A destination is often given its identity by its brand name, creating an image thereof in the customers’ minds which means that destinations exist not only physically but also mentally in the minds of people. Destination marketers play a role in the creation of the images of such destinations which is dependent on what the destination offers in its depth and breadth. Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) should be able to not only understand their destination’s offerings but also who they are targeting and how they should market the destination. DMOs have evolved to become more than mere destination information providers as considerable destination information is now created by fellow travellers which are shared via social networks. The most important change resulting from adopting the concept of social capital in the context of tourism would be that tourism scholars and DMOs become aware of the importance of resources obtained through an individual’s social interactions. Despite the fact that the town of George has a number of attributes it is able to market to potential visitors, it does however not automatically make it a desired destination. The main objective of this treatise is to determine what would give George its marketable destination identity which will be achieved by gaining an understanding of the local residents’ viewpoints of George and to measure them according to specific attributes which are carefully formulated in a survey questionnaire. This treatise aims to determine what George can do to create a destination identity and how such an identity can be applied in the successful marketing of George as a destination town. It is an exploratory quantitative study consisting of literature and case study components used to test proposed hypotheses. It aims to provide guidance to the destination marketers by way of researched literature on the topic of destination marketing as well as offer empirical data gathered from responses to a survey conducted with local residents of George which is focused on creating a destination identity through its business, cultural and sporting events. Based on the statistical analysis of the survey results it will be shown that a relationship exists between Destination Marketing and Events, Branding and Media,which plays a pivotal role in the successful marketing of such events and thereby the brand image of the destination. Based on the literature findings and the empirical data gained for this treatise it was shown that events can be used to create a new brand image for a town like George which already possesses a natural beauty and friendly people. Examples will be discussed where destinations throughout the world have managed to change their brand without changing their environment, from which they have gained a new destination brand. George can strategically convert what it already has to become the destination of choice in terms of intra-town activities and events which could not only enhance its own economy but also that of the surrounding towns. The geographic location of George and that of the Surrounding tourist attractive towns make it possible to design and implement intra-town events with relative ease. As found in researched literature, the residents should be made part of any destination marketing campaign. These events should be designed to incorporate the surrounding towns to capitalise on the concept of intra-town events where George becomes the main centre but uses outlying towns to lure tourist. Respondents to the survey indicate that they somewhat agree that George has sufficient infrastructure to host sports (μ = 3.77), cultural (μ = 3.61) and business events (μ = 3.88) and that hosting such events in George would create job opportunities. The responses for all three event types in this regard have a mean value above μ = 4. Respondents indicated that religious events are deemed the most important (mean value μ = 4.25) while also indicating that they agreed with a mean value of μ = 4.18 that entrance fees influence their decision to attend events. The empirical research conducted in George was designed to gain a representative viewpoint of its residents in terms of what they deem the identity of George to be, the main objective (ROM) of which was to determine what would give George its destination identity. The composite image of the residents of George was measured according to specific attributes which were carefully formulated in the survey.

