Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the welfare field play a significant role in the national economy. They provide not only care, but also employment to a large component of the population. Therefore, their existence and well-being serve a social as well as an economic purpose. Various changes globally as well as in South Africa, affect the world in which NPOs function. They have to assess the impact of these changes on their operations and implement new strategies to survive and flourish. One of the challenges faced by NPOs is how to differentiate and promote themselves in such a way that it allows them to compete effectively for scarce resources but at the same time remain true to their core mission and values. The concept of branding, to create a lasting and positive impression in the consumer's mind, is one strategy NPOs can pursue to create distinction and competitive advantage. This study was undertaken to determine whether a specific re-branding exercise undertaken by Rand Aid Association during 2005/2006 has had a positive effect on its services and the financial viability of the organization. The results show that the. re-branding exercise has had a significant positive impact on the way the organization implemented and achieved a critical strategic objective, namely the development and sale of a new retirement village. It also made staff more aware of the brand and assisted the organization in obtaining greater clarity on the different businesses it pursues. However, the study also shows that the implementation of a brand orientation holds particular challenges. Many of the challenges are tied to the particular nature of the organization, such as a lack of human and financial resources and the difficulty in justifying expenditure on marketing above allocating these resources to meeting customer needs. Time, knowledge and money constraints also impacted on the process that was followed and on involving staff at all levels. In addition, the diversity of the services and target groups in the organization's portfolio made it very difficult to reach agreement on the true values and essence of the organization. This affected a clear and common understanding of the identity and meaning of the RAA brand. It is recommended that NPOs begin the brand orientation process by developing a clear focus on what the organization stands for and what it aims to deliver. An in-depth examination of the vision, purpose, values and underlying philosophies of the organization is essential. These must be clearly identified and internalized by all staff in order to develop a shared understanding of the brand and work towards consistency in delivering the brand promise. NPOs should realize that staff is one of the most important audiences for branding efforts as they determine the image and ultimately the reputation and continued existence of the organization. Internalization starts with recruiting employees whose values will support the brand, training them to understand and deliver the brand promise and fostering a culture that reinforces positive brand behaviour. NPOs can enhance their brands by utilizing their unique opportunities to develop close and warm relationships with consumers. One of the best ways to differentiate their services is through the relationships they offer and through their responsiveness to changing needs. Many NPOs also depend on word-of-mouth communication to promote their services and build their reputation, therefore conscious and concerted efforts to enhance relationships with existing customers should receive a high priority. Finally, it was evident that NPOs should be aware of and plan for the time, money and effort it will take to develop a brand orientation. Branding cannot be practiced as a once-off event nor do shortcuts pay in the long term. In particular, NPOs should remember that the development of a logo, corporate colours and brochures are the output of the process and not the starting point. The ultimate aim should be to achieve consistency across all points of contact with customers and to ensure that these are in line with the brand promise. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / M.B.L.

Da Gama Textiles, based in the Eastern Cape has seen its sales of Jacquard products being affected in recent years by cheaper imported products. A study was required to enable its senior management to develop a branding strategy for its Jacquard products. In addition, senior managers required information about how to take advantage of the 2010 World Cup. Data collection was conducted in July to September 2009, using two population groups. The first one was bed and breakfast managers in KwaZulu-Natal, with the second one being top ten Jacquard customers by volume in South Africa. Results showed that awareness levels for Da Gama’s Jacquard products are low, although more than half of respondents would be willing to receive literature from Da Gama in the future relating to Jacquard products. Among the top ten customers, loyalty levels were found to be high, however customers were not satisfied with Da Gama’s price levels and felt that designs and delivery lead times could be improved. A suggested branding strategy was drafted, targeting both population groups. A strategy to build brand awareness and brand loyalty levels was suggested for bed and breakfast managers, while a strategy to improve brand loyalty levels was suggested for the top ten customers. / Business Administration / M. Tech. (Business Administration)

