This thesis provides a thorough definition of corporate branding, including its benefits when used as a strategic marketing tool. There are many who believe that the logo of a corporation is its brand. However, the logo is only one interpretation of the brand. The brand is the corporation's ethos. It is the fundamental character or spirit of the corporation. It is an expression of who the corporation is. It is the essence that links the corporation's product or service with its consumer through loyalty and emotional attachments. Corporations use various processes and methodologies when they begin to create and enhance their corporate brand. Corporations must define their corporate personality, build recognition, standardize, and fulfill brand promises. There are also obstacles and challenges that corporations face in their endeavor to implement a branding guideline, and the chance of overcoming them without defined leadership is unrealistic. This study focuses specifically on existing literature about corporate branding and cites case study examples to show what makes the best brands successful and where failing brands could have been more successful. The study concludes by providing insight into the future for corporate branding and offering suggestions for technical communication professionals who find themselves a part of the brand building and defining process. There are various rules to branding and traits that are common to every top brand in the world. By instilling its brand with such traits, and following certain processes with focus, passion, and persistence, and most of all a long-term commitment to the brand, a corporation will find its brand among the most recognized brands in the world.

Die Dissertation beleuchtet das Marketingphänomen der Industrie Commoditisierung aus einer Managementperspektive. Auf Basis einer umfassenden Literaturauswertung erfolgte die Neu-Operationalisierung verschiedener Isomorphismus-Formen aus der Institutionellen Theorie, die als Einflussfaktoren der Industrie-Commoditisierung in die Untersuchung eingehen. Anknüpfend wurden theoretische Ansätze zur Erklärung des Effekts der Industrie-Commoditisierung auf die Wirtschaftliche Performance sowie mögliche Differenzierungsstrategien zur Bekämpfung dieses Effekts diskutiert. Zur Überprüfung des Untersuchungsmodells und der Hypothesen wurde eine standardisierte Online-Befragung durchgeführt. Die Datenauswertung mittels Kausalanalyse zeigte, dass der Institutionelle Isomorphismus, der Normative Isomorphismus und der Mimetische Isomorphismus positiv auf die Industrie-Commoditisierung wirken. Gleichzeitig wirkt sich die Industrie-Commoditisierung negativ auf die Wirtschaftliche Performance eines Unternehmens aus. Dabei ist der negative Effekt schwächer ausgeprägt, wenn Unternehmen Differenzierungsstrategien verfolgen – insbesondere eine Differenzierung über die Unternehmensmarke und/oder den Preis.

The role of best practice in delivering Company Strategy-Brand Promise delivering "Escape through Glamour," has become an issue for the management of Ster-Kinekor as the competitive set in the entertainment arena, increases and becomes aggressive. This has compounded by the digital explosion which has made home entertainment sexy and raised the benchmark of picture and sound quality. Prices are extremely competitive and this practice is supported by the criminal element, i.e. Piracy. The increase in live and televised sports entertainment, television entertainment in general and outdoor activities has contributed to the pressure in growing revenue. Ster-Kinekor has identified the new middle income segment as an opportunity for growth and has identified perceived value of the entertainment format as a key barrier. This is true for the Living Standard Measures (hereafter, LSM) 8, 9 and 10 segment of the market as well. The need to increase the perceived value of the brand and the entertainment it offers has been identified as a key issue by senior management. This study will highlight the concepts of branding and best practice within a review of Ster-Kinekor operational (best practice) interventions. This will be followed by a detailed analysis and interpretation of 800 intercept interviews which will inform the study concerning the market impact of the interventions. In addition, informal interviews were held with various members of management. Ster-Kinekor has introduced a number of initiatives, including a number of best practice interventions under a project entitled "Good to Great." This interventions are aimed at installing best practice within the business with the overall intention of improving customer experience and thereby driving the bottom line. The study therefore will analyse the impact of this these initiatives as intended by Ster-Kinekor management. In conclusion, the study will provide recommendations for consideration in order to enhance the perceived value. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2006.

Konkurrensen bland svenska företag har ökat markant under de senaste åren, vilket har inneburit att deras utbud blivit allt mer likartade. Digitaliseringen har i synnerhet intensifierat konkurrensen inom resebranschen, vilket har bidragit till att företag istället söker att särskilja sig genom immateriella fördelar och varumärkesdifferentiering. För att varumärken ska lyckas med sin varumärkesdifferentiering krävs det att konsumenter är involverade i varumärkena och deras erbjudanden. Med anledning av detta var syftet med studien att få en förståelse för hur konsumenters involvering i resande generellt och produktkategorier påverkade deras möjlighet att särskilja turistiska varumärken. I denna studie användes följaktligen teorier som behandlade involvering och varumärkesdifferentiering. För att få en förståelse för konsumenters involvering i resande och produktkategorier tillämpades teorierna varaktig involvering och produktkategoriinvolvering. För att få kunskap kring konsumenters förmåga att särskilja varumärken ifrån varandra användes Customer-based Brand Equity. Utifrån detta ansågs en kvalitativ metod bäst lämpad för att undersöka fenomenet och vidare genomfördes fyra semistrukturerade fokusgruppintervjuer. Resultatet från intervjuerna visade initialt att konsumenterna var involverade i resande och de uttryckte således starka tankar och åsikter om varumärkena vilket följaktligen innebar att konsumenterna kunde särskilja varumärkena. Det visade sig dock att detta inte stämde överens med verkligheten, då det uppdagades att konsumenterna faktiskt var ovetande om vilket varumärke de senast använde sig av. Trots en hög involvering i resande generellt, uppvisade de en låg involvering gentemot produktkategorin vilket bidrog till att konsumenterna faktiskt inte kunde särskilja varumärkena. / The competition amongst Swedish companies has significantly increased in recent years, which has contributed to the their increasingly similar offers. The digitization has particularly intensified the competition within the travel industry, which in turn has contributed to companies trying to distinguish themselves through intangible assets and brand differentiation. Forbrands to succeed with their brand differentiation, it requires that consumers are involved with the brands and their offers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain an understanding of how consumers involvement affected their ability to distinguish touristic brands. Hence, theories that addressed involvement and brand differentiation were used in this study, to gain an understanding of consumers involvement intraveling and product categories, and thus their ability to distinguish between brands. A qualitative method was therefore used, and four semi-structured focus groups were conducted.The conclusions of this study initially displayed that the consumers should be seen as highly involved in traveling in general, further more they also expressed strong thoughts and feelings about the brands, which implied that the consumers were able to distinguish the brands. However, it was later revealed that the consumers in fact, were not able to differentiate the companies. Although consumers were perceived ashighly involved in traveling, they showed low involvement towards the product category, which contributed to their inability to distinguish the brandsfrom one another.