Over the past few decades, branding has become a priority for companies. A brand helps companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors, which creates competitive advantages. Most of the research on brands has primarily focused on consumer marketing. However, it has been found that the brand is just as important in business to business (B2B) companies, and that it also plays a big role when it comes to the survival av newly established company like for example startups. Startups differ from established companies through their innovative ideas and problem solving. However, they faces challenges because of lack of capital, time and resources. As the competition in the market grows, startups need to create competitive advantages by working hard with their brand strategies to achieve strong brand equity. This study aims to highlight how B2B startups work with brand equity in order to achieve competitive advantages. The study has used a qualitative research strategy where the primary data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with four different startups based in Stockholm. The study shows that startups need to first position themselves in the market and then work on brand building. The result also shows that B2B startups are aware of the brand's importance and that they in fact work with brand equity to achieve competitive advantages. However, the strategies with the steps in the CBBE model differs depending on the industry and type of corporate activity.

During the last decades, fashion brands and retailers in Sweden have experienced the effects of technological advancement and changes in customer behaviour, which have opened up new ways of doing business. Customers expect online and offline marketing and sales channels to be integrated through instant interaction, which have made the concept of omnichannel retailing, gain momentum. This thesis explores this concept in relation to four small Swedish fashion brands based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Using a qualitative method, in-depth interviews have been made with the companies in order to understand what these companies are focused on and in what way omnichannel strategies are encouraged in their business. A solid theoretical framework was collected in the early stage of the process and has worked as a foundation for relating previous studies to current developments. This research presents a literature review that is based on topics such as brand identity, omnichannel marketing and customer experience in order to investigate this topic further. The findings in this research  shows that these small fashion brands are integrating channels through working with a few media channels and do not put significant attention on data analyses. Their focus has proved to be on finding a few, right channels and enforce the brand values in all activates, which creates a connection between channels, rather than on creating technologically advanced solutions between online and offline channels.

This dissertation offers two essays on the engendering and the consequences of employee brand behavior. The first essay addresses the impact of employee brand behavior on customer experience in the retail environment. Retailers, with some exceptions, paid relatively little attention to the role that employees play in the experience they provide to their customers. While there seems to be a general consensus regarding both the importance of customer experience and the role of employees in delivering it, there has been no study attempting to measure the impact front-line employees have on the overall customer experience process from the consumer point-of-view. In essay two the antecedents that make up the customer experience construct are explored through the usage of a previously tested model with the addition of two new components: the employee in-role brand-building behavior construct and the expansion of the word-of-mouth construct to include social media word-of-mouth. The second essay complements essay one by focusing on the importance of employee branding behavior and examining its two variants: in-role and extra-role brand-building behavior. Both behaviors are engendered within the firm but companies are still struggling to differentiate between the two. The distinction between the two types is important because when developed correctly these behaviors can help companies build a competitive advantage. Since the differentiation gap between companies nowadays continues to shrink, companies must strive to develop a unique competitive advantage that cannot be easily copied by their rivals. The tailoring of such a specific set of brand oriented behaviors to be performed by employees is one potential solution to this challenge. By directing the behavior of employees that come into direct contact with customers, a firm has a unique opportunity to align all its branding promotional initiatives with those of its representatives in the front lines resulting in a more consistent customer experience.

The aim of this study is to understand how co-branding can be strategically implemented and its relevance in small business customer relationships. The study serves as a guide for small businesses striving to strengthen their brand and improve their customer relationships through strategic utilization of co-branding. By enhancing knowledge about co-branding as a strategy, businesses can identify opportunities and challenges of successfully implementing the strategy in their operations. The theoretical foundations of the study include areas of brand equity, co-branding and relationship marketing. Using a qualitative method and across-sectional study design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with five companies and seven consumers to obtain multiple valuable perspectives and viewpoints on the research topic. Based on the empirical research, the findings indicate that consumers value quality, company values, long-term relationships, personalized offers, and trust in brands. Consumers also view brand collaborations positively but emphasize the importance of clear objectives and beneficial partnerships. The companies reported that collaborations can provide broader reach, expand the target audience, increase market share and sales, and facilitate insights sharing and trust building. The prospects for successful collaborations highlights long-term commitment and strong relationships as key components for successful partnerships. Based on the previous mentioned information and the study’s results, the conclusion is that the establishment and management of brand equity play a central role in creating a stable customer base, requiring strategic implementation of the brand process early on to effectively communicate the brand and its identity. Small businesses have several advantages that gives them opportunities to implement co-branding as a strategy, where they can contribute with significant resources to other larger businesses with an interest in exchange through exposure. In relation to their customers, the importance of quality, long-term commitment, trust and strong values is emphasized as factors that need to remain stable in the implementation of a co-branding strategy.

