Denna forskning undersöker rollen som varumärkeskommunikation på sociala medier har för ett nystartat företag och att förstå hur varumärkeskärlek kan skapas och utvecklas hos konsumenter. Genom att tillämpa teorierna varumärkeskapital och relationsmarknadsföring utifrån tre koncept inom marknadsföring, kan forskningen fokusera på att förstå hur konsumenterna interagerar med ett nystartat företag. Detta gjordes utifrån en kvalitativ ansats med universitetsstudenter för att diskutera deras uppfattning och upplevelser av det nystartade företaget Temu samt andra företag och varumärken. Resultaten visar att varumärkeskommunikation har en stor påverkan på sociala medier för hur det interagerar och engagerar kunder. Trots att respondenterna inte uttryckligen förklarar deras känslor gentemot varumärken visar datainsamlingen på indikationer för vad som uppskattas hos andra varumärken. Transparent kommunikation, brett sortiment och ömsesidig relation mellan företag och kunder är det som betonades vara betydelsefulla för att bygga och skapa relationer där möjligheten för varumärkeskärlek därefter kan utvecklas. Forskningen bidrar till förståelsen om hur nystartade företag kan använda varumärkeskommunikation på sociala medier för att etablera och stärka relationer med sina kunder för att utveckla varumärkeskärlek. / This research examines the role of brand communication on social media for a start-up company and to understand how brand love can be created and developed in consumers. By applying the theories of brand equity and relationship marketing to three marketing concepts, the research is able to focus on understanding how consumers interact with a start-up. This was done using a qualitative approach with university students to discuss their perceptions and experiences of the start-up Temu and other companies and brands. The results show that brand communication has a significant impact on social media in how it interacts and engages consumers. Although participants did not explicitly declare their feelings towards brands, the data collection shows indications of what was appreciated in other brands. Transparent communication, wide product range and mutually beneficial relationship between companies and customers are what were emphasized as important to build and create relationships where the possibility of brand love can develop. This research contributes to the understanding of how start-ups can use brand communication on social media to establish and strengthen relationships with their customers to develop brand love.

This study investigates the customer-based brand equity of the major cellphone network service providers (Vodacom, MTN and Cell C) amongst principal estate agents registered with the Estate Agency Affairs Board in Gauteng. Secondary research covered the marketing environment of the major service providers. An extensive study of literature on branding, brand management and brand equity measurement was undertaken. An empirical study was conducted. Telephone interviews were used for initial contact and screening. An invitation to participate in the survey, with a link to a questionnaire, was e-mailed to qualified respondents. Cell C users were excluded from the quantitative analysis. There were several significant findings: Vodacom and MTN users are alike in terms of personal and estate agency-related demographics. With the exception of age and gender, the sample fits the stated descriptors of individuals in the LSM seven to LSM ten groups. Cronbach‘s alpha coefficient confirmed a high level of reliability (0.870) for the summated measurement scale developed as an indicator variable of customer-based brand equity and Vodacom and MTN‘s rating on the summated scale did not differ at a statistically significant level. The service provider used proved to be an important driver of loyalty, but overall satisfaction with the cellphone service does not differ statistically significantly between Vodacom and MTN users. Vodacom has established a much more favourable positioning on the brand association statements evaluated. Factor analysis identified five brand association dimensions that should be considered for measurement of brand associations. Multiple regression analysis identified the brand as a product dimension as the best predictor of customer-based brand equity. Vodacom received more favourable brand performance ratings than MTN. Factor analysis identified six brand performance dimensions that should be considered for inclusion when measuring brand performance. Multiple regression analysis identified the easy to use and one-stop-service dimensions as the best predictors of customer-based brand equity. The customer-based brand equity of the user group is moderate (16 out of 25, or 64%). / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

This study investigates the customer-based brand equity of the major cellphone network service providers (Vodacom, MTN and Cell C) amongst principal estate agents registered with the Estate Agency Affairs Board in Gauteng. Secondary research covered the marketing environment of the major service providers. An extensive study of literature on branding, brand management and brand equity measurement was undertaken. An empirical study was conducted. Telephone interviews were used for initial contact and screening. An invitation to participate in the survey, with a link to a questionnaire, was e-mailed to qualified respondents. Cell C users were excluded from the quantitative analysis. There were several significant findings: Vodacom and MTN users are alike in terms of personal and estate agency-related demographics. With the exception of age and gender, the sample fits the stated descriptors of individuals in the LSM seven to LSM ten groups. Cronbach‘s alpha coefficient confirmed a high level of reliability (0.870) for the summated measurement scale developed as an indicator variable of customer-based brand equity and Vodacom and MTN‘s rating on the summated scale did not differ at a