Marketing research indicates a robust industry for luxury brands with ever-increasing consumer demand. However, studies indicate no correlation between the booming luxury industry and the value of luxury as perceived by the consumers. Against the backdrop of growth in this industry and its contributions towards the economy of a nation, it is imperative to understand why consumers buy luxury accessories brands from an academic and managerial perspective. It is equally important to understand the reasons as to why consumers hold certain brands dear and how their perception of luxury affects their buying decisions. Previous market research done in this regard highlighted the need for luxury brand managers to adopt a focused approach when selling luxury goods. Consumers should be able to perceive certain value in the luxury accessories brand that justifies its high cost, especially during periods of economic recession. To obtain a quantifiable and sustainable competitive advantage, it is prudent for the luxury industry to investigate and analyse the consumer value of their products. Therefore, it is crucial to study the types of value required and their impact on consumer behaviour. To bridge this gap, the present study proposes generating an in-depth explanation of how consumers’ luxury value dimensions determine their overall luxury brand value in an accessories context. Subsequently, these influence their repurchase intention through direct and indirect routes, by establishing and testing an integrated model of the determinants and consequences of luxury accessories value from the perspective of Gulf Arab tourist. To meet the requirements of this research, a mixed methodology was deployed. This combined all quantitative and qualitative data, in a sequential manner, to deduce the results. An explorative qualitative phase was used at the preliminary level of research. This required various focus groups to set out the scope of the model and devise topics for the questionnaire. This was followed by a quantitative research phase that compiled and evaluated all data generated from the self-administered questionnaires. Hypothesis testing was estimated using Structural Equation Modelling (Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) v.3) on 397 Gulf Arab tourists who have an experience in luxury accessories. The results confirm that Gulf Arab tourists consider emotional, social, self-identity, relational and financial value when developing their overall value of luxury accessories. Effectively, this shapes their repurchase intention only indirectly through brand trust and preferences. The uniqueness of this research is elicited from being the first to use the theory of consumption values to construct a model that uncovers overall value for luxury accessories brands and tests its influence on repurchase intentions. This model develops the narrow view of consumption-value theory in terms of the value components that affect only consumption choice decisions. The research model cultivates this view by integrating a set of value components as a basis on which to explain consumer preferences and purchase decisions for luxury accessory brands. Thus, the theory of consumption values may go beyond choice decisions to include behavioural outcomes. In addition, this study reiterates the experimental view of consumption, as proposed by Holbrook and his colleagues. The study states that cognitive and affective components work in collaboration to determine the overall value of luxury accessories brands. The research provides supplementary data to the assumptions of the traditional rationality models. Combined with such models, this research intends to enhance the prediction of the value of consumer luxury accessories. Methodologically, the existing empirical research relies on small student samples, used conventionally in similar studies. Consequently, a significant number of respondents lacked the necessary purchase experience, essential for this research. However, the present research contributes by using actual consumers of luxury accessories brands; thereby, enhancing the validity of the empirical findings. Another significant contribution of this research is the use of a mixed-methods approach to understanding consumer behaviour. This allowed the researcher to obtain a better understanding of the Consumer Value theory within the context of luxury accessories, branding and endorsements. The qualitative and quantitative aspects of such consumer values have never been explored before. Therefore, this research anticipates providing a benchmark for all future research under the same topic. Pragmatically, regarding emotional, social, self-identity, relational and financial dimensions, marketers will be able to base their selling strategies based on this model. Furthermore, it facilitates the improvement of purchase value for their luxury accessories and help them target consumers in different market segments. Consumers may differ with respect to their perceived values for luxury commodities, but prefer a prticular luxury brand to satisfy their emotional and cognitive needs. This model is also useful from a market position, while enhancing the overall Marketing efficiency for luxury accessories. Alternatively, luxury accessories brand managers will be required to build strong brand value and a continual relationship with their consumers to prevent them from searching for and investing in alternate brands and substitutes; thereby encouraging cross-shopping.