This master's thesis focuses on visual communication of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival using social network - Instagram. The festival uses this network to communicate with spectators, which helps it create its identity and build a fan base. Theoretical part of the master's thesis describes history of Instagram as well as all the functions of this popular application. It also talks about Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and other international film festivals and their use of Instagram. The theoretical part concludes with definition of visual communication, focusing mostly on specifics of analogue, digital, and Internet photography. Using quantitative content analysis of Instagram pictures and semiotic analysis of technical and content elements, the thesis analyzes what visual style of communication the festival uses, and how the fans and media understand and transform the content. For the research purposes, the festival's Instargam profile as well as selected media and spectators' profiles were followed. The purpose of the thesis is to describe what visual language the festival organizers use on Instagram and how this language is reflected in building the identity of the festival itself.

Varumärkeskapital är det mervärde som ett varumärke ger en produkt i förhållande till om varumärket inte funnits på produkten. Konsumentbaserat varumärkeskapital innebär vidare att det är i konsumentens medvetande som varumärkeskapitalet existerar. Snabbrörliga konsumentvaror kännetecknas av att de köps ofta och att deras kontakt med konsumenten är begränsad, vidare är de ofta lätta att byta ut. Den här studien undersöker genom kvalitativa intervjuer hur företag bygger varumärkeskapital inom en marknad för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror. Åtta varumärkesansvariga på företag verksamma inom en marknad för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror har intervjuats för att få reda på deras syn på byggande av varumärkeskapital inom nämnda kontexten. Hela studien utgår i grunden från fem dimensioner av varumärkeskapital nämligen varumärkesassociationer, varumärkeskännedom, varumärkeslojalitet, upplevt värde samt andra varumärkestillgångar. Intervjuerna har sedan analyserats utifrån dessa dimensioner stött av andra relevanta teorier inom ämnet, analysen har också sin grund i det valda syftet. Resultaten av denna studie påvisar hur varumärkeskapital skapas för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror inom de fem dimensionerna av varumärkeskapital. Den bekräftar också att alla dimensioner är viktiga att jobba med för att bygga varumärkeskapital. Inom varumärkesassociationer så är trovärdighet och unicitet viktiga aspekter. Det är extra viktigt att jobba med varumärkeskännedom då konsumenter ofta spenderar kort tid då ett köpbeslut tas för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror. Att öka konsumenters involvering i varumärket är viktigt för att skapa varumärkeslojalitet. För upplevd kvalitet är det avgörande att arbeta med de sensoriska delarna då en produkt med dålig kvalitet inte blir långvarig, speciellt, inom en marknad för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror. Att ha fungerande distributionskanaler är viktigt för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror då dessa bidrar till exponering av varumärket. Studien visar att de fem använda dimensionerna är av högsta vikt för byggande av varumärkeskapital inom en marknad för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror. Vidare finner studien att en aspekt av andra varumärkestillgångar, nämligen distribution, istället kan tillhöra varumärkeskännedom i denna kontext. Studien visar också indikationer på att dimensionen upplevd kvalitet är den viktigaste för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror inom varumärkeskapital Dessa är tre viktiga teoretiska bidrag som studien gett. Vidare är studien av praktiskt värde då den ger rekommendationer hur företag inom denna kontext kan arbeta för att bygga varumärkeskapital utifrån de fem använda dimensionerna.

