Capitalising on the power of nostalgic branding, requires understanding a consumer’s past experience with a brand. Nostalgia is a powerful influential factor that marketers should look at utilising correctly in order for them to successfully leverage off nostalgia and existing relationships between the consumer and the brand. This research has been conducted in order to gain a richer understanding of the nostalgic connections that consumers form with brands. Eight credible female respondents between the ages of 45 - 60, born and raised in Soweto, and who have attained tertiary qualification, were selected for the study. A selective criterion was designed to derive quality and depth in the research findings. The semi-structured interview technique was used for the qualitative research study. The findings revealed that brand nostalgia is rooted at different stages within the consumer’s decision process, depending on the brand and product category. The relationship between nostalgia and the derived benefits from the brands are not always as clear-cut as most marketers think. These benefits can be attained during the use of the brand or at the end of the consumption process. If the benefit does not fit the consumer’s current lifestyle, then the relationship will remain as a memory and the brand will not be purchased no matter how strong the nostalgic connection is between the consumer and brand.The research study was carried out to give marketers a guideline on optimising and capitalising on brand nostalgia. Further recommendations were made to assist future research on this topic, and to help marketers find ways of effectively leveraging off nostalgic connections that consumers form with brands. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The increasing competition and the predicted changes in the retail sector are pressurising marketers to be more competitive in order to ensure that their brands are amongst the leading brands. Marketers need to constantly develop innovative marketing strategies to create brand awareness, as well as to stimulate demand for specific brands. An important tool in this regard is the marketing communication mix, of which sales promotion is one of the most effective elements in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. It is the responsibility of marketers to select the most appropriate sales promotion technique for a specific market segment or, more specifically, to select the most appropriate technique to effectively encourage the desired effect on the consumer buying behaviour. The South African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) accounts for 40 percent of the total South African population and the black Generation Y portion represents 84 percent of the total South African Generation Y cohort. Those involved in attaining a tertiary qualification are likely to represent the future ‘Black Diamonds’ who represent South Africa’s growing prosperous African middle class that have experienced a 39 percent yearly growth rate in their spending power. Therefore, the black Generation Y student cohort is a very attractive market segment and it is critical to determine what sales promotion techniques are preferred by this specific market segment. The purpose of this study was to analyse the black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards different sales promotion techniques on low involvement products, since low involvement products tend to be more responsive to sales promotion techniques. For this study, the target population comprised black Generation Y students registered at the 23 South African registered public HEIs. From the sampling frame, a non-probability judgment sample of one traditional university and one university of technology in Gauteng was selected. Thereafter, a non-probability convenience sample of 600 black students from the selected HEIs aged between 18 and 24 years was drawn. A self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to the lecturers and distributed to the respondents during one lecture period. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their attitudes towards four sales promotion techniques on 20 items as well as to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that black Generation Y students have an overall positive attitude towards the sales promotion techniques measured in this study and that these techniques are suitable for inducing specific consumer buying behaviours concerning low involvement products. Furthermore, the findings indicate that buy one get one free and free sample offers are the most preferred sales promotion techniques and are more likely to exert an influence on consumer buying behaviours than the other sales promotion techniques. Insights gained from this study will help both marketers and retailers to understand current black Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards sales promotion techniques, as well as to understand which sales promotion techniques are preferred and most likely to influence specific consumer buying behaviours. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The consumer today is affected by a considerably larger number of world surrounding factors than she used to be, borders between different cultures and other consumer differences are being erased to a growing extent. The consumer can easily get its inspiration from many different directions which become clear in the common life. We eat sushi for lunch, we’re driving German cars and we’re having dinner with international business partners. The community also exposes the consumer for a more intense noise from offers, impact and marketing. Never before have so many different actors on the market been competing about the consumers’ attention. In a community where the noise constantly grow more and more intense, the importance of the product function is decreasing to make room for an increasing importance of the brand’s position on the market. The customer no longer buys a garment for its function, but for image or perhaps even the personality it brings along. Acne Jeans and Filippa K are two successful Swedish companies that are established in both Stockholm and Gothenburg. Both of these trademarks offer the customer a lifestyle instead of just a simple product. The purpose of this study is to examine, describe and analyze what Acne Jeans and Filippa K wants to provide with their trademarks and how the customer see these brands concerning consumer buying behavior and attitude. The study will be seen partially from a sender perspective and partially from a receiver perspective. In this essay we have used a human-hermeneutic way of interpretation. We have conducted a