A Masters dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of the Master of Commerce (Marketing) in The School of Economic and Business Sciences, at the University of the Witwatersrand. DECEMBER 2015 / Tourism has become one of the most significant export sectors in many developing countries and is purported to be the most viable and sustainable economic option, and in some of these (developing) nations, the main source of foreign exchange returns. It is therefore incumbent on destinations to effectively differentiate themselves especially when considering the increasingly competitive nature of tourism markets and an environment where many places that present similar features are becoming substitutionable. Contemporary urban development literature stresses the significance of place branding as an asset in the effective differentiation and positioning of places. It is noted that while many sources viewed the three main target markets for place branding as companies, visitors and residents, the role of the resident was limited to passive beneficiary as opposed to one of active engagement. Given the pervasion of the “staycation” and the concurrent rise in popularity of the Braamfontein Precinct, this paper will investigate the influence that place branding has had on the region’s perceived image by those within the precinct. Self-administered structured surveys were distributed electronically and using the street-intercept method to individuals aged 18 – 35, who were in the Braamfontein Precinct. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were examined. Path Modeling, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were also carried out in order to further analyse the data. The findings with regard to presented city brand, city brand equity and city brand meaning having a positive relationship with city brand image were both supported and significant at a 5% level of confidence. The findings with regard to city brand awareness having a positive relationship with city brand image were insignificant and consequently rejected. The study presents that investment in the presented city brand that goes beyond marketing communications to include city brand properties such as facilities, scenery, heritage and transport (amongst other amenities) will result in a favourable city brand image. It is also important that regional managers do not take a unilateral approach on deciding on a brand meaning but rather a consultative one that will result in involvement and ultimately investment from the various stakeholders. Additionally, the generation of curiosity and interest in the city brand is vital to encouraging customer involvement with the precinct. Digital marketing tools can be employed in this regard; online and search advertising can be used to raise awareness. Finally, social media can be used for customer generated content, allowing for both participation on the consumers’ part and insights on the part of the regional management. This allows for engagement with consumers and provides branding opportunities for the region. / MT2017

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 of Strategic Marketing, Johannesburg, 2016 / Place branding is defined as the application of marketing techniques and activities, to differentiate and attract interest to promote the social and economic growth of cities, regions and countries. If marketers are to market their respective places effectively, they need to get a sense of the key characteristics that make up a place identity, with particular attention paid to what is perceived or understood as the image. The role of local residents is emphasised in the process of identifying the key attributes that comprise the identity and image of a place. The purpose of this research is to establish the identity of the City of Johannesburg from the perspective of stakeholders responsible for branding the metropolitan and to investigate the perceptions and image of the metropolitan by local residents. The research methodology adopted was a mixed method approach. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with destination marketing practitioners and the results were content analysed to identify key themes. The quantitative study sought to investigate the perceptions and image of the City of Johannesburg held by local residents using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions relating to views on place identity, place image and communicated identity. Structural equation modelling was employed in the study for the purpose of analysing the quantitative data. Given the common brand associations made by practitioners and local residents interviewed, one can conclude that the City of Johannesburg is fundamentally South Africa's business hub and associated with opportunities and these associations are unlikely to change and will stay constant as the City goes through various growth cycles. The multi-faceted image of the City of Johannesburg was demonstrated by the different responses elicited from marketing practitioners and local residents. The crime association image does not bode well for the metropolitan and concerted ii efforts are required from all stakeholders involved in marketing the City to deal with the city's negative image / GR2018

