The purpose of this study was to investigate the brand management of a motor manufacturing company. The study set out to establish what the most important elements are that contribute towards a successful brand and to identify a potential model that can be used to measure the brand elements that are evident in the Toyota brand. By using this model, the Toyota brand was evaluated, bringing to the fore the key success factors that have made Toyota the number one motor manufacturing brand in South Africa. The qualitative research was conducted to evaluate Toyota's understanding of its brand and then questioning the usage of the brand through an individual interview with the custodian of the Toyota Brand in South Africa. The results of this qualitative research were used to identify the key values that the manufacturer sees as brand-building elements and to then evaluate how they are using these values to build and enhance the brand. These core brand values were then evaluated in the quantitative research that followed. The quantitative research was conducted through questionnaires where the retail network (General Managers, Sales Managers in the Toyota retail network) evaluated Toyota SA's implementation of its brand's core values through the dealer network. The sample size consisted of twenty nine (N=29) randomly selected Unitrans Toyota dealers in the country. An extension of the study compared these key success factors with the values that are delivered through the retail network to the customers. The brand expectations that the customer has in mind to the realisation of the brand promise at retail level were compared. This study gives insight into the workings of the Toyota brand and tests the communication of the brand blueprint through to the retail network. This study allows Toyota to review the way they communicates their brand to the direct customer, the retail network. The study also found that Toyota should use the opportunity to communicate the brand name to its direct customers, namely the retailers, and that, if needed, Toyota should revise the communication strategy. Other recommendations are that both Toyota and its retailers should take note of the fast-changing business environment, acknowledge the importance of managing the length of the product line, and that Toyota should embrace the retailers as partners rather than mere franchisees. The retail network, in turn, can get a better understanding of the role it has to play to ensure the sustainability of the Toyota brand. The study also allows the retail network to realize the importance of customer service in the whole Toyota brand set-up. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This thesis deals with brand perception by children, specifically in children's food segment. The aim is to analyse this brand perception by children and confirm or disprove the hypothesis regarding this issue. This thesis is divided into two parts, the first of which deals with the theory and the second verifies this knowledge in practice. The first chapter of the theoretical part is devoted to brand and its role in marketing, the second one deals with strategic brand management and types of particular strategies. In the third chapter marketing segmentation is discussed and the fourth one describes children as a specific market segment, also in relation to brands. The last chapter deals with brand research and its techniques. The practical part includes the research, of which results provide the qualitative knowledge about brand perception by children in this specific category.

En el presente trabajo se investiga sobre el empaque, qué se compone por sus siete elementos: color, tipografía, logos, etiqueta, material, tamaño y señales informativas; y su relación con el posicionamiento de marca en la categoría de snacks y bebidas azucaradas. Este problema surge debido a una nueva ley que entró en vigencia el 17 de junio de 2019, la cual obliga a las marcas a colocar un octógono de advertencia en la parte superior derecha de la portada del empaque. Para determinar la relación entre estas variables la metodología de investigación tuvo un enfoque mixto. Primero, para este estudio se realizó una investigación cualitativa la cual constó de entrevistas al público objetivo primario y entrevistas a profundidad al público objetivo secundario. Esto tuvo como objetivo conocer más sobre el comportamiento del consumidor y sus insights. Luego, se realizó una investigación cuantitativa a través de 263 encuestas. Posteriormente, esta información fue procesada y se correlacionaron las variables para comprender la relación entre ellas. Finalmente, tanto los consumidores como los expertos en marketing confirmaron lo que indicaban los autores, que el packaging tiene gran influencia en ellos en esta categoría de productos donde hay poco involucramiento. Por otro lado, se confirmó la relación entre los siete elementos del packaging y el posicionamiento del producto. Donde el color y el material tienen una baja relación, mientras que, la tipografía, los logos, la etiqueta, el tamaño y las señales informativas tiene una relación moderada con el posicionamiento de marca. / This paper investigates packaging, which is made up of its seven elements: color, typography, logos, label, material, size and informative signs; and its relationship with product positioning in the category of snacks and sugary drinks. This problem arises due to a new law that went into effect on June 17, 2019, which requires brands to place a warning octagon on the top right of