qualitative study of how Acne Jeans and Filippa K want to provide their trademarks and what the consumers think about the both brands in Stockholm and Gothenburg. The empiric material in our essay consists of observations of Acne Jeans and Filippa K, and interviews with consumers in both Stockholm as well as in Gothenburg. Through our research we have achieved the conclusion that Acne Jeans wants trough its trademark provide fashionable garments to the customers. The respondents that have made themselves an opinion about the company have a positive image of Acne Jeans. The respondents whom cannot identify themselves with Acne Jeans have a more negative attitude to the company. In Gothenburg the customer has a stronger relationship to the trademark than the Stockholm respondents.Filippa K wants through its trademark provide timeless clothing of high quality to a commercial price to the customers. All the respondents were familiar with the trademark and in one way or another had a connection and relationship with the company. Regardless of age, respondents in both Stockholm and Gothenburg had a positive attitude towards the company; the customer has a high rank of awareness to Filippa K. The associations to the brand are strong and the consumer has a mentally loyal attitude towards Filippa K. / <p>Program: Textilekonomutbildningen</p><p>Uppsatsnivå: C</p>

The increasing competition and the predicted changes in the retail sector are pressurising marketers to be more competitive in order to ensure that their brands are amongst the leading brands. Marketers need to constantly develop innovative marketing strategies to create brand awareness, as well as to stimulate demand for specific brands. An important tool in this regard is the marketing communication mix, of which sales promotion is one of the most effective elements in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. It is the responsibility of marketers to select the most appropriate sales promotion technique for a specific market segment or, more specifically, to select the most appropriate technique to effectively encourage the desired effect on the consumer buying behaviour. The South African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) accounts for 40 percent of the total South African population and the black Generation Y portion represents 84 percent of the total South African Generation Y cohort. Those involved in attaining a tertiary qualification are likely to represent the future ‘Black Diamonds’ who represent South Africa’s growing prosperous African middle class that have experienced a 39 percent yearly growth rate in their spending power. Therefore, the black Generation Y student cohort is a very attractive market segment and it is critical to determine what sales promotion techniques are preferred by this specific market segment. The purpose of this study was to analyse the black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards different sales promotion techniques on low involvement products, since low involvement products tend to be more responsive to sales promotion techniques. For this study, the target population comprised black Generation Y students registered at the 23 South African registered public HEIs. From the sampling frame, a non-probability judgment sample of one traditional university and one university of technology in Gauteng was selected. Thereafter, a non-probability convenience sample of 600 black students from the selected HEIs aged between 18 and 24 years was drawn. A self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to the lecturers and distributed to the respondents during one lecture period. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their attitudes towards four sales promotion techniques on 20 items as well as to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that black Generation Y students have an overall positive attitude towards the sales promotion techniques measured in this study and that these techniques are suitable for inducing specific consumer buying behaviours concerning low involvement products. Furthermore, the findings indicate that buy one get one free and free sample offers are the most preferred sales promotion techniques and are more likely to exert an influence on consumer buying behaviours than the other sales promotion techniques. Insights gained from this study will help both marketers and retailers to understand current black Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards sales promotion techniques, as well as to understand which sales promotion techniques are preferred and most likely to influence specific consumer buying behaviours. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The South African spa market is booming and strong growth rates have been recorded for both revenue and visits between 2002 and 2008. As a result of these growth rates, competition among spas is increasing; spa managers and spa marketers therefore have to ensure that their businesses have marketing plans that have sufficiently detailed consumer information in order to allow these businesses to remain competitive in the growing spa industry. Satisfied consumers are probably one of the most important aspects to consider when planning strategies aimed at achieving a competitive advantage in an industry. When consumers are satisfied, they will return and also recommend services to friends and family. In order to ensure consumer satisfaction in the spa industry, spa managers and their marketers should ensure they have sufficient knowledge regarding the descriptive characteristics of their consumers in terms of their demographic and geographic backgrounds, as well as their specific needs regarding spas and spa visits. The method used by businesses to collect the sufficient information regarding their consumers is known as market segmentation. The study followed a descriptive research design, which was supported by a quantitative method of collecting data. The data collection instrument used was a structured self-administered questionnaire. For the purpose of selecting respondents a non-probability sampling procedure was followed and 98 respondents participated in the study. The main aim of this study was to obtain the information necessary for developing personas as basis for market segmentation in Pretoria spas. Quantitative information was therefore collected, which was used to compile the following profile of a typical study population respondent: * The typical study population respondent can be described as a White Generation Y female who is either single or married/living together without any children. She speaks Afrikaans or English and is a full-time employed