Whether they are gracing movie screens, tweeting about the size of their baby bump, or being photographed by the paparazzi in their swimwear accidently on purpose, celebrities compel consumers to care. Despite the pervasive consumer interest in celebrities, the fundamental process of how and when consumers develop relationships with and attachments to them is a subject that has been underexplored by marketing scholars, a discipline whose activities are often turbocharged by celebrities. In this research project, celebrities are viewed as brands in and of themselves, and accordingly, are examined through the prism of marketing's brand relationship literature. Drawing upon that literature and narrative transportation theory, a theoretical model of the celebrity brand attachment process is developed and empirically tested over the course of four online experiments. Results indicate that narratives about celebrity brands transport consumers to a place where they feel and behave as if they are in a communal-like relationship with the celebrity brand, despite their awareness of the contrary. These feelings and behaviors are lasting and manifest themselves back in the real world with increases in attachment and intention to consume more celebrity brand narratives. Furthermore, differences in the narrative type (on-stage vs. off-stage) and celebrity brand type (achieved vs. attributed) are found to impact the relationship between narratives and attachment level, while brand type and attachment style type are not found to significantly impact the narrative - attachment relationship.

[pt] Este trabalho empreende uma análise sociológica dos hábitos de leitura dos alunos de duas instituições, uma confessional e uma pública, consideradas elites escolares, do município do Rio de Janeiro. Com base nas respostas ao survey aplicado em 2004 no contexto da pesquisa Processo de Produção da Qualidade do Ensino. Escola, família e cultura do SOCED, Grupo de pesquisas em Sociologia da Educação, da PUC – Rio investigou-se o conteúdo e o volume de leitura em diferentes fontes a partir da catalogação dos títulos indicados pelos alunos. O trabalho teve continuidade com o encaminhamento da pesquisa para além das homogeneidades, singularidades institucionais e seus efeitos sobre os processos de escolarização. Considerando os hábitos de leitura, a relação com a linguagem e o domínio da norma culta como estruturas componentes do capital cultural valorizado pelas escolas, investigou-se, em uma segunda etapa, a relação dos estudantes com a leitura por meio de suas percepções e impressões, além das práticas pedagógicas desenvolvidas por professores e outros agentes escolares na formação de alunos com altos níveis de engajamento em leitura. Depreende-se da análise que os alunos destas escolas desenvolveram um habitus de leitura amplo e diversificado que engloba gêneros da literatura nacional e estrangeira, destinada a diferentes públicos. O trabalho propõe ainda, a existência de perfis pedagógicos que, de forma diferenciada, influenciam o desenvolvimento de leitores, sua manutenção e desenvolvimento. / [en] This study concerns a sociological analysis about reading habits of the students from two institutions, a confessional (catholic) and a public one, both considered elite schools in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Based on the answers of the survey applied in 2004 and according to the research “Production Process of Education Quality: School, family and culture” from SOCED (a research group in Education Sociology from PUC - Rio University), the content and volume of reading from different sources based on a cataloging of titles listed by the pupils was investigated. The study was continued by taking the research beyond the institutional homogeneities, institutional features and their effects on the educational processes. Considering the students reading habits, their relationship with the language and mastery of standard language as structures that comprise the cultural capital valued by schools, investigation was carried out, in a second stage, of the students relationship with reading through their perceptions and impressions, in addition to the teaching practices developed by teachers and other school staff in training students with high levels of engagement in reading. It appears from the analysis that students of these schools have developed a wide and diverse literacy habitus which includes national and foreign literature genres for different audiences. The study also proposes the existence of educational profiles that, in different manners, influence the readers formation, their maintenance and development.

Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo investigar a realização do mecanismo das relações intergenéricas no emprego de marcas proverbiais diferentes formas de apresentação do provérbio na qualidade de gênero do discurso em redações de vestibular, a partir de estudo comparativo do funcionamento discursivo dessas marcas em dois conjuntos de textos, a saber: sessenta redações do vestibular da FUVEST/2006 (tema Trabalho) e sessenta redações do vestibular da FUVEST/2009 (tema Fronteiras), perfazendo o total de 120 textos. Nessas redações, foram reconhecidos os seguintes tipos de registro do provérbio a título de gênero do discurso, por mim denominados marcas proverbiais: (a) construção em que o provérbio aparece integralmente com o uso de aspas e/ou glosa; (b) construção em que o provérbio aparece de forma integral sem o uso de aspas nem de glosa; (c) enunciado organizado a partir da modificação da estrutura de um provérbio; (d) enunciado que alude ao sentido de um provérbio; e (e) construção que reproduz a estrutura de um enunciado proverbial. Sob um olhar enunciativo-discursivo, este trabalho se fundamenta, primordialmente, nos estudos do Círculo de Bakhtin, relacionados à perspectiva dialógica da linguagem e à teoria dos gêneros do discurso; em Maingueneau (1997, 2008b, 2010) em relação às suas considerações sobre as estratégias de captação e de subversão e sobre os aspectos da enunciação proverbial e; em Lysardo-Dias (2004), que compreende o provérbio como um gênero do discurso que se caracteriza pela inserção obrigatória em outro gênero. Os resultados desta pesquisa revelam que o funcionamento discursivo das marcas proverbiais resulta das relações intergenéricas. Esse mecanismo se constata não só pela inserção das marcas proverbiais na redação de vestibular, em que desempenham diversas funções argumentativas, mas também pelo fato de essas marcas apresentarem vestígios de outros gêneros nos quais o provérbio já se instalou. Num caso e no outro, esses vestígios são reconhecíveis tanto no conteúdo temático, quanto na construção composicional e no estilo do gênero. Contrariando a recomendação escolar de evitar o uso de expressões cristalizadas em redações de vestibular, os resultados se apresentam como contribuições para o ensino à medida que: (a) abrem a possibilidade de uma leitura de textos que permite compreendê-los como registros da dinamicidade dos gêneros do discurso; e (b) relativizam aquela recomendação escolar, tendo em vista que a qualidade do texto nem sempre está ligada à ausência de formas cristalizadas. / This research to investigate the mechanism of intergeneric connections, in employment of proverbial brand - different ways of presenting the proverb as a discourse genre - in college entrance essays, from a comparative study of the discursive functioning of these brands into two sets of texts, namely: sixty essays of vestibular FUVEST/2006 (theme Labor) and sixty essays of vestibular FUVEST/2009 (theme Borders), totaling 120 texts. In these essays, were recognized following record types proverb as a discourse genre, for me called proverbial brands: (a) building where the proverb appears entirely with the use of quotation marks and/or gloss, (b) construction in which the proverb appears in full without using quotation marks nor gloss; (c) organized statement from the modification of the structure of a proverb; (d) utterance that alludes to the meaning of a proverb, and (e) construction that reproduces the structure of a proverbial utterance. Under a look enunciative-discursive, this work is based primarily on studies of the Bakhtin Circle, related to the dialogical perspective of language and the theory of speech genres, in Maingueneau (1997, 2008b, 2010) regarding his considerations on strategies for capture and subversion and on aspects of proverbial utterance and, in Lysardo-Dias (2004), who understands the proverb as a genre of discourse that is characterized by mandatory insertion into another genre. The results of this research reveal that the discursive functioning of proverbial brands results from the intergeneric connections. This mechanism turns out not only by the insertion of proverbial brands in writing entrance exam, where they play several argumentative functions, but also because these brands show traces of other genres in which the proverb has already been installed. In one case and in the other, these traces are recognizable both in thematic content, as in the compositional construction and the style of the genre. Contrary to the recommendation of school to avoid using expressions crystallized in college entrance essays, the results are presented as contributions to teaching as: (a) open the possibility of a reading of texts that allows to understand them as records of dynamicity of discourse genres; and (b) relativize that academic recommendation given that the text quality is not always linked to the absence of crystallized forms.