statistically significant level. The service provider used proved to be an important driver of loyalty, but overall satisfaction with the cellphone service does not differ statistically significantly between Vodacom and MTN users. Vodacom has established a much more favourable positioning on the brand association statements evaluated. Factor analysis identified five brand association dimensions that should be considered for measurement of brand associations. Multiple regression analysis identified the brand as a product dimension as the best predictor of customer-based brand equity. Vodacom received more favourable brand performance ratings than MTN. Factor analysis identified six brand performance dimensions that should be considered for inclusion when measuring brand performance. Multiple regression analysis identified the easy to use and one-stop-service dimensions as the best predictors of customer-based brand equity. The customer-based brand equity of the user group is moderate (16 out of 25, or 64%). / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

The number of festivals and events worldwide as well as in South Africa has increased significantly over the past decade. With more than 600 festivals being staged annually in South Africa, it is clear that festivals are competing with each other to attract and retain visitors in order to remain sustainable. For this reason, creating and sustaining a loyal visitor base through marketing and branding activities has become increasingly important for festivals. This, however, is a complex task since branding of a festival is challenging in several ways. Festivals are non-permanent tourism offerings with a variety of attributes that need to be considered when branding the festival. These include attractions, accommodation, entertainment and the natural environment. The competitive environment in which festivals operate and the complex nature of a festival as a brand require a specific approach whereby festivals can create and sustain brand loyalty. To remain a competitive and sustainable arts festival, marketers of festivals need to know how their marketing efforts can be applied to enhance visitors’ loyalty as well as the aspects that contribute to visitors’ loyalty. Although various studies have been concerned with brand loyalty in a tourism context, little research has focused on brand loyalty in a festival context and more specifically in a South African arts festival context. In the light of this, the following research question was formulated: “What are the components and the relationships between the components of a brand loyalty model for arts festivals in South Africa? The primary goal of this thesis was to develop a brand loyalty model for arts festivals. To achieve this goal, four objectives were formulated. The first objective was to analyse the role of marketing in creating and sustaining brand loyalty for arts festivals by means of an in-depth literature review. The definition of marketing and the distinguishing features of tourism offerings were analysed. It was indicated that aspects such as visitors’ motivation for attending festivals impacts on their loyalty. Furthermore it was established that marketing activities such as market research, market segmentation, positioning, branding and developing an effective festival marketing mix can assist marketers of festivals to achieve visitors’ loyalty. The second objective was to review the literature regarding brand loyalty and its constructs. Branding and brand loyalty were defined and the history of branding was discussed. More importantly, the constructs of brand loyalty and the items for measuring them were analysed. It was clear that a variety of constructs impact on festival visitors’ loyalty including brand attitude, brand personality, individuals’ characteristics, circumstances and purchase situation, organisations’ commitment to being customer orientated, brand equity, brand associations, brand awareness, product involvement, brand commitment, brand affect, quality, brand image, brand experience, brand trust, brand value and satisfaction. In addition, it was concluded that these aspects are related and affect one another. The third objective was to identify the components of a brand loyalty model, test the relationships between them and determine the variables influencing them. This was done with the aim of developing a brand loyalty model for arts festivals. For this purpose, data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire which was distritubuted to visitors at Vryfees and Aardklop. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed at each festival with 355 questionnaires obtained at Vryfees and 352 questionnaires obtained at Aardklop. Selected statistical techniques were employed to achieve this objective. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on the items for measuring brand loyalty. From this, six brand loyalty components were revealed. Spearman Rank Order Correlation was used to determine the relationships between these brand loyalty components. An independent t-test, one-way ANOVA and two-way ANOVA between groups were employed to determine the impact of selected variables on the components of brand loyalty. Finally, the brand loyalty components were used in Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to develop the model. The results of the study confirmed that brand loyalty for festivals such as Aardklop and Vryfees are multidimensional and consist of satisfaction, affective image, festival experience, loyalty, personal value and cognitive image. Affective image and satisfaction are also major components of visitors’ loyalty towards these festivals. It was furthermore confirmed that variables such as occupation, province of residence, frequency of attendance and home language have an impact on festival visitors’ loyalty. The final objective of this study was to draw conclusions and make recommendations concerning the compilation and implementation of the