<p>Search advertising refers to the practice where advertisers place their text-based advertisement on the search engine's result page along with the organic search results. With its growing importance, search advertising has seen a recent surge in academic interest. However, the literature has been ignoring some practical yet important problems of advertisers, including the keyword selection problem. In my dissertation, I focus on the keyword selection problem, more specifically, the choice of branded keywords in search advertising.</p> <p>My dissertation begins with an observation on different patterns of branded keyword purchase behavior by the brand owner and its competitor. Under some branded keywords, we observe in the sponsored link, only the brand owner or only the competitor. However, under some other branded keywords, we observe both firms, or neither of them. Upon this phenomenon, I aim to understand what drives this puzzling pattern in a competitive environment. To this purpose, I develop a duopoly model where two firms compete in the product market with both horizontally and vertically differentiated products. Their products are evaluated by consumers whose perception is affected by what they see in search advertising. With this setup, Then I derive a subgame perfect equilibrium of the two stage game.</p> <p>In a pricing equilibrium, I find that any benefit a firm gets from search advertising either due to exposure benefit or due to contrast or assimilation, helps this firm charge higher price while forcing the other firm charge lower price. This result affects the incentive for each firm to buy the branded keyword in the advertising stage. Specifically, firms have an incentive to buy the keyword only when the cost of advertising is justified by the exposure benefit but even in that case, each firm buys only when the detrimental context effect is not present. If the quality difference between the brand owner and the competitor is large and thus there exists a contrast between the two firms, the competitor with low quality product refrains from buying the keyword, because the contrast effect hurts the competitor. On the other hand, if the quality difference is small and thus two brands are assimilated, the brand owner with high quality product refuses to buy the keyword, because it is hurt by the assimilation effect. If the quality difference is in the intermediate range so that neither context effect is harmful to neither firm, both firms buy the keyword at the same time. On probing further the underlying incentives, I find that in some cases, the brand owner may buy its own keyword only to defend itself from the competitor's threat. In contrast, I also identify the case where the brand owner chooses to buy its own keyword and precludes the competitor from buying it. My result also suggests that both firms may be worse off by engaging in advertising, as in the prisoner's dilemma case.</p> <p>On an extension, I provide an analysis on the impact of the insufficient advertising budget. If the budget is limited, both firms may have an incentive to hurt the other firm taking the higher slot, by increasing the bid amount and thus quickly exhausting the competitor's budget. The budget constraint also deprives the advertisers of the incentive to buy the keyword and thus, the budget-constrained advertisers may refuse to match the competitor's purchase of the keyword. Finally, the experimental investigation shows the existence of the exposure effect and the context effects. It also supports the model prediction based on estimated model parameters together with the empirical observation.</p> / Dissertation

Brands are recognised as one of the most valuable assets that a company can possess and therefore brands are key role-players in the business strategies of organisations. The rivalry amongst competitors in the pharmaceutical industry is fierce and companies should design their strategies in such a way in order to achieve competitive advantage. Brand loyalty is regarded as a powerful tool in the development of pharmaceutical brands. The main aim of this study was to measure brand loyalty in the pharmaceutical industry of South Africa and to establish whether patients are brand loyal to original pharmaceutical brands and the influence of generics on pharmaceutical brand loyalty. The measurement of brand loyalty in the pharmaceutical industry is based on Moolla’s brand loyalty framework for the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry. This study also aimed to determine whether Moolla’s FMCG brand loyalty framework is applicable to the pharmaceutical industry. The twelve brand loyalty influences identified by Moolla are: Customer satisfaction; Switching costs; Brand trust; Repeat purchase; Involvement; Perceived value; Commitment; Relationship proneness; Brand affect; Brand relevance; Brand performance and Culture. The empirical study was conducted among 250 over-the-counter medicine consumers with different demographic profiles. The methodology included the sampling procedure, data collection, questionnaire development and statistical techniques used. Results were analysed with regards to Factor analysis; the Kaiser- Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy; Cronbach Alpha coefficients; Bartlett’s test of sphericity, mean values and effect sizes. The Empirical results through quantitative analysis included the validity of the research instruments, the calculation of the reliability coefficients which reported on the significance of the research variables. The results were presented in a conceptual framework to measure pharmaceutical brand loyalty. The results of this study concluded that the brand loyalty influences as identified by Moolla are important for measuring pharmaceutical brand loyalty. The results of this study also concluded that patients are indeed brand loyal and do prefer branded pharmaceuticals to generic pharmaceuticals in the over-the-counter medicine industry of South Africa. The importance of this study is the contribution of a brand loyalty framework to measure pharmaceutical brand loyalty which will aid pharmaceutical companies in the strategic management thereof. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Brands are recognised as one of the most valuable assets that a company can possess and therefore brands are key role-players in the business strategies of organisations. The rivalry amongst competitors in the pharmaceutical industry is fierce and companies should design their strategies in such a way in order to achieve competitive advantage. Brand loyalty is regarded as a powerful tool in the development of pharmaceutical brands. The main aim of this study was to measure brand loyalty in the pharmaceutical industry of South Africa and to establish whether patients are brand loyal to original pharmaceutical brands and the influence of generics on pharmaceutical brand loyalty. The measurement of brand loyalty in the pharmaceutical industry is based on Moolla’s brand loyalty framework for the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry. This study also aimed to determine whether Moolla’s FMCG brand loyalty framework is applicable to the pharmaceutical industry. The twelve brand loyalty influences identified by Moolla are: Customer satisfaction; Switching costs; Brand trust; Repeat purchase; Involvement; Perceived value; Commitment; Relationship proneness; Brand affect; Brand relevance; Brand performance and Culture. The empirical study was conducted among 250 over-the-counter medicine consumers with different demographic profiles. The methodology included the sampling procedure, data collection, questionnaire development and statistical techniques used. Results were analysed with regards to Factor analysis; the Kaiser- Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy; Cronbach Alpha coefficients; Bartlett’s test of sphericity, mean values and effect sizes. The Empirical results through quantitative analysis included the validity of the research instruments, the calculation of the reliability coefficients which reported on the significance of the research variables. The results were presented in a conceptual framework to measure pharmaceutical brand loyalty. The results of this study concluded that the brand loyalty influences as identified by Moolla are important for measuring pharmaceutical brand loyalty. The results of this study also concluded that patients are indeed brand loyal and do prefer branded pharmaceuticals to generic pharmaceuticals in the over-the-counter medicine industry of South Africa. The importance of this study is the contribution of a brand loyalty framework to measure pharmaceutical brand loyalty which will aid pharmaceutical companies in the strategic management thereof. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The desire of every marketer is to develop and maintain strong customer relationships. One way this can be accomplished is through effective advertising. Marketers have recently begun to brand flash mobs as a way to effectuate strong brand relationships. Even so, it is unclear whether or not the branding of flash mobs supports or frustrates this pursuit. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is to help marketers understand the potential impact that branded flash mobs may have on consumer behaviour and brand relationships. Since these interactions are complex we need to observe the convoluted whole from untangled vantage points. Marketing scholars and researchers must then attempt to understand the latent opportunities and unsuspecting dangers when branding a flash mob. Toward answering this end, four distinct research studies were used to examine the phenomenon from four different perspectives. The aim of the first paper is twofold. First, it deductively seeks to understand how to categorize branded flash mobs within the marketing literature through an historical and cultural analysis of the phenomenon. Exploratory in nature, this study then employs a mixed methods approach to understand how marketers are currently using flash mobs, and more importantly, if branded flash mobs are an effective tool of communication and persuasion. In the second paper, a field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of a branded flash mob on consumers’ emotions, consumer experience and connectedness in a public market. Qualitative interviews were used to capture the data. Shifting perspectives, the third paper seeks to understand why some branded flash mobs fail to ‘go viral’. Using of a number of focus groups, participants were asked to watch several branded flash mob videos and discuss their willingness to share them online (e.g., email, Facebook, or Twitter). Toward a better understanding of the impact of branded flash mobs on brand equity, the final paper evaluates viewers’ attitude toward the ad. Using netnographic techniques (Kozinets, 2002) 2,882 YouTube comments from three virally successful branded flash mobs ads were examined to understand how branded flash mobs affect brand equity. Responses grouped into one of four archetypical attitudes, each of which has a distinct impact on brand equity. Motivated by the potential for widespread exposure at a relatively low cost, marketers continue to produce branded flash mobs. Sometimes they are fresh and creative, while at others they are out of tune with the spirit of the phenomenon. This thesis uncovers the impact of these efforts on consumer behaviour and brand equity, and concludes with a guide for managers to consider when planning their next branded flash mob. An acknowledgement of the limitations and an outline for directions of future research are also presented. / <p>QC 20140521</p>