Atualmente, a comunicação entre marcas e consumidores é um processo complexo. O excessivo volume de mensagens publicitárias leva à maior seletividade e menor sensibilidade a apelos persuasivos que, no passado, surtiam efeito. Assim, o monitoramento e uso de \"boca a boca\", considerado por consumidores um dos meios de comunicação mais confiável, torna-se fundamental. O estudo sobre a relação entre marcas, recomendação e decisões de consumo não é algo novo na literatura de marketing, porém, muito pouco se sabe sobre como tais construtos se relacionam em decisões que exigem diferentes níveis de cognição. Este foi o elemento direcionador deste trabalho que procura investigar o papel que a valência da recomendação e o estágio de maturidade de marcas apresentam em decisões de compra que exigem diferentes níveis de esforço cognitivo, assumindo a visão apresentada pelas teorias de duplo processo cognitivo. Com este propósito, foi desenvolvido um experimento com desenho fatorial completo, considerando a manipulação de três fatores de tratamento (valência da recomendação, maturidade de marca e tipo de decisão) de dois níveis (positiva ou negativa, madura ou nova, urgente ou planejada, respectivamente) e a avaliação de seus efeitos em intenção de compra (variável dependente). O procedimento de coleta envolveu o desenvolvimento de estímulos para a representação da combinação dos níveis dos tratamentos em oito celas de teste independentes (2³) e de um questionário de autopreenchimento pela Internet. Para a análise dos resultados, aplicaram-se modelos lineares generalizados para teste de cada uma das hipóteses de pesquisa. Os resultados mostram que, em situações de decisão urgente, nas quais o esforço cognitivo é menor, o efeito da valência da recomendação em intenção de compra é superior ao efeito da maturidade de uma marca. Por outro lado, em situações de decisão planejada, nas quais o esforço cognitivo é maior, o efeito da maturidade de uma marca em intenção de compra é superior ao efeito de valência da recomendação. Uma marca nova, que ainda está em processo de construção de sua imagem, sofreu maior efeito da valência de recomendação e, portanto, teve sua intenção de compra mais sensível a situações de decisão urgente. Para uma marca madura, observou-se que sua intenção de compra não varia entre situações de decisão urgente e planejada quando ocorre uma recomendação positiva. Porém, quando ocorreu uma recomendação negativa, houve maior sensibilidade e a intenção de compra por uma marca madura foi mais afetada em situações de decisão urgente do que planejada. Por fim, encontrou-se efeito interativo significativo entre valência da recomendação, maturidade da marca e tipo de decisão, o que validou a existência de cenários nos quais uma marca nova pode ter intenção de compra párea a uma marca madura. Estes resultados podem auxiliar no desenvolvimento de estratégias de comunicação de marketing, principalmente no que se refere ao uso e monitoramento de ações de \"boca a boca\" para a experimentação de uma marca nova ou proteção de uma marca madura. / Nowadays, the communication between brands and consumers is a complex process. The excessive amount of advertising creates higher selectivity and lower sensibility to persuasive messages that, in the past, have been effective. Then, monitoring and using the \"word-of-mouth\" (WOM), considered one of the most trustable media by consumers, became essential. The study about brands, WOM and their consequences to purchase decisions is not new to marketing literature; however, understanding how these constructs interact to each other at different levels of cognition has not been explored yet. Aiming to fulfill this gap, the present study was developed to investigate the effect of WOM valence and brand maturity level on purchase decisions taken at different levels of cognitive effort, assuming what is presented by dual-process cognitive theories. For this sake, an experiment was applied using a full-factorial design, considering the manipulation of three treatments/ independent variables (WOM valence, brand maturity level and type of purchase decision) of two levels each (positive or negative, mature or new, urgent or planned, respectively) and the analysis of their effects on purchase intention (dependent variable). An online questionnaire was applied for data collection in eight different and independent groups of test (2³). For testing each one of the research hypotheses, general linear models were applied. Results showed that, in an urgent decision, when the level of cognitive effort is lower, the effect of WOM valence in purchase intention is stronger than the effect of brand maturity level. On the other hand, in a planned decision, when the level of cognitive effort is higher, the effect of brand maturity level is stronger than the effect of WOM valence. A new brand, which is beginning to build its equity, was more affected by WOM valence, thus, its purchase intention was more sensible in urgent decisions. For a mature brand, when exposed to positive WOM, there was no difference in its purchase intention comparing both types of decision. Although, when a mature brand was exposed to negative WOM, there was a higher sensibility and its purchase intention was more affected in an urgent decision. Finally, the interactive effect among the three treatments was significant, validating the existence of scenarios where the purchase intention of a new brand is parity to a mature brand. These findings may help on the development of marketing communication strategies, mainly to what refers to the usage and monitoring of \"word-of-mouth\" for stimulating the trial of a new brand or the protection of a mature brand.