brand loyalty model for arts festivals. This research makes important contributions theoretically, methodologically and practically. Theoretically, this study is unique since it is one of the first to indicate the role of marketing in enhancing brand loyalty and to analyse various brand loyalty constructs that can be further investigated by future researchers. Methodologically, this study developed a reliable and valid questionnaire for the measurement of brand loyalty in a festival context which can be used by other festivals to determine visitors’ loyalty. In addition, this study investigated distinctive relationships between the festival loyalty constructs and other demographic and festival-related variables. The impact of demographic variables on festival loyalty constructs was also explored. The greatest contribution of this study, however, is its practical contribution by developing a brand loyalty model for arts festivals which can be used by marketers of festivals to create, maintain and increase visitors’ loyalty towards their festivals. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The number of festivals and events worldwide as well as in South Africa has increased significantly over the past decade. With more than 600 festivals being staged annually in South Africa, it is clear that festivals are competing with each other to attract and retain visitors in order to remain sustainable. For this reason, creating and sustaining a loyal visitor base through marketing and branding activities has become increasingly important for festivals. This, however, is a complex task since branding of a festival is challenging in several ways. Festivals are non-permanent tourism offerings with a variety of attributes that need to be considered when branding the festival. These include attractions, accommodation, entertainment and the natural environment. The competitive environment in which festivals operate and the complex nature of a festival as a brand require a specific approach whereby festivals can create and sustain brand loyalty. To remain a competitive and sustainable arts festival, marketers of festivals need to know how their marketing efforts can be applied to enhance visitors’ loyalty as well as the aspects that contribute to visitors’ loyalty. Although various studies have been concerned with brand loyalty in a tourism context, little research has focused on brand loyalty in a festival context and more specifically in a South African arts festival context. In the light of this, the following research question was formulated: “What are the components and the relationships between the components of a brand loyalty model for arts festivals in South Africa? The primary goal of this thesis was to develop a brand loyalty model for arts festivals. To achieve this goal, four objectives were formulated. The first objective was to analyse the role of marketing in creating and sustaining brand loyalty for arts festivals by means of an in-depth literature review. The definition of marketing and the distinguishing features of tourism offerings were analysed. It was indicated that aspects such as visitors’ motivation for attending festivals impacts on their loyalty. Furthermore it was established that marketing activities such as market research, market segmentation, positioning, branding and developing an effective festival marketing mix can assist marketers of festivals to achieve visitors’ loyalty. The second objective was to review the literature regarding brand loyalty and its constructs. Branding and brand loyalty were defined and the history of branding was discussed. More importantly, the constructs of brand loyalty and the items for measuring them were analysed. It was clear that a variety of constructs impact on festival visitors’ loyalty including brand attitude, brand personality, individuals’ characteristics, circumstances and purchase situation, organisations’ commitment to being customer orientated, brand equity, brand associations, brand awareness, product involvement, brand commitment, brand affect, quality, brand image, brand experience, brand trust, brand value and satisfaction. In addition, it was concluded that these aspects are related and affect one another. The third objective was to identify the components of a brand loyalty model, test the relationships between them and determine the variables influencing them. This was done with the aim of developing a brand loyalty model for arts festivals. For this purpose, data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire which was distritubuted to visitors at Vryfees and Aardklop. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed at each festival with 355 questionnaires obtained at Vryfees and 352 questionnaires obtained at Aardklop. Selected statistical techniques were employed to achieve this objective. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on the items for measuring brand loyalty. From this, six brand loyalty components were revealed. Spearman Rank Order Correlation was used to determine the relationships between these brand loyalty components. An independent t-test, one-way ANOVA and two-way ANOVA between groups were employed to determine the impact of selected variables on the components of brand loyalty. Finally, the brand loyalty components were used in Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to develop the model. The results of the study confirmed that brand loyalty for festivals such as Aardklop and Vryfees are multidimensional and consist of satisfaction, affective image, festival experience, loyalty, personal value and cognitive image. Affective image and satisfaction are also major components of visitors’ loyalty towards these festivals. It was furthermore confirmed that variables such as occupation, province of residence, frequency of attendance and home language have an impact on festival visitors’ loyalty. The final objective of this study was to draw conclusions and make recommendations concerning the