Uppsatsens titel: Stockholm – the fashion capital of Scandinavia? En studie i strategiskplanering utifrån detaljhandelns företagsperspektiv, i samverkan med turismsektorn. Kurs: Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi, inriktning marknadsföring, 15 hp, StockholmsUniversitet Författare: Linda Holdo, Hanna Jäderholm och Mariah Lindborg Handledare: Doktorand Andrea Lucarelli Nyckelord: Detaljhandeln, turismsektorn, strategisk planering, varumärkesbyggande,destination, detaljhandelsmarknadsföring, Stockholms stad Problemformulering: Handeln vill nyttja den växande turismsektorn för att vinnamarknadsandelar. Problematiken för detaljhandeln är avsaknad av strategisk planering, isamverkan med turismsektorn, som bottnar i bristande kunskap och erfarenhet. Syfte: Syftet är att skapa ett förslag på strategisk planering som detaljhandelsföretagen, i samverkan med turismsektorn, kan använda för att fylla det praktiska gap som i dagsläget existerar. Metod: Studien har genomförts med 12 stycken kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med relevanta personer inom respektive bransch. Deltagande i två seminarier samt granskning av fyra rapporter utgör primärdata. Sekundärdata är baserad på vetenskapliga artiklar samt litteratur. Tolkning av insamlad data har gjorts utefter en hermeneutisk ansats. Teori: Teoridelen utgörs av litteraturgenomgång följt av teoretisk referensram. Litteraturgenomgången presenterar citymarknadsföring utifrån ett destinationsperspektiv. Teoretiska referensramen behandlar huvudämnet strategisk planering med anledning att skapa en tillförlitlig strategisk modell ur ett företagsperspektiv. Därefter redogörs faktorer som ligger till grund för strategisk planering. Därefter redovisas varumärkesbyggande med fokus på image och- identitetsskapande samt skapande av kundvärde ur ett företagsperspektiv. Ämnet fördjupas sedan i detaljhandelns värdekedja, kunddrivet värdesystem, kundlojalitet ochrelationsmarknadsföring samt upplevelser som en betydande faktor för detaljhandeln. Slutsats: Slutsatsen består av en modell för detaljhandelns strategiska planering. Modellen inleds med definiering av målgruppen. Därefter kartläggs turistgruppens behov samt lösning inom respektive kärnaktivitet i företaget. Nyttjande av strategin resulterar i en tillfredsställd kund, vilket kan generera ekonomiska fördelar, public relations samt marknadsandelar. Det krävs att en aktör tar övergripande ansvar för att verkställa den strategiska planeringen och skapa tydlig kommunikation mellan detaljhandelsbranschen och turismsektorn. / Thesis titled: Stockholm – the fashion capital of Scandinavia? A study in strategic planningbased on retail company perspective, in collaboration with the tourism sector. Course: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, focus on marketing, 15 credits, Stockholm University School of Business Author: Linda Holdo, Hanna Jäderholm and Mariah Lindborg Supervisor: PhD Andrea Lucarelli Keywords: Retail, tourism sector, strategic planning, brand building, destination, retail marketing, Stockholm city. Problem: The trade want to utilize the growing tourism sector in order to gain market share. The problem for retailers is the lack of strategic planning. Purpose: The aim is to create a proposal on strategic planning that retail companies, in collaboration with the tourism sector, can use to fill a practical gap that currently exists. Method: The study was conducted with 12 pieces of qualitative semi-structured interviews. Participation in two seminars and examining four reports provides the primary data. Secondary data are based on scientific papers and literature. Interpretation of the collected data has been made along a hermeneutical approach. Theory: The theory part consists of a literature review followed by a theoretical framework.The literature review presents city marketing from a destination perspective. Theoretical framework addresses head of strategic planning with the need to create a reliable strategic model from a business perspective. Then outlines factors that form the basis for strategic planning. Brand building is recognized as a factor with focus on image and identity. It then looks at the creation of customer value from a business perspective. The subject deepened with the retail value chain, customer grated value systems, customer loyalty and relationship marketing and experiences as a significant factor for retailers. Conclusion: The conclusion consists of a formed strategic model containing factors that are considered important for retailers future strategic planning. The model starts by mapping the definition of the target audience. Then the tourist group demand is mapped in a needs assessment in each core activity of the company. Along the client's needs a solution. Use of the strategy result in customer satisfaction, which can generate economic benefits, public relations and market share. It requires that an operator takes an overall responsibility for the execution of the strategic planning and creating clear communication between the retail and tourism sectors.