Consumer decisions are largely influenced by prior experiences via memory. Consumer research is limited in its consideration of the separate memory system conceptualisations dominant in psychology, and rather has primarily focused on semantic memory (SM). As Autobiographical Memory (AM) may equally affect one’s brand consumption decisions, it is critical to integrate AM into brand-related memory studies for a complete understanding of the consumer learning and decision-making process. The study conceptualises affective, self-relevant brand episodes as Brand-Related Autobiographical Memory (BRAM), and storage of abstract brand knowledge as Brand-Related Semantic Memory (BRSM). The conceptual review identified hypothesised relationships between BRAM, BRSM, self-brand congruence and affective brand commitment. Within a positivist paradigm, the study employed methodological triangulation with qualitative interviews, functional magnetic resonanace imaging (fMRI) experiment and a survey to collect data. Findings suggest that brand memories are stored in AM and SM, and brand memories that are in AM are self-relevant and emotion-laden. The construct of Specificity explains the self-brand congruence relationship while BRAM (Vividness and Affect) influence brand commitment. No relationship was discovered between BRSM, self-brand congruence and brand commitment. This is of particular significance as dominant consumer research focuses on semantic memory. The research contributes to marketing theory by: 1). identifying the importance of multiple memory systems in understanding consumers’ decision-making; 2). exploring how BRAM contributes towards emotional decision-making models; 3). identifying the importance of BRAM in self-brand congruence theory and brand commitment decisions; 4). demonstrating the use of nuroimaging (fMRI) methods to study consumer memories and 5). introducing the BRAM scale as a complementary measure to recall and recognition tests.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main question addressed in this research study is ‘How can L’Oréal improve upon their current brand image and subsequent brand positioning amongst Stellenbosch students as their target audience’. It was therefore considered necessary for the author of this research project to effectively be able to uncover the current health of the L’Oréal brand. A brand audit was therefore performed on the corporate L’Oréal brand. Brand audits are qualitative snapshots of the current position of the brand in terms of the current perceptions of the target audience and it is important to perform them on a regular basis as target audiences may evolve over time. Through performing a brand audit, the manufacturers / marketers of the brand in question will gain a better understanding of the current problems, desires and needs of the target audience in question. The information obtained from such an audit is valuable for the organization / brand as it allows them to determine whether a costly and time-consuming process such as a brand repositioning is necessary, as well as providing valuable market research which can lead to a viable and sustainable brand strategy. In order to uncover the health of the brand and determine the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour of the target audience, a deductive approach to this study was employed. A paperbased questionnaire regarding the corporate / product L’Oréal brand was designed by the author and distributed to 444 students located on central campus at the University of Stellenbosch. A statistical significance level of five percent (α = 0.05) was employed when the information collected from the questionnaires was subjected to a series of statistical tests. Six main brand characteristics were investigated during the analysis of the survey data. These include brand awareness, attitude towards the corporate brand, attitude towards the products, level of desire for the brand, behavioural tendencies, and the value proposition. The results from the survey indicated that an overwhelming majority of respondents were familiar with the brand, and also that a large percentage of them had also used L’Oréal products. Along similar lines, the perceptions / attitudes with regards to the corporate and product brand were very, or fairly favourable amongst the respondents. There was