compilation and implementation of the brand loyalty model for arts festivals. This research makes important contributions theoretically, methodologically and practically. Theoretically, this study is unique since it is one of the first to indicate the role of marketing in enhancing brand loyalty and to analyse various brand loyalty constructs that can be further investigated by future researchers. Methodologically, this study developed a reliable and valid questionnaire for the measurement of brand loyalty in a festival context which can be used by other festivals to determine visitors’ loyalty. In addition, this study investigated distinctive relationships between the festival loyalty constructs and other demographic and festival-related variables. The impact of demographic variables on festival loyalty constructs was also explored. The greatest contribution of this study, however, is its practical contribution by developing a brand loyalty model for arts festivals which can be used by marketers of festivals to create, maintain and increase visitors’ loyalty towards their festivals. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The role of brand has evolved to take on a broader application as a post-modern management concept and has attracted increasing attention in the 21st century as a key component for the development of competitive advantage. Far removed from its origins as an identity device, branding now transcends the pure marketing interpretation and is increasingly seen as a catalyst for corporate strategy and a tool for holistic reputation management and business performance. This thesis evaluates the extent to which brand is being adopted as a mechanism to align with corporate strategy, internal culture and supporting behaviours and external delivery or organisational performance: in essence, the concept of a brand-driven organisation that deploys brand as a core capability in pursuit of competitive advantage. This evaluation takes into account defined South African perspectives and examples in a case research approach. It seeks to evaluate how the brand alignment methodology can advance current theory and be applied as a management practice. The research argues that brand extends beyond the marketing function or the end-point of organisational systems and delivery. Rather, it suggests that brand becomes integrated as one of the primary elements of corporate strategy and seeks to embrace strategic organisational intent, internal culture and external manifestation of the business vision and results. The organisational architecture model is adapted to suit this research and offer a brand alignment framework that facilitates the effective and efficient implementation and realisation of strategic intent. This links brand alignment to resource-based theory and posits that it is considered as a core capability within the firm, enabling the attainment of competitive advantage. iv This thesis concludes that brand is not confined to an aspect of marketing, but should be deployed holistically in the organisation as a core capability and opportunity for competitive advantage. The research demonstrates an emerging body of thought and advances theory and practice in this area of business, both academically and in a professional management context, offering possibilities for continued further research in this field of management. / Business Management / D.B. L.

The fundamental purpose of this thesis was to determine how effective is the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict and explain shopping for embarrassing products in single and multi-channel. This is important because multi-channel consumers buy more, the question is why (Neslin, Grewal et al. 2006). The question was answered by comparing consumer behaviour in three different channels: drugstore, internet and multi-channel. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has been successful to predict intentions for a wide variety of products and behaviours. However, little is known about how effective it is when the behaviour under study is influenced by the emotion of embarrassment. Similarly, the TPB is parsimonious and has a good predictive power; nevertheless, this thesis identified that the TPB could be more effective if it considered: (1) the role of positive and negative emotions (2) other determinants of choice like personality and demographics (3) variables that are useful to make marketing decisions like the synergistic effect of brands, retailers and channels (4) variables that explain consumer response like approach and avoidance. To provide a comprehensive theoretical framework that is able to understand single and multi-channel, this thesis integrated the TPB within the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework. To evaluate the proposed model, the study used a context and target product that resonated with the theory: the purchase of Regaine (a hair loss product that is embarrassing to buy) in Boots (a well-known UK. multi-channel drugstore). The embarrassing nature of Regaine created differences in the importance that variables play in each channel. The results were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and the three shopping environments were compared using multi-group analysis (MGA). The effectiveness of the TPB was improved. The variance explained (R² to intention) was 73 percent for the drugstore, 67 percent for the internet and 54 percent for multi-channel. However, subjective norm (SN) was the only factor that achieved significance for the three shopping environments. Personality and demographic factors had a low but significant moderating effect on intention. This thesis built on a series of contributions in different areas, such as the TPB, attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, embarrassing products, multi-channel, marketing, emotions, personality and demographics. Future research should expand this thesis to other embarrassing products, industries and social media settings.