the packaging cover. To determine the relationship between these variables, the research methodology had a mixed approach. First, for this study a qualitative investigation was carried out which consisted of interviews with the primary target audience and in-depth interviews with the secondary target audience. This aimed to learn more about consumer behavior and insights. Then, a quantitative investigation was carried out through 263 surveys. Later, this information was processed and the variables were correlated to understand the relationship between them. Finally, both consumers and marketing experts confirmed what the authors indicated, that packaging has a great influence on them in this product category where there is little involvement. On the other hand, the relationship between the seven elements of the packaging and the positioning of the product was confirmed. Where color and material have a low relationship, while typography, logos, label, size and information signs have a moderate relationship with product positioning. / Tesis

Chinese companies have been an important issue in the world economy development, since China belongs to the group of emerging countries that had been gaining prominence in the last years. To gain market, ranges of companies are going abroad, aiming to develop their brands internationally. Brand positioning plays an important role when the goal of the company is to gain competitive advantage and to be positioned in the consumer’s mind. Furthermore, when Chinese companies decide to internationalize, they have to deal with the COO (country-of-origin) effect, which might influence the consumer’s perception when purchasing a product. The aim of this study is to examine how the effects of COO influence brand positioning of Chinese firms when going international, and how they deal with these COO effects. In this context, a theoretical framework presenting the brand positioning drivers with the combination of the COO effect is developed. A qualitative case study that incorporates four interviews in two different Chinese companies with subsidiaries in Brazil, called JAC Motors and ZTE, are settled. The findings from the case study are compared and contrasted with the theoretical framework, developing a cross-case analysis, identifying and complementing the elements of the theoretical framework. In this regard, it was identified that Chinese companies position their brands with a cost-benefit approach, due to the COO effect caused by different general attributes from China. The brand positioning drivers, in a certain way, are defined taking in consideration the COO effect, although the drivers were not totally affected by the COO. In order to deal with the COO effect, most drivers oppose a negative effect of the COO when it is caused by the perception of lack ofquality from Chinese products; or the COO effect is highlighted in the strategy, when it is caused by the perception of low price. These findings are eventually depicted by a theoretically anchored and empirically guided model, which allows the authors to describe the international brand positioning of Chinese brands and how they deal with the COO effect in its international brand positioning.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In service industries, the people are the brand and the brand is the people (Taylor, 2003:136). People are one of the dimensions that differentiate a brand (the others are product, price, place, promotion, process, physical evidence). The realisation of the brand promise depends on how the staff will live the brand in their daily activities. If staff treats customers badly, the effect on the image of the company is negative and the brand promise made to customers is not fulfilled. There are unfortunately many misguided companies that expect that a new name, fancy logo and flashy advertising campaign by themselves are enough to attract customers (Taylor, 2003:3). Culture: Several studies (De Geus, 1997; Fitz-Enz in Barret, 1998) examined the key factors contributing to corporate longevity and identified six characteristics of long-lasting, successful companies. These companies focus on more than just financial results and the identified characteristics show a strong focus on building a positive organisational culture. There are many models of organisational culture. Santam used the model developed by Richard Barret (1998), which links human needs and personal motivations with human consciousness. He consequently identified seven levels of organisational consciousness based on the view that organisations grow and develop in the same way that individuals do, according to seven well-defined developmental stages. Organisations that learn how to master all seven needs operate from a full spectrum consciousness (Barret, 2006:26). Barret (2006:26), showed that these are the most resilient and profitable corporations because they have the ability to respond appropriately to all business needs. Culture is the DNA of the company and can be seen as the driving force for all actions, decisions and belief systems of the organisation, whether at a conscious or unconscious level. Moser (2003:11) notes that, before a company can project a unique, external brand, you must first understand the company’s internal character. This internal identity, defined by values that the company considers integral to its existence, is the source from which all other aspects of the brand will, ideally, flow. Brand: According to Roberts (2005:27), on an average day, a person can expect