The concept of city branding has sprung to prominence in recent years. This can be attributed to globalisation and the ease of access to all corners of the globe with the improvements in technology and modes of transport. This increased competition for resources, skills, talent and revenue has made cities not only compete with other cities in close proximity to one another, but also with cities across the world. The answer to this conundrum was found to be a comprehensive marketing strategy composed of clever and catchy slogans, beautiful logos, media campaigns and public relations drives. This process only led to the loss of large amounts of money since the benefits were not longstanding and the results were not tangible as these avenues only benefitted the home country’s tourism industry. A long term solution for cities was needed to build a favourable image. Corporations were used as models to build a brand since manufacturers of similar products are in constant competition to gain market share and revenues from their competitors. The similarities between corporations and cities are undeniable and efforts were made to incorporate successful branding strategies from corporations into city branding efforts. Cities and corporations must be effective in developing and incorporating social, economic and political aspects of their culture into a successful city brand image. The major difference between cities and corporations stems from the fact that it takes considerably longer to leverage a comprehensive brand of a city, when compared to the brand of a product since their lifespans are completely different. In the past, city brands were based on historical significance. Today, city brands are exclusively influenced by the events it hosts. The hosting of events has been seen as a guaranteed way for a city to improve its brand image. On the contrary, the hosting of events has been found to either improve a city brand or tarnish it. Sports events have been deemed as the best way to improve a city brand because sports appeal to a wide audience and are relatively inexpensive to host in comparison to the benefit and improvements they bring. This treatise investigates the approach and various types of sports events which must be included for the successful branding of Nelson Mandela Bay as part of a destination marketing strategy. The suggestions from this study were formulated upon scrutiny of the available literature and case studies on various branding efforts undertaken by cities around the world to establish and improve their brand image. A survey was conducted amongst the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay using a questionnaire. A total of 952 responses were received. The questionnaire measured the respondents’ attitude to what types of sports events they will support, their feelings on the standard of facilities and quality of events in Nelson Mandela Bay. This treatise served to identify which sports events should be used in any branding effort undertaken by Nelson Mandela Bay. Literature and case studies served as the foundation for this study. The survey insights and expectations enabled a plan to be developed that will be unique for Nelson Mandela Bay based on its location, characteristics, tastes and preferences of its residents. This plan would serve to benefit the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay, the city itself and encourage additional investment from external sources. The results of this study indicate that the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay advocate the use of sports events as the main driver in branding the city. Furthermore, the residents have made it clear that cricket, rugby and Iron Man-type of events are favoured and more likely to be supported than any other type of sports event in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Since 1994, South Africa has been revamping its higher education system as part of a broader national reform movement aimed at overcoming the inequities and divisions caused by the now obsolete apartheid regime (Sedgwick, 2004). This treatise firstly describes and then explores if students identify themselves with the EMC corporate identity. Thereafter, it firstly explores and then describes the corporate identity awareness level of EMC students. An exploratory-descriptive research design was used. The researcher used two types of data. One was secondary data and the other one was primary data. The former were collected by means of an extensive review of the related literature. The latter were obtained by means of online questionnaires. The level of brand awareness among students is considered to be low. There is a need to improve the corporate identity awareness level of these strategic stakeholders for the future success of the college. This treatise concentrated on the parent brand (EMC). Furthermore, the sampling has been limited to students studying at EMC (Uitenhage campuses). It is important to explore the corporate brand awareness level of the students. It is also essential to discover if students identify themselves with the EMC brand.

Stories have the ability to evoke feelings and emotions in humans and have since been used by brands as part of corporate communication, communicating their vision and values. However, the growing technological trends have not only shifted the platforms for communication but also changed the techniques of communication as audiences on social media expect two-way communication instead of the traditionally used one-way communication. This is exacerbated by the power of word-of-mouth on social media as well as the presence of digital natives who are increasingly visual in their nderstanding and are immersed in their lives online. This has given rise to the use of visual storytelling as a corporate communication strategy as brands are using it to connect, transmit and receive messages from their audiences. This study examines the ways in which South African brands are making use of visual storytelling on social media and aims to determine the extent to which the use of visual storytelling promotes brand-audience engagement. The study is based on the philosophical assumptions of the Visual Rhetoric framework, which is concerned with the symbolic processes by which images perform communication. The hermeneutic – interpretive research method design is applied to justify knowledge produced by this study. A content analysis of six social media pages was conducted, looking at the visual content posted as well as interpretation of comments and interactions by fans of the selected brand pages. Overall, South African brands make use of visual storytelling to promote brand-audience engagement but they are not utilising the communication strategy to its fullest extent.

A research report submitted to the faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing / Since the 1980s, marketing researchers have conceptualised market orientation as an organisational culture that is geared towards delivering supreme customer value. However, one of the shortcomings of the market orientation concept is that it has failed to recognise the potential significance of strong brands, that is, it did not acknowledge brand orientation. A few studies have investigated the conceptualisation of brand orientation in relation to brand loyalty; and the involvement of brand commitment and brand trust in mediating this association in the business-to-business context. Thus, it is the aim of this study to examine the impact of brand orientation on brand loyalty, and the roles played by brand commitment and brand trust in mediating the impact in the South African business-to-business environment. Two hundred and sixty one questionnaires were completed by top and senior managers of a B2B organisation in South Africa. Structural equation modelling and Smart Plus were employed in this study to examine the relationships between the constructs. This study provides empirical evidence that brand orientation has a positive and significant relationship with brand commitment and brand trust, and that brand commitment and brand trust have positive and significant respective relationships with brand loyalty in the South African B2B context. The results indicate that brand orientation (BO), brand commitment (BC) and brand trust (BT) all have a strong influence on Brand Loyalty (BL). Implications and limitations, as well as future research, are discussed in the study. Keywords: Brand Orientation, Brand Commitment, Brand trust, Brand Loyalty, B2B / GR2018