professional living with between 1 and three family members. She leads a healthy lifestyle, has a high living standard and is willing to travel up to 30km to a spa. Her actual spa visits are less than twice a year, twice a year or once every three months. However, she would like to visit a spa more frequently, such as monthly or weekly. The reason she cannot visit more often is because spa visits are expensive and she does not have time to visit more often. Her major reasons for visiting a spa are to relief/reduce stress, to feel better about herself, for overall wellness or for special occasions such as birthdays, holidays or when she receives a gift card. When visiting a spa she would prefer to go alone, with one or two good friends or with her husband/life partner. Her perception of spa visits is positive for the relieving of stress and the soothing of sore joints and muscles. The buying behaviour of the typical study population respondent will be affected by aspects such as recession or financial difficulty, the reference of a good friend, the recommendation of a family member and friend, information on a website, the professionalism and friendliness of the spa therapists and the types of services a spa offer. The recommendations that can be made to marketers regarding the results of this study are the following: * Spa managers and marketers can use the profile as starting point for the qualitative research that has to follow the quantitative research when developing personas. * The current profile may be used to for developing marketing strategies until personas have been developed. * The collected data may be used to compile profiles to be used as input for further research on other potential markets such as male spa users. / Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The South African spa market is booming and strong growth rates have been recorded for both revenue and visits between 2002 and 2008. As a result of these growth rates, competition among spas is increasing; spa managers and spa marketers therefore have to ensure that their businesses have marketing plans that have sufficiently detailed consumer information in order to allow these businesses to remain competitive in the growing spa industry. Satisfied consumers are probably one of the most important aspects to consider when planning strategies aimed at achieving a competitive advantage in an industry. When consumers are satisfied, they will return and also recommend services to friends and family. In order to ensure consumer satisfaction in the spa industry, spa managers and their marketers should ensure they have sufficient knowledge regarding the descriptive characteristics of their consumers in terms of their demographic and geographic backgrounds, as well as their specific needs regarding spas and spa visits. The method used by businesses to collect the sufficient information regarding their consumers is known as market segmentation. The study followed a descriptive research design, which was supported by a quantitative method of collecting data. The data collection instrument used was a structured self-administered questionnaire. For the purpose of selecting respondents a non-probability sampling procedure was followed and 98 respondents participated in the study. The main aim of this study was to obtain the information necessary for developing personas as basis for market segmentation in Pretoria spas. Quantitative information was therefore collected, which was used to compile the following profile of a typical study population respondent: * The typical study population respondent can be described as a White Generation Y female who is either single or married/living together without any children. She speaks Afrikaans or English and is a full-time employed professional living with between 1 and three family members. She leads a healthy lifestyle, has a high living standard and is willing to travel up to 30km to a spa. Her actual spa visits are less than twice a year, twice a year or once every three months. However, she would like to visit a spa more frequently, such as monthly or weekly. The reason she cannot visit more often is because spa visits are expensive and she does not have time to visit more often. Her major reasons for visiting a spa are to relief/reduce stress, to feel better about herself, for overall wellness or for special occasions such as birthdays, holidays or when she receives a gift card. When visiting a spa she would prefer to go alone, with one or two good friends or with her husband/life partner. Her perception of spa visits is positive for the relieving of stress and the soothing of sore joints and muscles. The buying behaviour of the typical study population respondent will be affected by aspects such as recession or financial difficulty, the reference of a good friend, the recommendation of a family member and friend, information on a website, the professionalism and friendliness of the spa therapists and the types of services a spa offer. The recommendations that can be made to marketers regarding the results of this study are the following: * Spa managers and marketers can use the profile as starting point for the qualitative research that has to follow the quantitative research when developing personas. * The current profile may be used to for developing marketing strategies until personas have been developed. * The collected data may be used to compile profiles to be used as input for further research on other potential markets such as male spa users. / Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Ample evidence from the literature suggests that in recent years, banks have been heavily investing in customer relationship management (CRM) systems. The reasons for this are traced to banks' emergent need to gain and sustain competitive advantage through greater knowledge of their customers. In turn, this increased knowledge is likely to also lead to increased: a) customer base, b) customer satisfaction, c) customer retention and, d) customer loyalty. The literature suggests that there is a knowledge gap, which relates to the reasons for CRM systems in adoption and usage as service delivery channels, as well as its effects on banks' customers. This is particularly the case with regards to the banks' customers' buying behaviour and is stemming from the fact that bank customers display some unique buying patterns. Based on the above, the aim of this study is to find out whether or not there is a potential influence of newly implemented CRM systems on consumer buying behaviour in the context of the Nigerian banking industry and also to assess the extent and nature of this influence (if any).