to have been in touch with around 1 500 trademarked products. In some supermarkets there are up to 35 000 trademarked products. Because the consumer is bombarded by so many products and services, all the marketing and advertising strategies in the world mean nothing unless the consumer defines the product as a brand. Moser (2003:2) distinguishes between the internal and external parts of the organisation. The internal part of the company has to do with the company itself: how well it knows itself, what its values are, how consistently it acts in accordance with its values and what it really believes about the quality of its products and services. The external part of a company’s identity is how well it connects and relates to others. The better it knows itself and what it stands for, the better it connects with everyone who comes in contact with the brand – investors, suppliers, employees, prospects and even competitors. According to Campbell (2003:34), brand positioning is the key to success. Understanding the brand’s “positioning” statement (the blueprint of what it is, what it represents and where it is going) helps designers to interpret the brand’s personality. Positioning helps a company to define who and what it is and what it does. It explains where a company fits into the marketplace, what it has to offer that is unique and why people should care. Santam: In 2005, Santam developed its current strategy, also called the 2010 strategy. The mission and vision were condensed into a purpose statement: To be the best in everything we choose to do. The purpose statement is supported by six strategic thrusts. As part of the 2010 strategy, Santam has gone through a process of repositioning the Santam brand to become a leadership brand. Santam will remain a monolithic brand, with all aspects of the business branded “Santam”. The market in Santam can be divided into personal insurance and commercial insurance. The personal insurance market is segmented, using income and life stage as criteria. This segment can be divided into two sub-segments:  Clients who are active in the insurance market; and  Clients who are entering the insurance market. The commercial insurance market is segmented according to the size of the business (based on the number of employees) and the life stage of the business. To become a leading brand, Santam has to offer something customers want and which competitors do not offer – a unique product in the insurance market. Santam wants to challenge the industry by offering value, providing reassurance and making it easy for customers to do business with them. However, they do not want to lose direct customers (customers not dealing with a broker) and weaken their relationship with brokers Santam’s brand promise includes a proactive approach per segment. The benefit it promises to the client is that Santam will make life safer (risk management), resulting in life being nicer (rewards and other benefits through partnering with stakeholders in the value chain). Santam made use of an extensive process to identify and develop values that will support the brand positioning. Several workshops were held around the company, involving as many employees as possible. The outcome of the workshops and the new brand positioning was announced at a company-wide event, to which all Santam employees were flown from all over South Africa. The values were populated against three philosophies and were communicated at the event. The three philosophies and seven values communicated were the following:  Inspire: Passion and committed  Embrace: Care, integrity and diversity  Think Big: Inventive and excellence. The purpose of the event was to make a bold statement through showing employees that Santam cares and simultaneously communicating the new Santam brand positioning to them. After the event, the culture was measured by populating the values into Barret’s (1998:67) cultural model. The objective of the culture measurement was twofold:  To determine the gap between the current culture and the future culture that will enable the company to achieve the strategy; and  To determine how entrenched the values that were identified are. The culture survey showed the gap between what staff value personally, the current culture and the desired future values. After the measurement, the survey results were work-shopped with all business units to validate the results and to determine when to start, stop and continue actions. All these actions resulted in a values and behaviour framework (appendix 1) that can be used in a culture-transformation framework. The purpose of the framework is to develop the culture that supports the brand.

The diploma thesis analyzes the brand positioning and marketing strategy of the company Plzeňský Prazdroj, a.s. The first part of the study presents the main marketing terms and theories. The next chapter deals with the subject of brand identity and brand value. The practical part presents the brewery company Plzeňský Prazdroj, a.s. and portfolio of its products. The following chapter analyzes brand positioning, communication campaigns and sponsoring activities of the brands of Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Radegast and Velkopopovický Kozel. The results of the field questioning show the associations of consumers with the brands mentioned above and the knowledge of their communication campaigns. Those results are compared to the identity of brands. At the end of the thesis there are some recommendations for changes in the brand communication.