Esta dissertação apresenta um estudo, conceitual e empírico, que procura verificar a contribuição da análise semiótica à gestão de marcas, focalizando as condições e variáveis envolvidas no processo. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, buscou-se uma revisão bibliográfica que permitisse a compreensão do contexto em que as marcas tornaram-se ativos tão importantes para as organizações - partindo da evolução do pensamento e práticas de marketing e chegando à implementação da estratégia de marketing através da marca. Ainda na revisão bibliográfica, examinaram-se as diversas ferramentas auxiliares na construção, avaliação e gestão de marcas, incluindo a análise semiótica. Através de uma pesquisa empírica exploratória, operacionalizada por meio de entrevistas em profundidade com profissionais de marketing, investigou-se as contribuições, limitações e tendências da análise semiótica aplicada à gestão de marcas no Brasil. As análises das entrevistas levaram à conclusão que a aplicação da metodologia semiótica é válida, adequada e contribui, principalmente, na manutenção da coerência entre o posicionamento e a imagem da marca, apesar dos resultados dependerem estritamente da interpretação do analista. / This study presents a conceptual and empirical study that attempts to verify the contribution of semiotic analysis to brand management, focusing the conditions and variables involved in the process. In order to achieve the proposed objective, a bibliographic revision that allows the comprehension of the context in which brands had become such important assets to organizations was carried out from the evolution of thinking and marketing practices to the implementation of marketing strategies through brands. Still in the bibliographic revision, the study investigates several tools used to build, evaluate and manage brands, including semiotic analysis. An empirical exploratory research was conducted with marketing professionals, via in-depth interviews, to investigate contributions, limitations and trends of semiotic analysis applied to brand management in Brazil. The analysis of the interviews led to the conclusion that the application of semiotic methodology is valid, appropriate and contributes, mainly, to the maintenance of consistency between positioning and image of the brand, even though the results strictly depend on the analyst interpretation.

Neste estudo combinam-se dois temas relevantes e atuais: a internacionalização de empresas e a gestão de marcas. A necessidade de inserção do Brasil no mercado global para o crescimento do país já é quase um consenso e cresce o número de empresas que buscam essa inserção de forma estruturada. Contudo, ainda há um longo caminho a ser percorrido para que o país, por meio de suas empresas, aumente sua participação nas transações internacionais. A fim de crescer e obter melhores resultados, empresas decidem competir no mercado internacional, agregando valor a suas ofertas por meio da construção e da gestão de marcas. Porém, as empresas brasileiras encontram-se, ainda, em estágio quase embrionário no cenário global e essas situação se reflete na academia, embora na última década tenha sido crescente a quantidade de estudos. Nessa tese, o objetivo foi analisar o processo de construção e de gestão de marcas no âmbito da estratégia de internacionalização e inserção de empresas no mundo globalizado. Para a sua consecução, foi utilizada uma fundamentação teórica sobre os assuntos pertinentes aos temas estudados, e, posteriormente, conduziu-se uma pesquisa empírica, qualitativa e de caráter exploratório. Para a coleta de dados, foram realizadas entrevistas em profundidade com representantes de dez organizações franqueadoras brasileiras que se internacionalizaram, as quais fazem parte da Associação Brasileira de Franchising (ABF): Bobs, Cantão, Carmen Steffens, CCAA, Fisk, Mundo Verde, O Boticário, Spoleto, Totvs e Via Uno. Como procedimento analítico, adotou-se a análise de conteúdo. Foram analisados os seguintes elementos: i) processo de internacionalização das empresas, incluindo as motivações para a internacionalização, os modos de entrada selecionados e as dificuldades encontradas nesse processo; ii) utilização de marcas na estratégia de internacionalização de empresas brasileiras e modo como são gerenciadas no exterior; iii) pontos críticos do esforço de desenvolvimento das marcas brasileiras no exterior; iv) utilização da marca de origem nos processos de internacionalização de empresas brasileiras; v) associações feitas pelos consumidores locais em decorrência da utilização da marca de origem na construção de marcas de empresas ou produtos brasileiros no exterior. Os resultados da pesquisa de campo foram analisados à luz do referencial teórico e foi proposta uma sistematização do processo de construção e de gestão de marcas na estratégia de internacionalização de empresas. Em termos teóricos, a contribuição da tese está no estabelecimento de um elo entre as teorias de internacionalização de empresas e de gestão de marcas, discutindo-se os temas no contexto brasileiro. Com este estudo, visou-se contribuir para a ampliação da compreensão de que a gestão de marcas é um fator vital na escolha e no desenvolvimento da estratégia de internacionalização de empresas, fornecendo uma sistematização das práticas de gestão de marcas mais