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Objective: The purpose of the present study is to empirically examine the relationship between brand-level alcohol advertising and alcohol consumption in South Africa. The effect that price has on alcohol consumption is also investigated in the analysis. Method: Using secondary quantitative time series data that include observations of brand-level sales volume, segment volume, brand-level market share, brand-level retail selling price (RSP) and brand-level advertising expenditure (spanning a 32 month period), statistical techniques such as tests for stationarity and co-integration were conducted to assess the association between the various constructs. Results: It was found that between January 2007 and August 2009, a period that included an economic downturn, own-brand advertising had little or no effect on brand-level sales volume (or consumption), segment sales volume and brand level market share. Conversely, price had a significant effect on sales volume, explaining between 48% and 56% of the variation in sales volume at brand-level and between 21% and 31% of the variation in brand-level market share. Conclusion: The results suggest that brand-level advertising has no significant immediate effect on consumption levels in the South African liquor industry, while the price of alcoholic beverages does have a significant immediate effect.

Retailers, Wholesalers, Marketers, Alcohol distributors and Manufacturers continuously fight for volume growth and market-share gain within the total alcohol market. Most of the answers of how much each can gain over a period of time remain a mystery that can only be answered by the consumers. The consumers determine who will have more share of wallet or share of throat more than the other. This is also equally applicable to brands, packs and the various alcohol categories that exist in the market. Why is it important, you possibly wonder? It is important because the alcohol market is an integrated part of our society; it contributes immensely to the South African economy and its value chain is enormous in value. Consumption expenditure increased from R3 513 039 000 in 2004 to R8 558 232 000 by 2013 in the Eastern Cape alone. In the last 10 years there has been an increase of new products that are being introduced into the market across all categories ranging from traditional alcoholic brands to flavoured and ready to drink brands. This presents an opportunity to alcohol consumers, alcohol shoppers and sellers alike. This opportunity meant that the consumer is spoilt for choice and retailers / wholesalers have an opportunity to list more brands which could possibly result in increased margins. Further to the above, South African marketers face both market challenges as well as proposed legislation regarding advertising of alcohol products. Some of the challenges include marketing clutter, competition, diverse nature of the South African consumer, infrastructure issues, government legislations, social media and digital platforms. The liquor industry of the Eastern Cape contributes approximately R7,7 billion to the Gross Geographic Product of the economy of the Eastern Cape through direct and indirect impacts; Approximately 23 620 permanent jobs are supported by the Eastern Cape liquor industry annually; Tax revenue attributable to the liquor industry in the Eastern Cape is R3,9 billion; and the economic impact of the liquor industry on gross capital formation is in the region R3,4 billion per annum. The purpose of this research is to optimise the marketing mix to influence consumer purchasing decisions in liquor outlets within the Border district within the above context. The objective of this study is to identify the marketing mix that influences consumer purchasing decisions in liquor outlets. The study will be conducted within the Border district. The Border district consists of various geographies within the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The area of the study will focus on key municipalities namely; Buffalo city, Amathole, Chris Hani and Joe Gqabi municipalities. The target sample size for this study was 360 consumers. A survey questionnaire was used to measure respondents’ preferences, attitudes, motivations and perceptions. The respondents were instructed to highlight the answer that best described them and / or their preferences. Questions were asked and the respondents had to highlight to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the question. Key findings are that there is high level of agreement that price and promotions influence consumer-purchasing decision in liquor outlets. The highest percentage of respondents are in agreement that beer is a first choice of drink and a second is spirits. 69% of the respondents agree that they change from the usual drink to a different drink when they go out. This can be attributed to the notion that consumers like to badge and want to be seen drinking brands that will be deemed socially acceptable in public, or brands that are the latest trend. The key benefits from the study include improved ability for marketers to reposition brands, give clear recommendations for drinking occasions and better understanding on how to efficiently distribute alcohol portfolios, extend brands and introduce limited editions.