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

The effective application of destination marketing strategies leads to increased business activity within a city. This in turn leads to higher attainment levels of social and economic development. It can therefore be said that destination marketing strategies are an essential factor in the growth and functioning of a city. The objective of destination marketing is the city’s image or identity which in turn is the starting point for developing the city’s brand. Cities require an identity. It is crucial that a city has a unique identity with which visitors, tourists and residents can relate to. Examples of these unique city identities are Los Angeles which is known as the City of Angels and Florence which is known as the City of Lilies. The image of a place influences people’s perceptions and choices when visiting, living and conducting business in a specific city. The city’s image and brand serves as a conduit for city residents to identify with their city. The essence of the brand must be discovered, identified, brought to the surface and not imagined, created or added from the outside through an artificial process. Cities that make use of effective destination marketing strategies have endured a considerable increase in business and leisure activities. Notably, business events are important attractions and drivers for activity in many destinations. Multiple parties designing a brand strategy for a city should thoroughly assess the resources and assets a city possesses. A city branding strategy can enable a city to leverage its ‘tangible and non-tangible assets‟. In order for business tourism to develop in South Africa, it is essential that players within the sector have a thorough understanding of international dynamics in order to capitalise on the opportunities that are provided in South Africa. Nelson Mandela Bay in South Africa is a city with vast potential. The city is ideal as a tourist destination as it is situated along the Sunshine coast of South Africa. It could be said of the city that it is on the threshold of rising eminence in the coming decades. This treatise investigates the approach and success factors for a successful rebranding of Nelson Mandela Bay through business events as part of a destination marketing strategy. The treatise will ascertain which business events residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay would require and support. A survey was conducted among citizens of Nelson Mandela Bay using a questionnaire from which 952 responses were received. The questionnaire measured the respondents’ attitudes to which types of business events they would require and support their feelings on the brand identity of the city as well as the communication medium they would like to receive communication through. The findings of this study indicate that residents of Nelson Mandela Bay are open to the use of business events as the main driver in terms of business event attendance and support. Furthermore, the residents have made it clear they will support exhibitions, conventions and tradeshows. Facebook and local radio are identified as being the preferred communication method for hearing about events.

Tourism, as an industry, has a great impact on society and the environment. It adds to economic growth; and therefore, many governments try to enhance tourism because they realise the potential economic returns. Within each country, there are towns or cities that have great tourism potential. In South Africa, Knysna is a good example of a small town with great tourism potential. This study examines the critical success factors of tourism destination marketing for the town of Knysna. Most South Africans see Knysna as an ideal holiday destination, as it has the infrastructure and offerings to make tourists' holidays unforgettable. However, unfortunately, in recent times bad publicity has caused Knysna's image to be damaged. To improve the town's image and to add to its economic growth, tourism bodies and the community have had to work together to ensure that Knysna sustains its position in the national and international tourism markets. The best way to achieve this is through effective destination management and destination marketing. The aim of this study is to determine how effective destination management and destination marketing can lead to competitive growth and to enhancing a destination's position in the tourism industry, and also to providing a set of practical guidelines for the successful implementation of the destination marketing of the town of Knysna. A literature study was conducted to find out what the theory reveals about destination management and marketing. This was followed by an empirical survey; and this survey was conducted in Knysna in the Western Cape. The results of the survey were compared with the literature and tourism operators and managers can now use these as a point of departure to fill any gaps, thus leading to the optimal positioning of Knysna on the international tourism map.

This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of a ‘good news’ magazine like Eastern Cape Madiba Action in promoting positive attitudes towards the Eastern Cape province as an aid to development. It investigated whether Madiba Action had any effects on its readership in terms of creating positive perceptions of the Eastern Cape as a first step towards attracting tourism and investment. This quantitative research gathered attitudinal data from readers and stakeholders via two survey questionnaires. Both stakeholders and readers expressed very positive perceptions of Madiba Action magazine as a credible source of positive information about the Eastern Cape. Readers stated that the media was the greatest influence on their perceptions of the Eastern Cape and reported that Madiba Action had positively influenced their perceptions of the province as a place to visit, live, work and invest in. Whether Madiba Action as a ‘good news’ magazine went beyond positively influencing perceptions of the Eastern Cape and actually affected behaviour in terms of increased tourism and investment was beyond the scope of this study but it does provide further opportunities for measuring the role of ‘good news’ media in assisting economic development.