二戰後，隨著經濟的持續發展，日本音樂產業在1998年到達實體唱片銷售額6075億日圓的極致巔峰，之後伴隨著全球音樂市場的萎靡以及數位資訊產品技術的逐漸成熟，日本音樂產業進入長達數年唱片銷量大跌的低迷期。唱片銷售衰退，其原因除了科技中介的變革帶來的影響外，群眾對音樂市場的需求改變更是一大關鍵，為此許多唱片公司紛紛轉型為經紀公司，積極的發展音樂市場的新價值，其中以藝人品牌化和現場展演為最受矚目的價值創造趨勢。 流行音樂市場越趨多樣性與娛樂性，2008年正式出道的日本視覺系搖滾樂 團—Golden Bomber金色爆彈，以短劇表演代替樂器演奏的空氣樂團形式打入日本音樂市場，顛覆群眾對傳統樂團的既定印象，特有的表演型態亦成為其樂團特色。從品牌建構的角度而言，金爆樂團作為一個藝人品牌，其利基點、競爭優勢與品牌建構之步驟為何？在競爭激烈的日本藝能界中勝出之關鍵又是什麼？而台灣與日本的藝人品牌之建構又有何雷同、差異性與需要省思處？ 本研究以日本金爆樂團作為一藝人品牌進行個案分析，藉由深度訪談金爆的十位日本fans，以及參與觀察金爆的現場演唱會和活動過程，再輔以相關的次級資料，透過金爆樂團在核心價值、識別系統、事件經歷與附屬商品等多處的呈現，作為新生代藝人品牌建構與台灣音樂市場後續發展等研究目的之參考。分析結果發現，「惡搞」、「空氣」、「搖滾」和「地下樂團」的標籤初步定位了金爆在日本藝能界裡的位置，打破主流樂團在日本音樂市場稱霸的藩籬，而品牌承諾的落實與識別系統的創新則緊緊抓住了粉絲的心，在互信互賴的專業團隊的品質把關下，金爆樂團秉持初衷，繼續他們的演藝之路。 / After World War II, as the economy developed continuously, Japanese music industry had reached its ultimate peak in 1998 with physical record sales of JPY 607.5 billion. However, due to the contraction of the global music market and the rapidly maturing digital technology, Japanese music industry has entered a steep downturn for the record sales for years. In addition to the impact of technological revolution, the changes in the masses’ demands for the music market are also a significant factor in the decline of record sales. On this account, many record companies have transformed themselves into a brokerage firm, actively developing the new value of the music market, among which the branding of artists and live performances are the most two notable trends of the value creation. At the same time, the pop music market has become more diverse and entertaining. Golden Bomber, a Japanese “visual kei” air rock band that officially debuted in 2008, is famous for their unique performance by acting out short dramas instead of playing with instruments, which has not only overthrown the common view of a traditional band and also become the band’s unique characteristic. From the perspective of brand building, what are the niche point, competitive advantages, and brand building steps of Golden Bomber as an artist brand? What is the crucial key they can stand out in the fierce competition in the Japanese entertainment industry? As for Taiwanese artists, what are their similarities and differences from Japanese artists and what should they reflect on? This study aims to conduct a case study of Golden Bomber as an artist brand by utilizing the in-depth interviews of ten Japanese fans of the band and the author’s observation during the personal participation in the live concerts and events of the band in combination with the supplemented relevant secondary data, hoping to be taken as a reference for the artists of the new generation for brand building and for the future development of Taiwanese music industry with the presentation of various aspects of Golden Bomber, including the band’s core values, identification systems, event experience and affiliated commodities. The analysis results found that several labels attached to Golden Bomber such as “parody”, “air”, “rock” and “underground band” have initially positioned the band in the Japanese entertainment industry, breaking the barriers built by the mainstream bands that dominate the Japanese music industry. Furthermore, the band’s implementation of brand promise and the innovation of identification systems have firmly kept their fans glued to the band. With the mutual trust with a professional team and the persistence in the quality, Golden Bomber has continued their career with their original intention.

美國每年都有企管顧問公司或是商業雜誌公佈全球最具價值的品牌，例如Interbrand與商業週刊的聯合調查在2004年調查計算各品牌的價值中，可口可樂雄居價值最高的10大全球品牌之首（674億美元），其後是微軟Microsoft（650億美元）、IBM（538億美元）、通用電氣GE（441億美元）、英代爾Intel（335億美元）、迪士尼Disney（271億美元）、麥當勞McDonald（250億美元）、諾基亞Nokia（240億美元）、豐田Toyota（227億美元）以及萬寶路Marlboro（221億美元）。而2004年末2005年初，世界大型企業併購趨熱。甲骨文公司（Oracle) 併購仁科公司(Peoplesoft) 交易總額價值達103億美元、寶潔公司以高達570億美元併購吉列公司和美國西南貝爾通訊公司(SBC)以160億美元收購美國電話電報公司（AT&T)等一系列交易，都充份展現出企業在購併時，品牌價值的重要性。 品牌對於企業而言，不單只是區隔與其他公司的差別，還是一個企業在消費者心中的形象、承諾、品質、經驗的集合體。研華自創立以來便積極朝向自由品牌的建立，所以在今年進入了台灣十大國際品牌，是相當值得雀躍的事。然而，為了讓研華的品牌在未來不只能夠保持前十大，更要在相較於其他品牌的進步更為突出，因此，本研究結合Aaker 與Keller 以及諸位品牌學者提出之架構，試圖釐清分析出在研華科技亮麗的品牌背後，研華採取的品牌識別與品牌打造行銷策略及其所隱含的思維與目的，希望將此經驗以系統性的理論架構做出整理，重新詮釋研華的品牌打造計畫，萃取出品牌經營的關鍵因素與策略，並給予其未來計畫建議。 本研究以研華科技為個案對象，目的共計有以下幾項： 1.釐清研華自我品牌識別(Brand Identity)與顧客對於研華品牌形象(Brand Image)之間的差距，本研究將結合Aaker與Keller等學者之理論加以探討。 2.探討對研華科技品牌打造計畫（Brand Building Program）之內、外部影響因素。 3.透過個案研究的過程，給予研華實質建議，並建立屬於研華的品牌識別系統與品牌打造計畫。 關鍵字： □ 工業電腦 (Industrial PC, IPC) □ 品牌識別 (Brand Identity) □ 品牌形象 (Brand Image) □ 品牌打造計畫 (Brand Building Program)

