribusinesses in the strategic management thereof. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Destinationcompetitiveness emphasizes the need to link competitiveness to a destination's ability to delivergoods and services better than other destinations on those parts of the tourism experience regardedas being important by tourists. The phenomenon of using events to strategically build andstrengthen a destination's brand identity has received very little attention. This study aims to investigate how the Destination Management Organisations in Helsinki arebuilding a brand identity, and how events may be used strategically in this process. Interviews havebeen undertaken with few organisations of various sizes and characteristics. Two distinct divisionsformed the base of the thesis; the first with a clear focus on how the DMO is working to create abrand identity, while the latter concentrated on the same topic from a focused perspective; how thebrand identity may be created with the use of events. After this, the research phase is entered, whichinvolves gathering the necessary data required for determining the current identity of thedestination. Once the research phase was completed, the process moved into a phase of shaping thebrand identity. Through the interviews the writer was able to get better perceptions of how the cityis merged with views and objectives of where the city wants to be, or where they desire to be in the future.

Human behaviour can be explained not only through experience and environments but also by incorporating evolutionary explanation. Consumer behaviour could not be understood accurately without infusing Darwinian evolutionary theory which has contributed in the knowledge of human nature. Evolutionary psychology revolves around the human's evolved mental and the impact on human's traits and behaviour where the influence of the environment to our genes would determine our individual behaviour and traits, resulting in variation among us. Foraging which is a part of behavioural ecology involves many sequences or repetitions of animals' activities and decision making which is useful to relate these patterns of activities to the decisions made in human consumption. The aim of this research is to investigate the similarities of human consumption and ecological behaviour by employing interpretative and comparative approach. It is hoped that by applying the evolutionary theory in explaining consumer choice, this study is able to contribute to the development of behavioural ecology in human consumption.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration