Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate consumer’s attitude towards licensed products in relation to the parent brand, with respect to perceived quality, likelihood to buy and associations’ transferability. Background: Brand licensing has become one of an increasingly popular ways of stretching a brand into new product categories to reach more consumers in new markets. Despite the fact that brand licensing is less risky than building a brand from scratch, the odds that licensed products will fail are still high. That is why, it is interesting to investigate consumers’ attitudes towards brand licensing in fast moving consumer goods sector and see how perceived quality, likelihood to buy and transferability of parent brand associations will impact the licensing strategy. Method: The authors will use quantitative approach; data will be gathered using self-administered questionnaires. Furthermore, the data will be analysed using SPSS, namely by employing Spearman’s correlation. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that perceived quality, likelihood to buy and associations of the parent brand have a positive impact on the licensed products only if there is a high degree of perceived fit between the two product categories. Consumers welcome new licensed product that is in the related product category, however, the consumers appear to be sceptical to the product that is outside of the core market of the parent brand.

Title: Brand loyalty in the Swedish beer market: A consumer study about the relations between brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand awareness and brand associations. Authors: Emmelie Gustafsson and Camilla Sjödahl-Essén Supervisor: Ossi Pesämaa Department: School of Management, Blekinge Institute of Technology Course: Bachelor’s thesis in Business Administration, 15 credits Purpose: This study aims to study how brand loyalty of three Swedish beer brands is affected by brand associations, brand awareness and perceived quality. The study contributes to explain the differences between the three brands to highlight their strength and weaknesses as well as comparing with each other with the result of this study. Method: Three surveys accounted for the empirical data, which furthermore was statistically analyzed with SPSS and Excel. Results: The result of the three brands show that perceived quality is a closer influencing factor to brand loyalty than brand associations and brand awareness. The three brands also differed where Norrlands Guld proved to be the strongest brand with high brand awareness and brand loyalty.

Sammandrag: Företag strävar kontinuerligt efter att bygga ett välkänt och framgångsrikt varumärke. De strävar efter att tillfredsställa konsumenters behov för att öka varumärkets värde, brand equity. Genom att försöka avgöra konsumenters inställning till ett visst varumärke och deras förhållning till ett utökat sortiment i en ny produktkategori syftar denna uppsats till att diskutera och utforska förändringen av varumärkets brand equity. Vid denna undersökning har H&Ms varumärke och deras nya sportkollektion använts som exempel. Teorin behandlar varumärkets värde, brand equity, utifrån ett konsumentperspektiv samt utvidgning av produktutbud hos varumärken. Konsumenter styr ett varumärkes värde och då studien undersöks från ett konsumentperspektiv, var det av intresse att fokusera på Consumer Based Brand Equitys, CBBEs, fyra olika dimensioner: lojalitet, medvetenhet, upplevd kvalitet och associationer. Genom en kvantitativ enkätundersökning fick respondenterna bland annat svara på i vilken utsträckning de förknippade olika faktorer med H&Ms varumärke och därefter i vilken utsträckning de förknippade samma faktorer med den nya sportkollektionen. Några faktorer som användes var kvalitet, modeinriktat, pris, exklusivitet, känt m.fl. Med det teoretiska ramverket tolkades de empiriska resultaten för att kunna besvara uppsatsens syfte. Resultaten visade, till viss mån, en positiv förändring av värdet för varumärket på grund av den nya sportkollektionen, samt att det finns tendenser till fortsatt överensstämmelse mellan H&Ms varumärke och en sportfokuserad produktkontext.

The development of social media has increased the usage and prevalence of content marketing. This have enhanced the pressures on marketers to manage and leverage this tool. Also, consumers interaction with valuable content leads to a stronger relationship with the brand which further might enhance the brand image. Hence, this paper carries out a quantitative research with the purpose to explain if questionable content marketing on social media have a negative impact on brand image. The researchers used questionnaires as their method for collection of empirical data. The respondents were gathered based on a convenience sampling. The questionnaires were out sent out to 204 participants, were the aim was to investigate if the respondents view of a brand changes negatively, after being exposed to scenarios that were constituted by questionable content marketing. It was analyzed through an ANOVA test. The overall conclusions after gathering and analyzing the data, implicate that questionable content marketing have a negative effect on brand image. Therefore, it becomes important for managers to carefully evaluate their content marketing strategy on social media in order to avoid questionable content marketing.

