Background: Differentiation towards one’s competitors is crucial. Brand can symbolize competitive advantages through intangible assets, though the focus in both companies and academia has largely been on adding intangible values to products. To large extent employees has not been consider as an aspects that could add value, i.e. employees as brand builders.  Recently gained interest in both areas have make it possible to compared them both the see employees possibility to add brand value.   Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe the relationship between employer attractiveness and internal brand equity.   Methodology: Conducted a quantitative study, with a single cross-sectional design and self-completion questionnaire as data collection method. Descriptive statistics and simple linear regression was thereafter performed. All with ethical principles in consideration.   Conclusion: This study provides empirical evidence that confirms a relationship between employees and the brand equity through the concepts of employer attractiveness, and brand equity through the concept of internal brand equity. The study provides a regression analysis between the two concepts that indicates a relationship to a very large extent. The confirmed relationship thus adds new perspectives of how to add intangible value to a brand and thus adds to a potential success.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the brand management of a motor manufacturing company. The study set out to establish what the most important elements are that contribute towards a successful brand and to identify a potential model that can be used to measure the brand elements that are evident in the Toyota brand. By using this model, the Toyota brand was evaluated, bringing to the fore the key success factors that have made Toyota the number one motor manufacturing brand in South Africa. The qualitative research was conducted to evaluate Toyota's understanding of its brand and then questioning the usage of the brand through an individual interview with the custodian of the Toyota Brand in South Africa. The results of this qualitative research were used to identify the key values that the manufacturer sees as brand-building elements and to then evaluate how they are using these values to build and enhance the brand. These core brand values were then evaluated in the quantitative research that followed. The quantitative research was conducted through questionnaires where the retail network (General Managers, Sales Managers in the Toyota retail network) evaluated Toyota SA's implementation of its brand's core values through the dealer network. The sample size consisted of twenty nine (N=29) randomly selected Unitrans Toyota dealers in the country. An extension of the study compared these key success factors with the values that are delivered through the retail network to the customers. The brand expectations that the customer has in mind to the realisation of the brand promise at retail level were compared. This study gives insight into the workings of the Toyota brand and tests the communication of the brand blueprint through to the retail network. This study allows Toyota to review the way they communicates their brand to the direct customer, the retail network. The study also found that Toyota should use the opportunity to communicate the brand name to its direct customers, namely the retailers, and that, if needed, Toyota should revise the communication strategy. Other recommendations are that both Toyota and its retailers should take note of the fast-changing business environment, acknowledge the importance of managing the length of the product line, and that Toyota should embrace the retailers as partners rather than mere franchisees. The retail network, in turn, can get a better understanding of the role it has to play to ensure the sustainability of the Toyota brand. The study also allows the retail network to realize the importance of customer service in the whole Toyota brand set-up. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This mixed method research evaluates corporate image theory and its impact on assets of brand equity. It consists of a single case study of a CFL franchise coming back to a market that has experienced two failed franchises. The first phase involved the collection of archival material and the execution of semi-structured interviews. Through content analysis, four higher order themes emerged: the importance of Football Tradition, the need for a new Sport Facility, and the importance placed on both Identity and Brand Awareness. These themes denoted the importance of history and tradition for a franchise making its debut in a new, yet pre-existing market. The second phase involved survey research via an online method. Demographic data was compiled and analyzed to understand the various market segments that this franchise should be targeting as future fans. The findings suggest that this team should find a new name and a new logo.

It is recognized that the World Heritage Site (WHS) status is a strong brand with exceptional quality and excellent reputation that attracts tourists to visit. This study applies and adapts the brand knowledge model to examine local stakeholders’ understanding of the WHS status as a brand. A case study approach was applied and a WHS in China was selected as the case. In total, 13 interviewees from local government, private business owners and residents participated in the study. The study showed that the three local stakeholders were familiar with the WHS status and shared the importance of the WHS status as intended by the WHS program to tourists. However, local stakeholders over emphasized the economic importance of the WHS status, and conservation became a tool to fulfill economic benefits. The results challenged the standpoint of the WHS program and showed that the WHS status was not a strong brand.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the brand management of a motor manufacturing company. The study set out to establish what the most important elements are that contribute towards a successful brand and to identify a potential model that can be used to measure the brand elements that are evident in the Toyota brand. By using this model, the Toyota brand was evaluated, bringing to the fore the key success factors that have made Toyota the number one motor manufacturing brand in South Africa. The qualitative research was conducted to evaluate Toyota's understanding of its brand and then questioning the usage of the brand through an individual interview with the custodian of the Toyota Brand in South Africa. The results of this qualitative research were used to identify the key values that the manufacturer sees as brand-building elements and to then evaluate how they are using these values to build and enhance the brand. These core brand values were then evaluated in the quantitative research that followed. The quantitative research was conducted through questionnaires where the retail network (General Managers, Sales Managers in the Toyota retail network) evaluated Toyota SA's implementation of its brand's core values through the dealer network. The sample size consisted of twenty nine (N=29) randomly selected Unitrans Toyota dealers in the country. An extension of the study compared these key success factors with the values that are delivered through the retail network to the customers. The brand expectations that the customer has in mind to the realisation of the brand promise at retail level were compared. This study gives insight into the workings of the Toyota brand and tests the communication of the brand blueprint through to the retail network. This study allows Toyota to review the way they communicates their brand to the direct customer, the retail network. The study also found that Toyota should use the opportunity to communicate the brand name to its direct customers, namely the retailers, and that, if needed, Toyota should revise the communication strategy. Other recommendations are that both Toyota and its retailers should take note of the fast-changing business environment, acknowledge the importance of managing the length of the product line, and that Toyota should embrace the retailers as partners rather than mere franchisees. The retail network, in turn, can get a better understanding of the role it has to play to ensure the sustainability of the Toyota brand. The study also allows the retail network to realize the importance of customer service in the whole Toyota brand set-up. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This thesis explores the reasons why customers stop buying brands. The first part quantifies what proportion of customers defect for the reasons that are within and beyond brand managers' control. The second part examines how the reasons for defection impact on post-defection brand equity of former brand.