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi estudar a tensão entre manter um posicionamento de marcas ou atualizá-lo de acordo com as possíveis alterações no âmbito do contexto social. Na administração de marketing é prática manter certo posicionamento na comunicação com o intuito de mostrar consistência nas mensagens publicitárias. Entretanto, observa-se que as rápidas e constantes mudanças nos valores da sociedade vêm desafiando o gestor da marca a buscar compreender a dinâmica dos significados que circula entre os indivíduos, e como ela influencia na imagem da marca. O método utilizado para verificar uma dinâmica no posicionamento de marcas na comunicação, foi a análise semiótica das campanhas publicitárias do EcoSport, desde o seu lançamento até a sua última modificação em 2007. A escolha de um automóvel como objeto para verificar a dinâmica do posicionamento de marca se deu pela complexidade de sua comunicação, bem como pelos atuais conflitos ambientais que essa mercadoria vem sendo alvo. Os resultados obtidos confirmam uma necessidade de atualização dos conceitos fundamentais do posicionamento de marca, porém sugerem alguns limites nessas mudanças, levando em consideração os quatros quadrante de valorização de consumo de Jean-Marie Floch. No processo de elaboração desta pesquisa, mais uma vez, verificou-se a contribuição valiosa da semiótica como ferramenta indispensável para o administrador da marca. / This paper have had as main objective understand the tension between to keep or to move the brand positioning according to the probable changes in the social context. In the marketing administration world is current to keep the main concept in the positioning in order to show consistency in all marketing messages. However, is possible to see that constantly and fast changes have been challenging the brand manager to understand the meanings dynamism that act in the market, and how can it influence the brand image. The methodology used to verify the dynamics of the brand positioning in the communication process was the semiotic analysis of the EcoSport advertising campaign, since its launch till its last face-lift in 2007. The reason to choose an automobile as the object to verify the brand positioning dynamics was due the communication complexity as well as to the environmental conflicts that this merchandise has been suffering lately. The results confirm the necessity that brand positioning main concepts has to be up-dated frequently, following the changes in the social context. However, these changes have some limits. The changes are limited by the boundaries of the Jean-Marie Floch consumption valorized square. During this research, once more, could be demonstrated the semiotic contribution for the brand manager.

SAMMANFATTNING Titel: Att marknadsföra med hjälp av nyckelbegrepp Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Louise Strand och Fanny Lind Handledare: Jonas Kågström Datum: 2019 – januari Syfte: Syftet med studien är att analysera influerares användande av nyckelbegrepp i icke-textuellt innehåll. Metod: Studien baseras på en datainsamling av 925 Instagraminlägg från två valda influerare under åren 2015–2018. Studien präglas av en flermetodsforskning där vi samlar statistiska data som bearbetas i SPSS och som sedan analyseras och tolkas. Resultat & slutsats: Resultatet visade att influerares användande av nyckelbegreppet @ har ökat under åren 2015–2018 och att användandet av nyckelbegreppet # har minskat under samma period på Instagram. Resultatet visade också att nyckelbegreppen bör användas enligt vissa restriktioner, för att budskapet i Instagraminlägget ska bli såtydligt som möjligt. Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna studie bidrar till en ökad förståelse för företagen om hur influerare använder sig av nyckelbegrepp på Instagram och hur det påverkar varumärkespositioneringen. Studien grundas i det gap som tidigare forskninguppmärksammat. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Forskning bör vidare undersöka den ökade användningen av nyckelbegreppet @ och genom att studera det anser vi att det också skulle kunna bidrag till en tydligare förståelse om varför användningen av # har minskat över tid. Vi tror att detta kan bidra till en djupare förståelse för hur användningen av @ uppfattas av konsumenter och därmed även indirekt påverka uppfattningen av ett företag och dess varumärke. / ABSTRACT Title: To market using key concepts Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Louise Strand och Fanny Lind Supervisor: Jonas Kågström Date: 2019 – january Aim: The aim of the study is to analyze the use of key concepts of influencers in non-textual content. Method: The study is based on a data collection of 925 Instagram posts from two selected influencers during the years 2015–2018. The study is characterized by a multi-method research where we collected statistical data that is processed in SPSS and which are then analyzed and interpreted. Result & Conclusions: The result showed that influencers use of the key concept @ has increased during 2015–2018 and that the use of the key concept # has decreased during the same period on Instagram. The result also showed that the key terms should be used according to certain restrictions, so that the message in the Instagram post should be as clear as possible. Contribution of the thesis: This study contributes to an increased understanding for the companies about how influencers use key concepts on Instagram and how it affect brand positioning. The study is based on the gap that previous research has highlighted. Suggestions for future research: Research should further investigate the increased use of the key concept @ and, by studying it, we believe that it could also contribute to a clearer understanding of why the use of # has decreased over time. We believe that this can contribute to a deeper understanding of how the use of @ is perceived by consumers and thus also indirectly affect the perception of a company and its brand.

