Franchised small businesses will not survive their first 5 years if they cannot implement marketing strategies that appeal to their customers. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that successful franchise small business leaders used to retain customers. The population comprised 4 business leaders at franchise small businesses in North Carolina. Competitive advantage theory and blue ocean theory grounded this study. Data were collected using semistructured face-to-face interviews and review of company marketing materials. Data were thematically analyzed, and 6 themes emerged: personalization of customer service, market segmentation, innovative advertising, networking, brand identity, and loyalty programs. Market segmentation and innovative advertising are fundamental strategies for retaining customers within the target market, whereas personalization of customer service can help build positive relationships with customers. These findings could improve customer loyalty and customer satisfaction, which might increase the number of successful small businesses in the United States. The implications for positive social change include the potential for business leaders to develop effective marketing strategies to retain customers, which may benefit customers through an increase in job opportunities in the local business community.

Despite more than $769 million in charitable gifts in 2013, U.S. nonprofit organizations lost $735 million in lapsed and reduced gifts. Donor attrition is a problem for most charitable organizations, and many are using the Internet to cultivate donors. Online communication has become an important part of fundraising for many charitable organizations. The online communication factors in the current study include trust, credibility, and satisfaction. These factors may affect donor loyalty. Donor loyalty may increase or decrease donor attrition. Reducing donor attrition is important to anyone who plays a role in the success of a nonprofit organization. The purpose of the current cross-sectional quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the communication factors and the loyalty among online donors. The theoretical foundation for this study includes Bandura's social cognitive theory and Luhmann's social systems theory. Data were collected online from a random sample of online donors aged 18 years or older in the United States. Spearman correlation was used to assess the correlation between the independent and dependent variables. The results indicated there is a correlation between communication factors and loyalty among online donors in the United States. This study may help organizations communicate better with donors in an online environment and reduce online donor attrition. Reducing attrition will increase funding to a charitable organization through repeat donations, thereby helping improve finances to support the organization's mission and positively influencing societal change.

Background: In the field of marketing, relationship marketing plays an important role in establishing strong and long-term customer relationships, and in addition to this, the type of relationship between companies and consumers is also worth discussing. In a sense, value is the biggest component of relationship marketing. Consumers think that the value created by relationship marketing is more important than the product or service itself, and also value is the biggest component of relationship marketing, therefore, customers will perceive the value of a relationship because of their satisfaction, trust, loyalty, experience.  Purpose: The purpose of this project is to explore what leads consumers to stay loyal.  Methodology: The methods of qualitative research and the deductive approach have been used in this paper. In order to collect data, focus groups and semi-structured interviews give the opportunity to the researcher to get a realistic perception. When conducting the focus group, 8 participants have been selected which are between 22-40 years old, 4 males and 4 females.  Findings: The findings of this research showed that in order for a consumer to stay loyal to a company, factors such as quality, service, discounts, positive experience and engagement have a specific matter. Furthermore, when these factors are met, this makes the consumer want to maintain a relationship with the company, which in other words means staying loyal.

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A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing, Johannesburg 2019 / Consumer brand identification is a concept that helps us to understand the reasons behind brands helping consumers to express their identities and find the true meaning of themselves through brands. Brands are used by consumers to construct their self-image and to fulfil self-verification needs. This study sought to test the six drivers of Consumer Brand Identification, (CBI) as identified by Stokburger-Sauer, Ratneshwar and Sen (2012) and their impact on brand loyalty. The six drivers/antecedent are; brand-self similarity, brand distinctiveness, brand prestige, brand social benefits, brand warmth and memorable brand experiences. These drivers were tested on the five South African commercial banks, namely, Standard bank, First National Bank (FNB), Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA), Capitec and Nedbank. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was used. A non-probability sampling method was employed with 244 respondents dispersed throughout South Africa who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The results confirmed the influence of four of the six drivers, being brand distinctiveness, brand prestige, brand social benefits and memorable brand experiences. Further to that, it was found that brand distinctiveness has a stronger causal relationship with CBI when consumers have lower involvement in the brand’s product category. Brand social benefits had a stronger relationship with CBI when consumers have a higher involvement in the brand’s product category. CBI was found to have a positive consequence on brand loyalty which further lead to brand advocacy. The findings also revealed that FNB was the most popular bank, with ABSA being the least popular bank. From the findings, it was recommended that banks should focus on driving an emotional connection with the brand and the consumer which can be through socially lead events that make them feel like they belong and taking consumers through memorable brand experiences. Through this, brand distinctiveness can be further enhanced. / XL2019

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in the field of Strategic Marketing Johannesburg, 2017 / Purpose: This study investigates the effectiveness of brand experience as a differentiator in the South African short-term insurance industry. Design/Methodology/Data Collection: This paper reviewed available literature in the fields of brand experience, brand differentiation, brand distinctiveness as well as the South African short-term insurance industry. A quantitative approach was used in order to prove the effectiveness of brand experience as a differentiator. The data was collected through a snowball sample using the Qualtrics online platform with a total of 101 responses received. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationship between the variables identified in the study. Key findings:  Brand distinctiveness and brand personality have a positive effect on brand experience.  A decrease in brand differentiation however has a high likelihood of resulting in an increase in brand experience. The same applies the other way round.  A combination of brand personality, education, employment status and consequences of brand experience affect brand distinctiveness positively. Implications: A highly competitive market as well as changing customer demands have resulted in marketers being challenged to develop strategies that will enable brands to connect both rationally and emotionally with their customers. Brand experience is crucial in achieving this. Research Limitations: The study only focussed on short-term insurance policy holders based in Johannesburg and excluded the rest of the country. Further research could consider looking at the rest of the country / MT2017

With the constant development of marketing strategies, it has become more vital to continuously communicate online with consumers. As Generation Z is born with digital devices and increased social media channels, customers demand fashion brands being present online. The empirical findings in this study were obtained using a qualitative research method through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with five fast-fashion brands in Sweden that target Generation Z. The authors have used a deductive approach in this thesis. The conclusion of this thesis shows several factors that fashion brands use to create brand loyalty with Generation Z. Findings indicated that social media should be a communication channel. Furthermore, this research is from a retailer’s perspective. Finally, loyalty is something that is earned by creating relationships.