隨著經濟體制的改革開放，廠商品牌經營的範疇也隨之擴大至國際市場。同時隨著競爭優勢的典範轉移，進入模式所考量的內部因素-品牌權益的運用，也變得日形重要。因此「如何利用品牌權益有效率的切入市場」的議題也隨之受到重視。目前學術界在進入模式及品牌策略層面都已累積了為數不少的深入研究。然針對此議題的研究卻十分的缺少，因此本研究將針對此理論缺口，利用質化研究的方式，以台灣食品廠商做為訪談對像，進行深入探討。 首先為能明確化品牌權益與切入市場效率之間的關係，本研究在文獻探討的部份，深入分析品牌權益與交換問題的關係。同時再以邱志聖(2006)行銷四c為分析架構，系統性的說明品牌權益如何對交換成本產生影響。而個案分析方式便也採用同樣的架構，去深入探討五家具代表性的食品廠商，其品牌進入策略解決交換問題的能力。 再利用個案分析的結果，歸納出現有廠商進入新市場所採取的品牌進入策略類型為「自創品牌進入策略」、「共創品牌進入策略」及「信任建立式品牌進入策略」。並詳細說明各品牌進入策略的特性及成因，並據此提出相關命題。最後本研究再以行銷交換成本為構面，針對不同的品牌進入策略提出建議的解決模式。 / With liberalized economic system the scope of corporate brands has also been expanded to international markets. Simultaneously, the paradigm shift in competitive advantage makes exertion of brand equity more critical, which is an internal factor considered by entry mode. Thus, the issue concerning “how to enter markets efficiently by brand equity” is highly stressed. Currently, many in-depth researches of entry mode and brand strategy dimensions have been conducted in academic field, yet rather few have been made on this issue. To fill the theoretical gap, the research uses qualitative methodology by interviewing food companies in Taiwan for through discussion. First, in order to distinguish the relationship between brand equity and efficiency of market entry, the research analyzes relationship between brand equity and exchange problems in literature review, while systematically explain how brand equity affects exchange costs via Chiou’s (2006) marketing 4C analytical framework. Identical framework is adopted in case studies to discuss problem solving abilities and brand entry strategy of five representative food companies. Then according to results of case studies, the research summarizes brand entry strategy types adopted by current companies when entering new markets, categorizing as “private label entry strategy”, “ co-brand entry strategy” and “trust-establishing brand entry strategy”, and elaborating on characteristics and causes of each brand’s entry strategy to come up with hypothesis. Finally, the research uses marketing exchange cost as dimension, providing suggested solution models of entry strategies for different brands. Key words: Brand Entry Strategy, Brand Equity, Private Label, Co-brand, Food Company.