<p><strong>Program Course: </strong><strong></strong></p><p>MIMA‐International  Marketing,  Master  Thesis  EF0705  </p><p><strong>Title  name:  </strong><strong></strong></p><p>Brand Positioning: <em>The case study of Castello Banfi in Hong Kong</em>  </p><p><strong>Authors:  </strong><strong></strong></p><p>Jacopo Nicolò Longhi (851016-T097)                                                                                                                                                                                                                         </p><p><strong>  </strong><strong></strong></p><p>Pham Thi Diep Linh  (851020-T141)</p><p><strong>Tutor:   </strong><strong></strong></p><p>Konstantin Lampou</p><p><strong>Problem:                      </strong><strong></strong></p><p>What should be a position for Castello Banfi brand in Hong Kong market?</p><p><strong>Purpose:  </strong><strong></strong></p><p>Theoretically, the main purpose of this paper is to study the approach to the positioning of a brand.</p><p>Practically, the case study of the Banfi brand in Hong Kong market will be studied. Attempts will be made throughout this work in order to identify which position Banfi brand has to achieve for its competitiveness in Hong Kong, and so, the result of the project will be of practical use to the company.</p><p><strong>Methodology </strong></p><p><strong>and Methods: </strong><strong></strong></p><p>The realist stance will be used to conduct the study. Concerning the data sources, various sources of data have been used. Questionnaire and interviews were used as primary data to collect information about Castello Banfi and its situation in Hong Kong market, as well as the customer needs in Hong Kong. Secondary data, such as online journal, company’s annual report, and websites are also used to collect information regarding the Italian wine industry, the company and its competitors. </p><p>Secondary sources like literature are also used for referencing theories and concepts. The main research model is adapted from Kapferer’s. Main concepts are Brand Positioning, Brand Identity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:  </strong><strong></strong></p><p> The positioning of the brand is formed with the study of three main factors which are the competition environment, the target market, and the benefits the brand stands for.</p><p>Positioning a brand in a specific market is not only to strengthen the distinctive features that the company has to differentiate from the competitors, and also appealing to that market, but it also has to be aligned with the Brand Identity of that brand.</p><p>In Banfi’s case, it can be concluded that by strengthening the ‘high-class wine consumers’, ‘Tuscan experience’, and ‘value for money’ in the positioning of Banfi, the brand is promising to gain competitive advantage in the market.</p><p><strong>Key  words:  </strong></p><p>Castello Banfi, Hong Kong, brand positioning, brand identity, wine.</p>

<p>Problem: How do Barilla position and communicate its brand in the Swedish market and how do Swedish consumers recognize the Company’s positioning? Do they perceive the Brand in line with the intended positioning?</p><p>Purpose: Investigating in which way and to which extents Barilla achieves and communicates a suitable positioning in the Swedish market. On the other hand, assessing how consumers and potential customers perceive the brand Barilla, evaluating if they perceive it in line with its intended positioning.</p><p>Method: The research is mainly based on primary data: the Company´s perspective through a personal interview with Barilla´s brand manager; the consumers´ perspectives through 300 questionnaires distributed outside ICA Maxi in Hälla (Västerås).</p><p>Theories: Brand equity; Brand positioning; Promotional mix.</p><p>Conclusions: Barilla pursues a suitable positioning in Sweden, positioning itself on attributes which are valuable, and sought by customers. Consumers´ perception of the intended positioning is generally correct, since the main aspects which the Company focused on are commonly identified and considered familiar by the public</p>