a consistent trend amongst ethnic groups, with the white ethnic group being the most familiar with the brand, having the most favourable attitude with regards to the brand and products, and displaying the most positive usage behaviour with regards to the products. The opposite trend was observed for the black ethnic group. It was also determined that as the attitude with regards to the corporate brand increases so too does that of the product brand. This is a favourable situation for L’Oréal as efforts to build corporate brand identity can translate into strong, favourable and unique product associations. In terms of the benefits being sought, the majority of respondents ranked functional and emotional benefits as most important when using personal care products. The author was able to extract from the survey the fact that the black ethnic group had the least awareness and least favourable attitude, perception and behaviour with regards to the corporate and product brand in question. If L’Oréal is able to enhance the brand imagery amongst this target audience, they will surely build a positive brand equity as well as an additional income stream. In addition to this, the author was also able to identify that the emotional bond to the L’Oréal brand was not as strong as it could be. The respondents indicated that their level of desire for the brand was not on par with their expected / anticipated needs and that a personal care brand should fulfil more of these needs. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoofonderwerp van hierdie stuk navorsing is: “Hoe kan L’Oréal hulle huidige beeld en dus ook hulle handelsmerk posisionering tussen Stellenbosch studente as hulle teikenmark verbeter?” Dit is dus as nodig beskou dat die navorser ondersoek moet instel na die huidige gesondheid van die L’Oréal handelsmerk. ‘n Handelsmerk-oudit is dus op die korporatiewe L’Oréal handelsmerk uitgevoer. Handelsmerk-ouditte is kwalitatiewe “foto’s” van die huidige posisie van die handelsmerk in terme van die huidige persepsies van die teikenmark en dit is belangrik dat hulle op ‘n gereelde basis uitgevoer moet word want teikenmarkte evalueer oor ‘n tydperk. ‘n Handelsmerk-oudit kan daartoe lei dat die bemarkers van die handelsmerk ‘n beter begrip sal hê van die probleme, begeertes en behoeftes van hulle teikenmark. Die inligting wat deur die oudit verkry word is vir die organisasie / handelsmerk waardevol want hulle kan daaruit vasstel of ‘n duur en tydrowende proses soos handelsmerk re-posisionering nodig is, en ook kan dien as marknavorsing wat kan lei tot ‘n lewensvatbare en volhoudbare handelsmerkstategie. Om die gesondheid van die handelsmerk asook die persepsies, houdings en gedrag van die teikenmerk vas te stel, is ‘n deduktiewe benadering tot hierdie studie gevolg. ‘n Vraelys oor die korporatiewe / produk L’Oréal handelsmerk is deur die navorser opgestel en onder 444 studente op die sentrale kampus van die Universiteit Stellenbosch versprei. ‘n Statisties sinvolle vlak van vyf persent (α = 0.05) is gebruik toe die versamelde inligting van die vraelyste aan ‘n reeks statistiese toetse onderwerp is. Ses hoof handelsteken kenmerke is tydens die ontleding van die opname-data ondersoek. Dit sluit in merkbewustheid, houding teenoor die korporatiewe handelsmerk, houding teenoor die produkte, begeerte vir die handelsmerk, gedragstendense, en die waarde-proposisie. Die opname het getoon dat die oorweldigende meerderheid van die respondente die handelsmerk geken het en ook dat ‘n groot persentasie van hulle al L’Oréal produkte gebruik het. Die persepsies / houdings tussen die respondente betreffende korporatiewe- en produk handelsmerke was baie of redelik gunstig. Daar was ‘n konsekwente neiging tussen etniese groepe; die wit etniese groep ken die handelsmerk beter, het ‘n meer gunstige houding teenoor die handelsmerk en produkte en toon meer positiewe gebruiksgedrag betreffende die produkte. Die teenoorgestelde geld vir die swart etniese groep. Daar is ook vasgestel dat soos die houding teenoor die korporatiewe handelsmerk verbeter, so ook dié teenoor die produk handelsmerk. Dit is ‘n gunstige situasie vir L’Oréal want pogings om korporatiewe handelsmerk identiteit te bou sal omsit in sterk, gunstige en unieke produk assosiasies. Die navorser het uit die opname geleer dat die swart etniese groep die minste bewustheid en die ongunstigste houding, persepsie en gedrag betreffende die korporatiewe en produk handelsmerk het. As L‘Oréal die handelsbeeld onder hierdie teikenmark kan verbeter, sal hulle ‘n positiewe handelsekwiteit asook ‘n bykomende inkomstestroom kan skep. Die navorser het ook vasgestel dat die emosionele band met die L’Oréal handelsmerk nie so sterk is wat dit kan wees nie. Die respondente het aangedui dat hulle begeerte vir die handelsmerk nie so sterk is as hulle verwagte behoeftes nie en dat ‘n persoonlike sorg handelsmerk in meer van hierdie behoeftes behoort te voorsien.