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: Strategic Marketing Johannesburg, 2017 / State-owned enterprises share many similarities with their purely commercial counterparts. There are however, a number of factors that these organisations are obligated to account for that set them apart from traditional product and service brands. This makes them unique in terms of how and why they build their corporate brands and manage their brand portfolios. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are prolific across the world. Enterprises controlled and funded entirely or partially by governments are involved in a broad spectrum of business ranging from arms manufacture to communications and media. These state-owned enterprises often command marketing budgets and resource their businesses with brand managers for the purposes of building strong corporate brands and managing their brand portfolios effectively. In short, SOEs often behave as brands and yet their objectives differ from the very definition of what building a brand is intended to do; deliver bottom-line value to the business. The main problem in this study then was to identify the decision-making factors in corporate brand building and portfolio management in a South African state-owned organisation. This was in a bid to resolve how these factors are prioritised to achieve organisational objectives and what value there is in building a corporate brand in such a state-owned organisation. To do this a qualitative research strategy was selected as a means of identifying insights from key personnel at a state-owned organisation. A single case study method was utilised and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was identified as an ideal SOE in which to conduct the study. The key findings indicated a worrying level of confusion regarding the true objectives of the organisation. This was attributed to be due to two factors. Firstly, that there is a conflict between the mandate of an SOE or its altruistic, normative objective to serve the country and its people and the commercial imperative to build consumers (or audiences in the case of the SABC) and attract revenue to be self-sustaining. Secondly, that due to political influence and the nature of state- ownership of the organisation, the objectives documented and approved differ to those that are truly practiced by managers in the organisation. Further to this it was found that there is a lack of clarity regarding the structure of the brand portfolio and relationships between brands, many of which have strong heritage in and of themselves and form key touchpoints for sizeable audiences. It was found that building a strong corporate brand was essential for the SABC’s success and that each brand in the portfolio should fall under the umbrella corporate brand however this again brought forth the conflict between how things should be and how they can practically be done. Due to its SOE nature, and the public context of the SABC, it was found that the portfolio brands tended to distance themselves from the corporate brand due to its instability and negative corporate reputation which impacted on individual brand performances in the portfolio. Based on the findings in this study, this thesis recommends a clear prioritisation of the three areas of influence within the SOE in the order of audiences followed by mandate and then revenue. The thesis recommends a corporate brand audit, taking stock of the heritage elements of the SABC corporate brand and its brand portfolio so as to mine the value in its 80-year-old history and to turn these heritage-based elements into advantages for the organisation upon which its corporate brand can be built. This thesis recommends the building of a strong corporate brand for the SABC with links between each brand in its portfolio leaning to the branded house side of the spectrum of classical brand relationship typology. The study also proposes practical applications to achieve prioritisation of the corporate brand which requires high level management attention. To this end, it calls for the appointment of a Chief Marketing Officer to the executive of the SABC and a core corporate brand management team. The function of this team would be to articulate the objectives and the prioritisation of these objectives to all stakeholder groups, to audit and reorganise the brand portfolio for effective management according to theory-based guidelines, and to establish and implement a corporate brand building strategy that will deliver value to the SABC and all its stakeholders, using the corporate brand and its messaging as a bridge to connect the brand promise of the organisation to the brand reality experienced by those stakeholder groups most especially its audiences as priority. / MT 2017