The South African food and clothing retail industry is highly sophisticated and dominated by a few large competitors. The market is unique and has been shaped by abnormal political influences that have created a polarised society. The market holds a high potential owing to the burgeoning young middle class that is also attracting global attention. This necessitates an increase in economies of scale through expansion and acquisition strategies. Woolworths Holdings Limited has experienced significant growth in tough trading conditions whilst many competitors have lost ground. The Woolworths’ brand is primarily aimed at the high-income groupings but also appeals to the burgeoning middle class with their private-label products. The clothing and food divisions also provide a unique appeal that concentrates on the strong brand name to cater to the polarised nature of the market. The Woolworths Holding Limited (WHL) business model aims to offer superior quality at a lower cost than competitors which competitors find difficult to imitate. The apparent paradox is solved through tightly-knit supplier relationships and a culture demanding continuous improvement. The company is uniquely positioned to service the Living Standards Measure (LSM) 8-10 niche market whilst improving efficiencies. The company drives its competitive advantage over competitors through the key competencies of a reputable brand name, a strong sustainability programme, a strong operation and supply chain network, all of which are crucially-supported by superior and innovative technology utilisation. The study analysed the strategic brand positioning with a focus on the introduction of the supermarket concept. The study indicated that the supermarket concept was a reaction from WHL to consumer’s requirements for a one-stop shop aimed at increasing existing customers’ basket spend and drawing similar new clients. An increase in spend is potentially lucrative to WHL, and the strategy is a viable option as long as the company remains focussed on the core principles of the business model.

This study aimed to provide South African public relations professionals with insights into the use of the Social Media News Release (SMNR) as a PR 2.0 tool that has the potential to elicit consumer-driven dialogue in social media channels about information, a brand, product or service advocated by the particular social media news release. Drawing on literature from fields such as public relations, new media studies, marketing, and consumer studies, an analysis of two South African SMNR case studies was conducted including the Samsung Omnia i900 SMNR and the Standard Bank Pro20 2008 and 2009 SMNRs. An in-depth content analysis applying limited designations analysis and detailed assertions analysis techniques was performed on selected content from the dedicated social media platforms linked to in the SMNRs to determine the origins, tone and thematic nature of communications on the platforms. A total of 2071 messages was analysed by means of content analysis across six social media platforms in the two case studies. In order to triangulate and support data, an online survey was conducted with 43 social media users as respondents in order to determine social media users’ interactions with the social media platforms and SMNRs. The study found that the social media platforms linked to the SMNRs in the two case studies largely successfully elicited and hosted social media user-generated conversations about the themes advocated by the SMNR. The Blog, Facebook and YouTube platforms proved to be most successful in generating social media conversation, while the Flickr, Twitter and Delicious platforms were less effective among South African consumers. It was found that social media news releases are likely to elicit consumer-driven dialogue on the dedicated social media platforms linked to by the SMNRs if the platforms are managed correctly. Factors that were identified as important management considerations include ensuring the relevancy and timeliness of content on the social media platforms, the involvement by the platform creator in stimulating and encouraging participation from social media users where necessary, as well as the swift response to user comments, deleting of spam comments and pro-active management of negative perceptions that may arise from user comments on the platforms.

This dissertation is an assessment of the nature and implementation of marketing strategies of selected Eastern Cape non-government organisations. Poverty alleviation and service delivery remain the major focus of the South African government, after nineteen years of democracy (post-apartheid era). One of the civil societies that is key in working with the government in alleviating poverty and looking after the interests of the poor and marginalised individuals within the society is non-government organisations (NGOs). NGOs are organisations that are voluntary, independent, not-for-profit, and not self-serving in aims and related values. In August 1995, NGOs moved very quickly to establish the South African NGO Coalition (Sangoco). This was as a result of the Non-Profit Organisations Act 1997. Government reorganised the political environment for NGOs. They were provided with access to the fourth chamber of the National Economic Labour and Development Council, - the country's premier corporatist-style consensus-building agency, - on condition that such representation occurs through a single body. Sangoco now serves as a representative umbrella body for approximately 6,000 affiliated NGOs. Sangoco's primary role is that of advancing the interests of the poor. It is also concerned with developing an enabling environment for the NGO sector and providing an arena for mutual monitoring. Even though the Non-Profit Organisations Act opened the doors for NGOs to raise funds freely and also obtain allowances from the government, the bureaucratisation and commercialisation of NGOs made it almost impossible to access these funds, hence, most NGOs today are closing down. A literature review was conducted to determine what theory reveals about strategic marketing for profit organisations. Furthermore, how the marketing principles that are used in businesses can be implemented to ensure sustainability of non-profit organisations. The empirical study was conducted through questionnaires and interviews with the management of the NGOs. In Chapter 4 of this study findings are presented and in Chapter 5 recommendations are made. Further studies can be conducted to determine some of the areas that the NGOs can improve on, in order to run an effective and efficient non-profit organization.