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.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Each year, companies spend more money on sponsorship, and consequently the importance of sponsorship as a marketing communication tool has increased significantly. As a result, answering the question of how effective this investment is for a company has become increasingly important. Previous research of analysing the measurement of sponsorship effectiveness has been inconsistent. This research study analyses the relationship between key variables which measure sponsorship effectiveness, namely: brand awareness, corporate image, and purchase intention. In addition, the influence of the variable sports involvement on the other variables has been measured. The data was collected using a questionnaire during the international soccer federation (Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA) World Cup 2010 which was the first international sports event of this dimension on the African continent. This, in conjunction with the fact of inconsistent findings of previous research and the increasing importance of sponsorship for companies, contribute to a unique and new era of sponsorship research. Findings of this research indicate that consumer involvement has a direct positive effect on the perceptions of corporate image, as well as on consumers‟ purchase intention of sponsors‟ products. Purchase intention is also favourably influenced by brand awareness and corporate image of consumers. These findings are to a certain extent different than the results of Ko, Kim, Claussen and Kim (2008: 79-94) who conducted a similar study during the FIFA World Cup 2002. Consequently, this is a further indication that findings concerning sponsorship effectiveness research are inconsistent. The geographical area of data collection also has an influence on the results. In the case of South Africa, it was possible to observe that the different socio-demographic variables, gender and ethnical background had an impact on responses to the different research variables.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / Social media has become one of the marketing tools corporate organisations cannot ignore anymore. Organisations are forced to adjust, and in certain cases replace, traditional marketing methods. The reason why this study was undertaken was to determine the type of content successful corporate brands use on social media platforms to attract new customers and retain their existing brand communities. The South African top ten most valuable brands of 2013, identified by Brand Finance, was the focus of the study and their social media activity was monitored over a pre-determined period on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. The analysis results indicated that the majority of brands use promotional content to strengthen their brand, followed by competitions and informative and educational content. Interesting findings included that each brand, within a specific industry, followed a specific online strategy. Among other brands, four banks were analysed namely Standard Bank, Absa, Nedbank and FNB. It was clear that Standard Bank and FNB focused on promoting their products and services. The focus of Absa’s strategy was helping customers to save money effectively. Nedbank placed major emphasis on the community and corporate social responsibility.

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the welfare field play a significant role in the national economy. They provide not only care, but also employment to a large component of the population. Therefore, their existence and well-being serve a social as well as an economic purpose. Various changes globally as well as in South Africa, affect the world in which NPOs function. They have to assess the impact of these changes on their operations and implement new strategies to survive and flourish. One of the challenges faced by NPOs is how to differentiate and promote themselves in such a way that it allows them to compete effectively for scarce resources but at the same time remain true to their core mission and values. The concept of branding, to create a lasting and positive impression in the consumer's mind, is one strategy NPOs can pursue to create distinction and competitive advantage. This study was undertaken to determine whether a specific re-branding exercise undertaken by Rand Aid Association during 2005/2006 has had a positive effect on its services and the financial viability of the organization. The results show that the. re-branding exercise has had a significant positive impact on the way the organization implemented and achieved a critical strategic objective, namely the development and sale of a new retirement village. It also made staff more aware of the brand and assisted the organization in obtaining greater clarity on the different businesses it pursues. However, the study also shows that the implementation of a brand orientation holds particular challenges. Many of the challenges are tied to the particular nature of the organization, such as a lack of human and financial resources and the difficulty in justifying expenditure on marketing above allocating these resources to meeting customer needs. Time, knowledge and money constraints also impacted on the process that was followed and on involving staff at all levels. In addition, the diversity of the services and target groups in the organization's portfolio made it very difficult to reach agreement on the true values and essence of the organization. This affected a clear and common understanding of the identity and meaning of the RAA brand. It is recommended that NPOs begin the brand orientation process by developing a clear focus on what the organization stands for and what it aims to deliver. An in-depth examination of the vision, purpose, values and underlying philosophies of the organization is essential. These must be clearly identified and internalized by all staff in order to develop a shared understanding of the brand and work towards consistency in delivering the brand promise. NPOs should realize that staff is one of the most important audiences for branding efforts as they determine the image and ultimately the reputation and continued existence of the organization. Internalization starts with recruiting employees whose values will support the brand, training them to understand and deliver the brand promise and fostering a culture that reinforces positive brand behaviour. NPOs can enhance their brands by utilizing their unique opportunities to develop close and warm relationships with consumers. One of the best ways to differentiate their services is through the relationships they offer and through their responsiveness to changing needs. Many NPOs also depend on word-of-mouth communication to promote their services and build their reputation, therefore conscious and concerted efforts to enhance relationships with existing customers should receive a high priority. Finally, it was evident that NPOs should be aware of and plan for the time, money and effort it will take to develop a brand orientation. Branding cannot be practiced as a once-off event nor do shortcuts pay in the long term. In particular, NPOs should remember that the development of a logo, corporate colours and brochures are the output of the process and not the starting point. The ultimate aim should be to achieve consistency across all points of contact with customers and to ensure that these are in line with the brand promise. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / M.B.L.