South African companies are said to be mining the so-called "Black Diamond", the emerging middle-class segment that is driving economic growth within the country (Mahajan, 2009:9). The focus on the emerging Middle Class in South Africa (SA) has left a knowledge gap on Low-Income consumers - even though they are still the largest consumer group in SA (Connecting with Survivors, 2014). The Unilever "Connecting with Survivors Report" (2014) highlights the fact that 70% of the SA Market earn less than R6000 per month, while together they have a spending power of R300 Billion per annum. According to Martin (2012:71), 5.8% of Low-Income Consumer Households (HH) spending is prioritised for the purchase of personal care products, while 64.2% of their HH income is prioritised for food and housing expenses. Given the trivial proportion allocated to personal care products, this research has been guided by the problem statement that Low-Income consumers are forced to make trade-offs, when purchasing personal care products, which fall outside their realm of affordability. The primary objective of this study was to investigate Low-Income consumers' buying behaviour in the Personal Care Industry in South Africa. The Theory of Buyer Behaviour was used as a theoretical framework to assist in the understanding of Low-Income consumer behaviour in the Personal Care industry. The phenomenological research paradigm was used in this study, utilising interviews to collect the data from respondents in the Western Cape Province. Inductive reasoning was practised to draw a conclusion on the investigation of Low-Income consumer buying behaviour in the personal care industry in South Africa. The findings from the study indicate that Low-Income consumers do indeed make trade-offs when personal care products fall outside their realm of affordability. The extent to which they do so varies, based on necessity. This research stands to contribute to the body of knowledge by narrowing the knowledge gap on the Low-Income Consumer market in South Africa with the focus on the Personal Care Industry, thereby allowing marketers to develop and implement effective marketing strategies.

I dagens samhälle är Instagram och influencers ett väldigt vanligt fenomen bland unga. Idag kan influencers nå ut med marknadsföring av produkter på ett helt nytt sätt än vad reklam och reklamföretag gör. De som använder sig av Instagram i störst utsträckning är tjejer i ung ålder. Eftersom influencers har ett stort inflytande på unga och att de framför allt är inriktade på marknadsföring av kläder har detta även en koppling till den sociala identiteten. Konsumtionen i samhället ökar och det finns en strävan efter att visa sin identitet genom konsumtion. Syftet med denna studie är därmed att undersöka vilken betydelse influencers och deras uppdateringar på Instagram har för 16 - 20 åriga tjejers sociala identitet och på det köpbeteende som påverkar den sociala identiteten. Den valda metoden för att undersöka ämnet består av en kvalitativ semistrukturerad intervju med tio tjejer i åldrarna 16 – 20 år. Resultatet av studien påvisar att influencers har en stor betydelse för tjejernas köpbeteende kopplat till den sociala identiteten genom att influencers är en mycket stor inspirationskälla inom flera olika områden. Samtidigt som tjejerna tycker om influencers och därmed skapar ett förtroende för dessa finns det även en tendens till att jämföra sig med dem. / In today’s society, Instagram and influencers are very common phenomena among young people. Influencers can reach out in a completely new way when marketing products compared to traditional advertising. The users of Instagram are mostly young girls. Influencers have a great influence on young people and are primarily focused on the marketing of clothes. This has an affect on social identity. With the increasing rate of consumption in society, there is an effort to show one's identity through consumption. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate the significance of influencers and their updates on Instagram for 16 - 20 year old girls' social identity and on the consumer behavior that affects social identity. The chosen method for investigating this are qualitative semistructured interviews with ten girls aged 16 - 20 years. The results of the study show that influencers have great significance for the girls' consumer behavior linked to social identity. Influencers are a very large source of inspiration for the girls in several different areas. At the same time as the girls find influencers likeable and build a trust for them, they also have a tendency to compare themselves to the influencers.

Given the increasingly complex nature of contemporary companies, the risk of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) behaviours is increasing; it is important for organisations to prevent incidences of CSI to maintain competitive advantage. This study investigates the impact of CSI behaviour on both corporate image and consumer buying behaviour.    Adopting a quantitative research approach, 241 valid questionnaires using the Luckin Coffee financial fraud case as primary data were collected and analysed using SPSS to determine the effects of CSI on corporate image and consumer buying behaviour, along with the role of consumers’ genders and educational- and income levels in terms of the influence of CSI on corporate image.    The findings show that CSI has a negative effect on both corporate image and consumer buying behaviour, and corporate image partially mediates the process by which CSI influences consumer buying behaviour. Gender, educational- and income levels all play a moderating role in the process of CSI influencing corporate image. This thesis complements the research dimension on CSI’s effects on consumer buying behaviour, filling the research gap on CSI in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and provides relevant insights in order to encourage companies to avoid CSI and thus achieve sustainable development.