Begreppet influencer blir mer och mer välkänt för varje dag. Begreppet syftar till ett yrke som vuxit fram i takt med internet. Även om det finns mycket information att tillgå kring fenomenet finns det många aspekter som fortfarande icke blivit belysta. Den information som finns att tillgå kring ämnet är inte heller i vetenskaplig tappning. Syftet med studien är att analysera och redogöra för hur influencer marketing kan påverka tillväxten för ett företag. Härtill studeras influencers inverkan på varumärkesbyggandet i relation till tillväxt. Följande kommer en fallstudie i samarbete med klädföretaget NA-KD presenteras. NA-KDs snabba tillväxt kommer förklaras med lämpligt teoretiska underlag och inte minst av medgrundaren själv. Det moderna sättet att marknadsföra via sociala medier med influencers kommer vidare att undersökas i ljuset av olika aspekter. Hur ett samarbete med en eller flera influencers ser ut kommer att undersökas med koppling till hur strategin har hjälpt NA-KD att växa under kort tid. Varumärkesutveckling och teorier kring ett företags tillväxt är två andra viktiga områden som kommer att studeras för att uppsatsen ska få en relevant och genomtänkt slutsats. Alla presenterade teorier kommer att kopplas till NA-KDs egna tillväxt. Metoden vald för följande uppsats är av den kvalitativa typen. Empiriinsamlingen kommer att bestå av en intervju med en medgrundare i fallföretaget, NA-KD. Vidare kommer företagets hemsida och Instagramkonton observeras, likaså kommer fyra utvalda influencers konton observeras. Även sekundär data så som NA-KDs årsredovisning samt en överskådlig presentation av ett par konkurrenter läggs fram. Efter analys av empirin trädde tydliga slutsatser fram. Kopplingar mellan influencer marketing och tillväxt blev ett klart faktum. Likaså blev samarbetet mellan företaget och person förtydligat. Det stod även klart att NA-KD ligger rätt i tiden och grundades när influencers redan vuxit fram och fått en stor inverkan. / The term influencer is becoming more and more known for each day. The term aims at a profession that has emerged in line with the internet. Although there is much information available about the phenomenon, there are many aspects that have not yet been illuminated. The information available on the subject is also not of scientific sort. The purpose of the study is to analyze and explain how influencer marketing can affect the growth of a company. In addition, influencers affect the brand building. Following thesis will consist of a case study in collaboration with the clothing company NA- KD. The rapid growth of NA-KD will be explained by appropriate theoretical evidence, and not least by the co-founder himself. The modern way of marketing through social media with influencers will be investigated in light of various aspects. How cooperation with one or more influencers looks will be investigated in conjunction with how the strategy has helped NA-KD grow in a short period of time. Brand development and theories about a company's growth are two other important areas that will be studied in order for the thesis to have a relevant and well-reasoned conclusion. All theories presented will be linked to NA-KD’s own growth. The method chosen for the following thesis is of the qualitative type. The empirical collection will consist of an interview with a co-founder of the chosen company, NA-KD. Furthermore, the company's website and Instagram accounts will be observed, as well as four selected influencer's accounts that will also be observed. As well as secondary data such as the NA-KD annual report and a review of a few competitors will be presented. After analysis of the empiric data, clear conclusions emerged. Linkages between influencer marketing and growth became a clear fact. Likewise, cooperation between the companies and individuals was clarified. It was also clear that NA-KD was founded when influencers had already grown and had a major impact. Following thesis will be in Swedish.