In October 2017, the Olympic Committee rendered official its decision to consider electronic sports (eSports) as sports. The global eSports market was valued at nearly 493 million U.S. dollars in 2016, with 80% of the revenues coming from sponsorship. Sponsorship has become an important matter for organizations, since it can be a powerful tool to establish or change a company’s brand image; indeed, more than 600 sponsorship agreements were signed in 2016 in the eSport industry. This paper aims at finding out how do sport and eSport enthusiasts differ in their perception of the brand image of a sponsoring brand. The study was conducted by using combined research methods. First, we used a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews, in order to get a better understanding of the general context. Then a questionnaire was used to fully understand the differences and similarities between sport and eSport enthusiasts, and to identify the variables that impact the sponsorship response (measured by favour, interest, and use). The variables studied were event image, perceived fit, attitudes towards the brand as a sponsor, brand personality, brand associations, self-concepts and brand identification. The results show that sport enthusiasts are more impacted by factors such as brand identification and self-concepts, while brand associations matter for both groups.

Influencer marketing is an important tool to change and reinforce consumers brand associations. Influencers post content that is trying to create intended brand associations. The consumers’ reactions then decide what the realized brand associations are. The purpose of this study is to explore through semiotic and netnographic Instagram analysis how influencer marketing affects brand associations in the sports fashion industry. This research has a qualitative methodology and has used semiotic and netnographic analysis to explore the case of Gymshark. The research consists of 100 analyzed posts from Instagram influencers related to Gymshark. It was found that influencers’ personal brands affect the realized brand associations. Also, gender has an affecting role on both, intended and realized brand associations.

Magister Commercii - MCom / A brand extension strategy is one of the marketing tools that firms utilise to introduce new products in the market. One of the advantages of adopting this strategy is that firms are able to leverage on the positive image, reputation, and equity of a recognised and established brand,thereby reducing risk associated with launching new products.This study examines how consumers perceive the overall quality and similarity/fit of the brand extensions (Nike camera, Nike socks, and Nike golf balls) in relation to the original brand (Nike athletic shoes) and how these perceptions influence their attitudes towards the extensions. The researcher proposes that the perceived overall quality of the brand extensions will be congruent to that of the original brand and that the attitude towards the brand extensions will be favourable only when there is a perceived similarity/fit between the brand extensions and the original brand.In order to get these insights, the study surveyed 147 undergraduate and postgraduate students from the University of the Western Cape across all faculties. A non-probability convenience sampling method was used to access respondents. To collect data, qualitative and quantitative methods were employed using a questionnaire which consisted of open-ended and closed-ended questions in the form of free associations technique and 5-point Likert scales. The data gathered was analysed by means of descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation coefficient. The findings indicate two things.(1) respondents only perceived Nike socks’ overall quality to be congruent to the original brand, Nike athletic shoes. (2) respondents only perceived Nike socks to be strongly similar to the original brand, Nike athletic shoes. Despite this, respondents had a favourable attitude towards all the brand extensions irrespective of whether they perceived the overall quality of the extensions to be congruent to the original brand or not, and whether they perceived the extensions to be similar to the original brand or not. These factors did not influence respondents’ attitudes towards the extensions negatively.