produtivas para a inserção de empresas brasileiras no mundo globalizado. / This study combines two relevant and up-to-date subjects: internationalization of firms and brand management. The need for Brazil to become a true global player is almost consensus, and the number of Brazilian companies entering the global marketplace in a structured way has increased. However, there is still a long way to go before the country increases its participation in the international transactions by means of its companies. With the purpose of growing and obtaining better results, companies choose to compete in the international market, adding value to their offers through brand building and management. Nevertheless, Brazilian companies are still at an embryonic stage in the global scenario and this situation is reflected in the academy, although the amount of research has grown in the last decade. The purpose of the thesis was to analyze the brand building and management process in the scope of the strategy of internationalization and insertion of companies in the globalized world. For such a purpose, firstly it was developed a theoretical basis pertaining to the subjects at hand and, afterwards, an empirical, qualitative and exploratory research was carried out. The data were collected from in depth interviews with the representatives of ten Brazilian franchisors that became international, which are associated to the Brazilian Association of Franchising (ABF): Bobs, Cantão, Carmen Steffens, CCAA, Fisk, Mundo Verde, O Boticário, Spoleto, Totvs and Via Uno. The analytical procedure adopted was the content analysis. The following elements were analyzed at the research: i) the process of internationalization of the firms, including the reasons for the internationalization, the modes of entry and the difficulties experienced in this process; ii) the use of brands in the strategy of internationalization of the Brazilian companies and how they are managed overseas; iii) the critical aspects of the effort of development of the Brazilian brands overseas; iv) the use of brand origin in the processes of internationalization of the Brazilian companies; v) the associations made by local consumers as a result of the use of brand origin in the building of Brazilian product or corporate brands overseas. The results of the field research were analyzed in the light of the theoretical reference, and a systematization of the brand building and management process in the internationalization strategy of firms was suggested. In theoretical terms, the thesis contributes by establishing a link between the theories of internationalization of firms and brand management, discussing the subjects in the Brazilian context. The study aims at contributing to an increase in the understanding that brand management is essential to choose and develop the internationalization strategy of firms, providing a systematization of the most productive brand management practices for Brazilian companies to become global players.

Diante da dificuldade de compreender uma sociedade cada vez mais complexa que reflete comportamentos de consumo múltiplos (inclusive dentro de um mesmo indivíduo, que absorvendo as características da pós-modernidade, é paradoxal), novos métodos de pesquisa são utilizados na tentativa de interpretar com mais precisão o comportamento humano, para analisar suas tendências e transformá-las em diretrizes para as estratégias das marcas. De caráter predominantemente qualitativo e multidisciplinar, a pesquisa de comportamentos emergentes carrega intrinsecamente a tensão dos campos científicos, assim como o Campo da Comunicação, que por envolver diferentes áreas do saber, desempenha, de forma transversal, um papel fundamental na formação, difusão e identificação das tendências socioculturais, fato comprovado por essa dissertação. Por meio de revisão bibliográfica, entrevistas em profundidade, e análise documental, foi possível identificar as definições relacionadas às tendências assim como compreender como elas podem ser aplicadas estrategicamente por empresas de diversos segmentos, para que suas expressividades marcárias, incluindo as ações comunicacionais, sejam sempre relevantes no cenário do consumo. Além disso, verificou-se a ênfase que a comunicação tem no processo pelo qual as tendências se formam e propagam nas dinâmicas sociais. Realizou-se também a identificação e análise dos métodos utilizados pelas empresas especializadas na pesquisa de tendências e constatou-se que um dos principais métodos utilizados é a análise de conteúdo de materiais coletados por monitoramento midiático de diversas áreas da cultura contemporânea, o que, mais uma vez, reforça a importância do campo comunicacional que por abranger práticas culturais como a publicidade, por exemplo, acaba por denunciar o espírito do tempo e os valores em trânsito na sociedade. / As a result of the difficulty of understanding a society increasingly complex which reflects multiple consumer behavior (even within the same person, who absorbs the postmodern paradoxes), new research methods are used to interpret the human behavior accurately, to analyze trends and to turn them into guidelines for the brands strategies. Predominantly qualitative and multidisciplinary, the research of trends carries intrinsically the tension of the scientific fields, as well as the Field of