Abstract Purpose – The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding on how brand equity for non-profit entertainment-based service firms in the cultural sector can be cultivated. Design/approach/methodology – An existing model to cultivate brand equity in commercial service firms is utilised to assess the applicability on specific non-profit firms. Furthermore, five interviews have been held to investigate the case companies’ practises and a survey has been taken to measure the perceptions from the visitors/customers’ point of view, which is referred to as a triangulation method. Findings – The findings show that brand equity can be cultivated by the means of the tested model, though, the popularity and famousness of a particular artist temporarily transfers its brand equity to the particular cultural institution wherefore the brand awareness is boosted significantly and brand meaning becomes more elucidated. As a result, entertainment-based cultural (non-profit) firms need to guarantee high quality experiences in which both the service and performance are amalgamated. Furthermore, companies must adapt to the rapid changing advertisement methods to reach (new) visitors. Thereby, a new model has been developed based on the study outcomes, which includes a new factor that influences the cultivation of brand equity in the specified sector and firms. The added factor in the developed model is “Programme Brand Equity” and exerts its influence on the original factors. Limitations and further research – Limitations are that the findings from these particular firms may not be found in other similar firms, which is a typical implication of every case study. Furthermore, this research is first in this topic wherefore supplementary literature is obligatory. Consequently, the findings of this research may have substantial abnormalities from practise. The developed model should be tested for generalisation of outcomes. Originality/value – This study links brand equity cultivation methods to entertainment-based cultural non-profit service firms and is first on this topic hence suggestions for further enlightenment are provided since it brings implications along. Key words – Brand equity, Word-of-Mouth/WOM, Brand Meaning, Brand Awareness. / <p>none</p>

Konkurrensen bland svenska företag har ökat markant under de senaste åren, vilket har inneburit att deras utbud blivit allt mer likartade. Digitaliseringen har i synnerhet intensifierat konkurrensen inom resebranschen, vilket har bidragit till att företag istället söker att särskilja sig genom immateriella fördelar och varumärkesdifferentiering. För att varumärken ska lyckas med sin varumärkesdifferentiering krävs det att konsumenter är involverade i varumärkena och deras erbjudanden. Med anledning av detta var syftet med studien att få en förståelse för hur konsumenters involvering i resande generellt och produktkategorier påverkade deras möjlighet att särskilja turistiska varumärken. I denna studie användes följaktligen teorier som behandlade involvering och varumärkesdifferentiering. För att få en förståelse för konsumenters involvering i resande och produktkategorier tillämpades teorierna varaktig involvering och produktkategoriinvolvering. För att få kunskap kring konsumenters förmåga att särskilja varumärken ifrån varandra användes Customer-based Brand Equity. Utifrån detta ansågs en kvalitativ metod bäst lämpad för att undersöka fenomenet och vidare genomfördes fyra semistrukturerade fokusgruppintervjuer. Resultatet från intervjuerna visade initialt att konsumenterna var involverade i resande och de uttryckte således starka tankar och åsikter om varumärkena vilket följaktligen innebar att konsumenterna kunde särskilja varumärkena. Det visade sig dock att detta inte stämde överens med verkligheten, då det uppdagades att konsumenterna faktiskt var ovetande om vilket varumärke de senast använde sig av. Trots en hög involvering i resande generellt, uppvisade de en låg involvering gentemot produktkategorin vilket bidrog till att konsumenterna faktiskt inte kunde särskilja varumärkena. / The competition amongst Swedish companies has significantly increased in recent years, which has contributed to the their increasingly similar offers. The digitization has particularly intensified the competition within the travel industry, which in turn has contributed to companies trying to distinguish themselves through intangible assets and brand differentiation. Forbrands to succeed with their brand differentiation, it requires that consumers are involved with the brands and their offers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain an understanding of how consumers involvement affected their ability to distinguish touristic brands. Hence, theories that addressed involvement and brand differentiation were used in this study, to gain an understanding of consumers involvement intraveling and product categories, and thus their ability to distinguish between brands. A qualitative method was therefore used, and four semi-structured focus groups were conducted.The conclusions of this study initially displayed that the consumers should be seen as highly involved in traveling in general, further more they also expressed strong thoughts and feelings about the brands, which implied that the consumers were able to distinguish the brands. However, it was later revealed that the consumers in fact, were not able to differentiate the companies. Although consumers were perceived ashighly involved in traveling, they showed low involvement towards the product category, which contributed to their inability to distinguish the brandsfrom one another.

This mixed method research evaluates corporate image theory and its impact on assets of brand equity. It consists of a single case study of a CFL franchise coming back to a market that has experienced two failed franchises. The first phase involved the collection of archival material and the execution of semi-structured interviews. Through content analysis, four higher order themes emerged: the importance of Football Tradition, the need for a new Sport Facility, and the importance placed on both Identity and Brand Awareness. These themes denoted the importance of history and tradition for a franchise making its debut in a new, yet pre-existing market. The second phase involved survey research via an online method. Demographic data was compiled and analyzed to understand the various market segments that this franchise should be targeting as future fans. The findings suggest that this team should find a new name and a new logo.

Thesis deals with the subject of brand value / equity. In the application part equity of selected brands of yoghurts is measured using Equity Builder and Brand Power methodologies and recommendations for their brand equity growth are given.