Background: The leisure and recreational sports market, a multibillion-dollar industry, isexperiencing a transformative shift. With increased competition and changing consumerdemographics, businesses and facilities are seeking innovative strategies to ensure customerretention and maintain profitability. Golf, as a key player in this sector, has seen a resurgencein popularity due to its adaptability during social distancing measures. Amid this growth, theindustry faces challenges to engage and retain a new demographic of golfers. To address this,experiential marketing, emphasizing immersive and interactive customer experiences, hasbecome increasingly critical. This approach focuses on creating memorable experiences ratherthan simply providing product or service information. Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of experiential marketing oncustomer engagement and loyalty within the golf industry, specifically analyzing howdifferent golf course dimensions affect consumers' emotional responses and willingness toreturn. This research will provide valuable insights for the development of effectiveexperiential marketing strategies in participation sports. Method: Ontology - Constructivism; Epistemology - Interpretivism; Methodology - Multiplecase study; Data collection - 10 semi-structured interviews; Sampling - Criterion sampling,which followed the criteria: (1) recent experience, participants must have played at both golfcourses during the 2023 season, ensuring that their experiences and feedback are current andrelevant to the present-day amenities offered by the clubs, while also minimizing theinfluence of any seasonal effects. (2) geographic location, participants must reside within theJönköping region, as this helps ensure that their experiences are not biased due to traveling toa new region or country, which could potentially lead to biased conclusions. (3) time played,the golfers must have completed at least 18 holes of golf as to ensure that they get the fullexperience at both of the selected golf courses.; Data Analysis – Content Analysis (creation ofa tree-diagram based on quotes, sub-categories, generic categories and main categories) Conclusion: This research offers insights into how experiential marketing dimensions likeamenities, atmosphere, and customer service influence golfer satisfaction and returnintentions. Key findings indicate that these elements elicit strong emotional responses, drivinggolfer loyalty. A holistic approach that addresses both tangible and intangible elementsenhance overall satisfaction. This study underlines the need for continued research into thesefactors to support the development of effective strategies for the golf industry.

Background: Remote work has in recent years been adapted by many organizations and are described to challenge the traditional managerial role. Simultaneously, generation Z are taking an increasingly large part of the labor market and bring new behaviors to organizations and managers. The combination of a remote working environment with a new generation workforce implies for a changing management situation, something a manager needs to consider. However, there is insufficient research that puts these aspects in relation to each other and recognize this changing management situation. Moreover, this thesis has a focus on motivation and loyalty due to the recognition of potential challenges for a manager within these areas.  Purpose: The practical situation generated by generation Z and remote work is not sufficiently dealt with in literature. It has failed to provide knowledge concerning how managers in a remote working environment manage their generation Z employees. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to increase the understanding of the changing management situation that is created by generation Z that works remotely.  Method: A qualitative research design has been applied to fulfill the purpose of this thesis and has been guided by an abductive approach. 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted and a thematic analysis has been utilized to interpret and analyze the empirical material. Conclusion: This thesis found four main challenges that can arise in this changing management situation which are interaction with the employees, creating and maintaining relationships, stimulating individualism and personal development, but also to convey the feeling of being significant and balancing freedom with oversight. It also presents practices managers can use to face these challenges which are to find suitable ways to interact, prioritize social activities and strengthen connection to the company brand, nurture personal growth, providing recognition and autonomy. Additionally, the changing management situation is complex where several different parts are intertwined and affect each other. It was also found that as a manager, leadership qualities with a transformational leadership style is to be preferred when approaching this changing management situation.

Aim: The study aims to explore the process of service recovery, its transformation into a marketing tool and identifying the outcomes of the tool to the organizations. Methodology: The research employed a qualitative methodology with an inductive approach. Data collection was carried out via semi-structured interviews with participants from four organizations in Stockholm City. The analysis involved the use of questions based on the main concepts derived from the literature and manual coding scheme to identify new themes. Findings & Conclusion: Service recovery is a powerful marketing tool that can benefit organizations in various ways. By implementing effective strategies such as employee training, transparency, multiple service recovery options, and process improvement, organizations can turn service failures into opportunities. The outcomes of using service recovery as a marketing tool include customer retention and repeat purchases, positive word-of-mouth marketing, confidence and trust, building customer relationships, competitive advantage, and business growth and sustainability. The findings of the study highlight the critical importance of service recovery in marketing for customer retention and acquisition. Limitations and recommendations for further research: While this study provides valuable insights into how organizations can use service recovery as a marketing tool, further research is needed to understand its impact from a customer’s perspective and to broaden the scope of industries and geographic locations studied. Further research is also suggested to compare the performance of organizations that prioritize service recovery in marketing with those that don’t and to conduct a comparative analysis with other marketing tools. Also, exploring additional theories and concepts could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.