While the concept of brand loyalty is well-researched, qualitative studies pertaining specifically to generational transfer of brand loyalty in a South African fast-moving consumer goods context are few and far between. This study used the dishwashing liquid product category in the Western Cape Province of South Africa to analyse generational transfer of brand loyalty. Following a qualitative research methodology, using in-person interviews across two generations - children and parents/guardians - raw data was obtained. Participants were asked to provide information relating to their preferred brand of dishwashing liquid, as well as their reasons for using the brand, their loyalty towards the brand, as well as their likelihood of brand switching. The data underwent a thorough thematic data analysis. Codes, categories, and themes were identified, with the researcher continually seeking to identify patterns in responses. A number of findings were laid out, offering insights into the concept of generational transfer of brand loyalty, as well as a foundation for future research into the topic. The study established that, in the dishwashing liquid product category in the Western Cape, there is a strong degree of generational transfer of brand loyalty, and at times, the transfer has taken place across three generations. Aspects such as consumers’ use of a brand out of habit and brand associations also appear to transfer generationally at times. There is also a strong occurrence of brand loyalty in the product category - mostly towards Unilever’s Sunlight brand. Brand switching across generations is uncommon in this sector, prevented by factors including enthusiastic brand loyalty and budgetary limitations. When switching does occur, it is driven mainly by a desire to discover whether a better brand exists, and changes in price and availability. Price and effectiveness frequently combine to form assessments of value during consumers’ purchase decision process in this product category. This study provides insight into the phenomenon of generational transfer of brand loyalty, within the context of the FMCG industry in the Western Cape. The findings within may prove useful both to brand marketers as well as researchers seeking a foundation upon which to conduct further studies in this area. The implications of this study, and recommendations for future, related studies, have been discussed in this report.

This paper examines how social- and environmental sustainability is advertised on Instagram and how it in turn affects consumer-based brand equity. Firstly, a latent content analysis was conducted on Adidas Instagram account, @adidas, to gain insights on how they use sustainability in their advertising through their Instagram posts. The findings revealed how Adidas explicitly advertise sustainability, both social- and environmental sustainability on their Instagram account. However, the analysis displayed a higher focus on social issues compared to initiatives to facilitate environmental sustainability. Secondly, Adidas Instagram was analyzed with the use of insights from interviews, to capture how its sustainability efforts affect consumers and thereby brand equity. The findings demonstrate the importance of taking the consumer perspective into account to positively affect the dimensions included within brand equity through social media, and to not miss out on the favorable outcomes of sustainability advertising. Accordingly, the research offers concrete knowledge on how sustainability can be advertised on social media by fashion brands, and its effect on brand equity. An area that has highly been neglected among previous researchers. The study contributes to valuable knowledge on how brands, in a generally unsustainable industry, could demonstrate their sustainability efforts in advertising to foster sustainable consumption among consumers into a more sustainable future.

The aim of this study is to understand how co-branding can be strategically implemented and its relevance in small business customer relationships. The study serves as a guide for small businesses striving to strengthen their brand and improve their customer relationships through strategic utilization of co-branding. By enhancing knowledge about co-branding as a strategy, businesses can identify opportunities and challenges of successfully implementing the strategy in their operations. The theoretical foundations of the study include areas of brand equity, co-branding and relationship marketing. Using a qualitative method and across-sectional study design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with five companies and seven consumers to obtain multiple valuable perspectives and viewpoints on the research topic. Based on the empirical research, the findings indicate that consumers value quality, company values, long-term relationships, personalized offers, and trust in brands. Consumers also view brand collaborations positively but emphasize the importance of clear objectives and beneficial partnerships. The companies reported that collaborations can provide broader reach, expand the target audience, increase market share and sales, and facilitate insights sharing and trust building. The prospects for successful collaborations highlights long-term commitment and strong relationships as key components for successful partnerships. Based on the previous mentioned information and the study’s results, the conclusion is that the establishment and management of brand equity play a central role in creating a stable customer base, requiring strategic implementation of the brand process early on to effectively communicate the brand and its identity. Small businesses have several advantages that gives them opportunities to implement co-branding as a strategy, where they can contribute with significant resources to other larger businesses with an interest in exchange through exposure. In relation to their customers, the importance of quality, long-term commitment, trust and strong values is emphasized as factors that need to remain stable in the implementation of a co-branding strategy.