by Chan Lung Anthony, Ho Shun-Wah Montgomery. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references. / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.i / CHAPTERS / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- METHOD --- p.5 / Chapter III. --- MARKET PROFILE --- p.7 / Chapter IV. --- PRODUCT PROFILE --- p.12 / Chapter V. --- CUSTOMER PROFILE --- p.16 / Chapter VI. --- COMPANY PROFILE --- p.20 / Chapter VII. --- PRODUCT POSITIONING AND TARGET MARKET SELECTION --- p.22 / Chapter VIII. --- COMPANY'S MISSION AND GOALS --- p.27 / Chapter IX. --- MARKETING OBJECTIVES --- p.28 / Chapter X. --- PRODUCT OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES --- p.29 / Chapter XI. --- PRICE OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES --- p.33 / Chapter XII. --- PROMOTION OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES --- p.36 / Chapter XIII. --- SALES FORCE OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES --- p.40 / Chapter XIV. --- DISTRIBUTION OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES --- p.43 / Chapter XV. --- CONTROL --- p.47 / Chapter XVI. --- ADVERTISING PLAN --- p.48 / APPENDIX / Chapter 1. --- FINDINGS OF QUESTIONNAIRE ON TARGET GROUP --- p.53 / Chapter 2. --- QUESTIONNAIRE --- p.56 / Chapter 3. --- SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW WITH HENRY DUONG --- p.63 / Chapter 4. --- EFFECTIVE COMPARISON AMONG MEDIA --- p.64 / Chapter 5. --- EFFECTIVENESS COMPARISON AMONG NEWSPAPERS --- p.65 / Chapter 6. --- EFFECTIVENESS COMPARISON AMONG MEDIA PRODUCT --- p.66 / Chapter 7. --- SPECIALISED/VERTICAL PUBLICATION --- p.67 / Chapter 8. --- READERSHIP PROFILE --- p.68 / Chapter 9. --- FIELD SURVEY OF PRICES OF WATCHES IN HONG KONG --- p.71 / BIBLIOGAPHY --- p.72

Nation as a brand represents the intangible assets of a country, encompassing various dimensions such as politics, economics, culture, history, and technology. However, much of extant work in nation branding has been limited to the empirical investigations of its positioning and implementation for specific countries, while other scholarly works in nation branding are conceptual. Various factors associated with nation branding are discussed in the literature, but there is no organizing mechanism to connect these factors to explore the dynamics underlying nation branding. To fill this gap, this dissertation attempts to identify the relevant factors underlying the deployment of nation branding, and to develop models to assess the association among these factors. Hunt and Morgan's resource advantage theory serves as the theoretical foundation of this dissertation's framework. After establishing panel data models that link the factors of building and developing the nation brand, the strategic implications of nation branding are discussed. Archival data were used for economic factors such as economic development, tourism, export, and inward foreign investment, and cultural, political, infrastructural, and geographical factors. The primary data were collected for qualitative factors perceived reputable brand and perceived reputable industry. The Anholt-GfK Roper's 2008 Nation Brands IndexSM was incorporated into the model as a moderating variable to test its impact on the relationship between the dependent variables and the independent variables. A total of 24 nations were analyzed to build and validate the models. This dissertation makes several contributions to the nation branding literature. First, it clarifies the definition of nation brand and nation branding. Second, it builds a predictive econometric model to connect the critical determinant and outcome factors of nation branding. Finally, it discusses nation branding strategies in terms of resource advantage theory and provides crucial insights on the development and management of a nation brand that can be used by researchers, marketing managers, and stakeholders of the nation brand to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of nation branding.