隨著資金、市場與人才國際化的趨勢，企業面對的競爭越來越激烈，企業從單品牌策略逐漸走向多品牌策略；其中，併購品牌為最快速、控制與投資程度高的品牌組合建立方式，也是目前品牌組合建立的主要趨勢，尤其以國際大型集團發起的併購案件，近幾年於市場上更是層出不窮。然而，目前關於併購行為所產生的益處與影響，多著重於有形資產財務指標的表現，而忽略無形資產的變化，然而品牌是企業彰顯價值以及與消費者溝通的橋梁，是競爭優勢來源之一，因此，本研究欲以消費者的觀點，探討品牌併購會消費者品牌認知的影響。 本研究選定保養品牌作為研究目標，操弄「併購類型相關性」與「品牌個性相似度」等變數，探究品牌併購前後，消費者對主併品牌與被併品牌「品牌權益」與「購買意願」的變化；本研究首先進行前測，找出保養品牌個性差異小與個性差異大的品牌組合，以作為正式實驗之研究標的；接著透過實驗分組，探究受試者對這些品牌組合的反應，以得到其對品牌權益與購買意願產生的變化。 本研究結果顯示，對主併品牌而言，在併購之後，對品牌權益與消費者購買意願變化並無明顯差異，但有相關性併購優於非相關性併購、品牌個性相近組合優於品牌個性相異組合的傾向；而對被併品牌而言，在被併購之後，品牌權益與消費者購買意願變化皆有顯著提升，並且相關性併購提升程度大於非相關性併購，品牌個性相似組合提升程度亦大於品牌個性相異組合。透過本研究結果分析，發現併購活動會造成企業無形資產品牌權益與購買意願的變化，因此，企業在進行併購活動時，應將品牌納入併購活動策略考量中，同時也應注重併購品牌的相關性與品牌個性相似度，以避免對彼此的品牌受損。 / With the internationalization of capital, market and human resources, companies are facing more and more intense competitions. In order to deal with this situation, companies moves from single brand strategy to multi-brand strategy, especially the strategy of merger and acquisition (M&A), which is a fast, highly controlled and highly invested method to develop multi brands. At the same time, M&A is the most common way nowadays to apply multi-brand strategy, especially for international corporations. However, the researches about the advantages and influences of M&A have focused on tangible assets, such as financial performance, instead of focusing on intangible assets, such as brand equity and brand image, which are also important to the corporations. Brand is not only a channel for company to communicate with customers but also a source of competitive advantages. Therefore, this study wants to research how the brand merger and acquisition affects customers’ brand recognitions. This study chooses beauty care brands as research object, and “merger type” and “brand personality” as variables. By undergoing an experiment, this study examines the changes of “brand equity” and “purchase intention” after M&A for both acquiring and acquired brands. The findings are, for the acquiring brand, there is no significant change in brand equity and purchase intention after M&A, and related M&A is better than unrelated M&A, while the similar brand personality combination is better than distinc one. As for the acquired brand, there are significant rises in brand equity and purchase intention after M&A, and just like the acquiring brand, related M&A is better than unrelated M&A, while the similar brand personality combination is better than distinc one as well. This study’s results show that the M&A would actually affect corporation’s intangible assets, brand equity and purchase intention. Therefore, when corporations decide to implement M&A strategy, they should take “brand” in consideration. Also, corporations should pay attention on the merger type and brand personality between acquiring and acquired brand to prevent the harm on both brands after M&A.

The role of brand has evolved to take on a broader application as a post-modern management concept and has attracted increasing attention in the 21st century as a key component for the development of competitive advantage. Far removed from its origins as an identity device, branding now transcends the pure marketing interpretation and is increasingly seen as a catalyst for corporate strategy and a tool for holistic reputation management and business performance. This thesis evaluates the extent to which brand is being adopted as a mechanism to align with corporate strategy, internal culture and supporting behaviours and external delivery or organisational performance: in essence, the concept of a brand-driven organisation that deploys brand as a core capability in pursuit of competitive advantage. This evaluation takes into account defined South African perspectives and examples in a case research approach. It seeks to evaluate how the brand alignment methodology can advance current theory and be applied as a management practice. The research argues that brand extends beyond the marketing function or the end-point of organisational systems and delivery. Rather, it suggests that brand becomes integrated as one of the primary elements of corporate strategy and seeks to embrace strategic organisational intent, internal culture and external manifestation of the business vision and results. The organisational architecture model is adapted to suit this research and offer a brand alignment framework that facilitates the effective and efficient implementation and realisation of strategic intent. This links brand alignment to resource-based theory and posits that it is considered as a core capability within the firm, enabling the attainment of competitive advantage. iv This thesis concludes that brand is not confined to an aspect of marketing, but should be deployed holistically in the organisation as a core capability and opportunity for competitive advantage. The research demonstrates an emerging body of thought and advances theory and practice in this area of business, both academically and in a professional management context, offering possibilities for continued further research in this field of management. / Business Management / D.B. L.