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Sport mega-events are a powerful tool for branding nations. There has been a significant shift in countries that bid for and win the rights to host sport mega-events. Historically, Western countries used to be leaders in winning rights to host such events; however a new emerging trend has seen developing countries winning the rights ahead of developed ones, for example, South Africa, Brazil and Russia winning the rights to host the FIFA World CupTM. South Africa faced a serious branding challenge leading up to the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. Therefore, one of the primary objectives of hosting this tournament was to change international tourists’ perceptions of South Africa. There has been limited research on the brand legacies of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM, hence this research examined the brand image legacies of the tournament in the long run. It is believed that the football fans who attended the 2016 UEFA European Championship either visited South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World CupTM or watched the tournament on television (TV) at home, therefore they have certain perceptions of South Africa as a sport tourism destination. A quantitative methodology was employed to survey football tourists at fan parks and stadium precincts in five metropolitan cities in France during the 2016 UEFA European Championship, using a spatially based systematic sampling technique. In total 391 football tourist questionnaires were completed. The key findings reveal that prior to the 2010 FIFA World CupTM, football tourists’ perceptions of South Africa as a sport tourism destination were generally positive; however they indicated that they were very concerned about safety and security, as well as segregation issues, prior to the tournament. It can be argued that the tournament had a significant impact on reinforcing the positive perceptions of the destination as well as reducing the negative perceptions of the destination. The findings reveal statistically significant differences in most aspects between tourists’ perceptions prior to, and six years after, the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. Tourists’ perceptions on most aspects changed positively six years after the event, including those that were major concerns prior to the tournament. The findings also show that there has been very little repeat visitation to South Africa since South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA Word CupTM. However, an overwhelming majority of respondents indicated that they were willing to travel to South Africa should it host another sport mega-event in the near future. The key findings of this study have a wider applicability to sport mega-events legacy research and body of knowledge. These key findings can assist destination marketers in managing the destination image and foster a greater understanding of brand image legacies of past mega-events in order to inform the bidding and hosting of future sport mega-events.

Tourism is one of the key industries that drive the global economy, playing a key role in regional development. However, constant change, trends and tourist behaviour compel drive destinations to keep track of these changes in order to grow tourism and stimulate economic growth. Mpumalanga is one of the provinces in South Africa known for its flora and fauna, beautiful landscape, and game reserves together with wildlife; therefore, having the potential to draw tourists to the province. Mpumalanga province aim to position itself as a destination of choice. A process of segmenting should however first take place as positioning is the end result. The purpose of the present study was to segment and profile tourists based on benefits sought in order to develop a benefit segmentation framework for Mpumalanga. The data collection procedure was based on a self-administered survey applied to a sample of 400 tourists visiting Mpumalanga, and two segments were identified. Binary logistic regression indicated that benefits sought (all nine) were statistically significant predictors of the attractions tourists visited and the activities within which they participated during their stay in Mpumalanga. A benefit segmentation framework was developed as a recommendation, which may be useful in developing promotional and packaging activities for identified segments by incorporating activities and attractions obtained from the binary logistic regression results and by matching them within the identified segment while using benefits as guidelines. / Business Management / M. Com. (Tourism Management)

Place branding has grown in popularity since the late 1990s. In this regard, place branding is an endeavour to not only construct an image or message of a place but also to communicate and manage it. Place branding can be viewed from a functionalist point of view as a strategic instrument to be managed in a similar manner as a product or corporate brand in order to enhance competitiveness. The focus of place branding has overwhelmingly been on the customers who are mainly tourists. However, there have been recent calls to take into account the perspectives of others stakeholders, in particular internal residents, in the place branding process. It has been noted that place branding is effective through its ability to authentically represent the setting of its constituents and through it to reveal a compelling narrative of the place. This authentic setting is represented by the place identity, which can be discovered from the perspectives of the place‟s internal residents. The current study was anchored in stakeholder theory and set out to propose a simple exploratory model for understanding place identity through the perspectives of internal residents. The study explored various frameworks and models proposed in the literature up to date to understand place identity. The overarching variables were filtered out from the different frameworks and an exploratory place identity framework was proposed. A non-experimental study was carried out in the city of Nelson Mandela Bay. The study was exploratory and its variables had not been previously tested in the city. A questionnaire, which was partly self-administered and partly administered through face-to-face interviews, was distributed electronically and manually. The framework proposed variables were city role, cognitive evaluations, envisioned future as well as affective evaluations and they were operationalised from the literature. The relationship between the variables was confirmed through correlation analysis. The hypotheses in the study were tested through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, ANOVA, t-tests and Chi-squared tests. A destination identity framework for Nelson Mandela Bay.