Communication, which involves different areas of knowledge and plays a transversal role in formation, dissemination and identification of the sociocultural trends. Through literature review, in-depth interviews and document analysis, it was possible to identify some definitions for trends and to understand how they can be strategically applied by companies in different areas, including communication and marketing actions, to be always relevant in the consumption scenario. In addition, it was possible to confirm the emphasis that communication has in the formation and diffusion process of the trends in the social dynamics. Besides, it was found that one of the main methods used in the identification of new signs of emerging behaviors and values is the content analysis of materials collected by monitoring the media from different areas of contemporary culture, that reinforces the importance of the communication field, which covers cultural practices as advertising, and consequently expresses the spirit of the time and transitional values in society.

There is extensive literature in several areas of academic study (marketing, international business, law, business finance, etc.) regarding brand names and trademarks. Different fields of study have analyzed the nature, applications and effects of brands and trademarks on firms and societies through their own unique perspective. But although brands and trademarks play a crucial and vital role in economic matters related to firms and societies, there does not exist a strong literature from the economic field approaching important issues related to them. Of special interest to us are the effects brands have on the strategies firms create and follow in order to address competition and get an advantage in specific markets, the role trademark creation plays in the economic development of a country and the spillover effects such development has on the aggregate world economy, and the protection patterns and strategies firms use in order to maximize the value of trademarks as economic assets and the economic benefit derived from the use of this form of intellectual property (and other brand related activities). With this dissertation we seek to contribute to the existing literature and to the better understanding of brands and trademarks from an economic point of view. In order to address the questions above, we formulated an economic model, used econometric tools and also performed an in-depth analysis of empirical data related to brands and trademarks. From our research we found that brands and trademarks play a major role in different aspects of the economic spectrum; they could give the firm an upper hand in a market, they could be a vehicle for economic advancement of societies when trademark protection is fostered and lastly that firms follow an idiosyncratic pattern of IP protection in order to generate and defend the value of these assets and in order to maximize the economic benefit of activities that are related to brands and trademarks. From our overall research we conclude that brands and trademarks are a powerful duality of tremendous potential for firms and countries that need to be protected and fostered and that additional research from the economic field is needed.

This research provides insight into consumer perceptions of multiple private label brands being simultaneously offered by an individual retailer. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the current consumer perceptions of the three private label brands at Pick n Pay Stores, a South African retailer. Consumers are no longer being presented with a single private label brand, but individual grocery retailers offer multiple private label brands under one retailer. Pick n Pay Store’s current private label brands co-exist as PnP no name, PnP and PnP Finest, and are synonymous with the generic, classic, and premium private label brand concepts, respectively. The question can thus be posed whether consumers perceive private label brands differently and whether they will eventually purchase the private label brand. The research explores the subject of brand, and the nature and success factors of private label brands in retail. This was done by reviewing the literature that traced the rapid changes in the retail sector because of the increasing influence of private label brands on conventional retail practices and consumer behaviour. A conceptual framework was developed showing the constructs that may have relationships with the three private label brands of Pick n Pay Stores. Information regarding the different private label brand concepts was obtained from primary as well as secondary research. An empirical study of a quantitative nature in the form of a paper-based and online-based questionnaire was undertaken. Altogether 375 usable questionnaires were collected. The results of the empirical study indicated positive relationships of perceptions between all three of the Pick n Pay private label brands and their respective intention to purchase. Furthermore, there was a statistically positive relationship between the brand perceptions of Pick n Pay private label brands. The proposed framework is intended to shed light onto the interactions between the private label concepts to allow for meaningful strategic branding decisions to be made at senior business levels.