O espaço incorpora fisicamente o conjunto das relações sociais estabelecidas em um dado tempo. Na cidade contemporânea, a produção do espaço urbano se mostra cada vez mais submetida à lógica de mercado, originando lugares-marcados – de moradia, lazer e trabalho – tomados como espaços públicos e/ou coletivos, cercados física e simbolicamente por narrativas de marca e propostas de valor características dos processos de marketing. Inseridos na experiência cotidiana espacialmente localizada, tais lugares se constituem importantes recursos de mercado em torno dos quais projetos de identidade sócio-historicamente circunscritos se desenvolvem. O objetivo desta tese é compreender como lugares-marcados são cotidianamente produzidos, refletindo e reproduzindo distinções entre grupos sociais. Para tanto, eu analiso a constituição territorial do Jardim Europa, em Porto Alegre. Autoproclamado o “primeiro bairro planejado” da cidade, o Jardim Europa consiste em um complexo de condomínios de alto padrão, que combina espaços privados (condomínios-clube com infraestrutura de lazer e segurança) e públicos (parque e infraestrutura urbana adjacente aos condomínios) em torno de uma narrativa de marca distintiva, tendo como alvo os consumidores de classe média e média-alta. Seguindo a orientação teórico-metodológica da Praxiologia Social de Bourdieu, eu conduzo um estudo qualitativo dividido em duas etapas: primeiramente, por meio da análise documental e de entrevistas, constituo o Jardim Europa como um campo no sentido bourdiano; em segundo lugar, a partir de documentos, entrevistas e observação, analiso a dinâmica deste campo. Situado na fronteira urbana entre áreas valorizadas e populares da cidade, a narrativa de marca do Jardim Europa se sustenta por meio da simultânea associação-diferenciação e negação-isolamento do entorno respectivamente afluente e pobre. A análise das propriedades dos agentes dá conta de interesses convergentes entre a construtora responsável pelo empreendimeno, o poder público e os moradores dos condomínios. A análise das dinâmicas do campo, por sua vez, dá conta de como esses agentes hegemônicos, em aliança, perseguem seus interesses e disposições, os quais ao se materializar no bairro, pouco a pouco contribuem para a territorialização das classes média e média-alta e para a desterritorialização das classes populares. Essa análise processual das dinâmicas de mercado no campo de moradia permitiu descortinar como, no contexto do capitalismo financeiro contemporâneo, alguns recursos distintivos de mercado são coproduzidos de forma intrinsecamente violenta e necessariamente excludente, contribuindo para os debates teóricos na intersecção entre os estudos sobre “projetos de identidade” e “padronização sócio-histórica do consumo”, para os estudos sobre espaço e lugar na Consumer Culture Theory, bem como para a discussão interdisciplinar sobre a produção do espaço urbano na cidade contemporânea. / Space physically incorporates the set of social relations in a given time. In the contemporary city, the production of urban space is increasingly subject to the market logic, which gives rise to branded-places, understood as public and/or collective (dwelling, working, or leisure) spaces, physically and symbolically surrounded by brand narratives and value propositions that are particular of marketing processes. As part of the spatial daily experience in the city, such places constitute important market resources around which socio-historically patterned identity projects evolve. This study aims to understand how branded-places are produced through the everyday practices and negotiations of multiple stakeholders, both reflecting and reproducing distinctions between social groups. To do so, I analyze the territorial constitution of “Jardim Europa”, in Porto Alegre. The self-proclaimed “planned district” consists of a complex of upscale condominiums encompassing private (highly securitized condominiums) and public (a park and urban infrastructure) spaces bounded by a brand narrative, which targets the middle and upper middle-class consumers. Following Bourdieu’s social praxeology, I conduct a two-step qualitative study: first, through archival data and interviews, I configure Jardim Europa as a field of forces; secondly, through archival data, interviews and observation, I analyze the dynamics of this field. Located at the border of upscale and popular areas of the city, the development’s brand narrative is sustained by the simultaneous association-differentiation and denial-insulation respectively from the affluent and the poor surroundings. The analysis of the structural properties of the agents shows the existence of converging interests between the developer, the municipality and condominium residents. The analysis of the dynamics of the field, by its turn, accounts on how hegemonic agents, in alliance with each other, pursue their interests and dispositions. The materialization of these interests and dispositions slowly leads to the territorialisation of middle and upper middle-classes and the deterritorialisation of the popular ones. This process analysis of the market dynamics in the housing field allowed uncovering how some distinctive market resources are coproduced through an inherently violent and necessarily exclusionary way, in the context of today’s finance capitalism. This analysis contributes to the theoretical debates on the intersection between the studies on “identity projects” and the “socio-historical patterning of consumption”. It also contributes to the studies on space and place in Consumer Culture Theory and to the interdisciplinary discussion about the production of urban space in the contemporary city.

O espaço incorpora fisicamente o conjunto das relações sociais estabelecidas em um dado tempo. Na cidade contemporânea, a produção do espaço urbano se mostra cada vez mais submetida à lógica de mercado, originando lugares-marcados – de moradia, lazer e trabalho – tomados como espaços públicos e/ou coletivos, cercados física e simbolicamente por narrativas de marca e propostas de valor características dos processos de marketing. Inseridos na experiência cotidiana espacialmente localizada, tais lugares se constituem importantes recursos de mercado em torno dos quais projetos de identidade sócio-historicamente circunscritos se desenvolvem. O objetivo desta tese é compreender como lugares-marcados são cotidianamente produzidos, refletindo e reproduzindo distinções entre grupos sociais. Para tanto, eu analiso a constituição territorial do Jardim Europa, em Porto Alegre. Autoproclamado o “primeiro bairro planejado” da cidade, o Jardim Europa consiste em um complexo de condomínios de alto padrão, que combina espaços privados (condomínios-clube com infraestrutura de lazer e segurança) e públicos (parque e infraestrutura urbana adjacente aos condomínios) em torno de uma narrativa de marca distintiva, tendo como alvo os consumidores de classe média e média-alta. Seguindo a orientação teórico-metodológica da Praxiologia Social de Bourdieu, eu conduzo um estudo qualitativo dividido em duas etapas: primeiramente, por meio da análise documental e de entrevistas, constituo o Jardim Europa como um campo no sentido bourdiano; em segundo lugar, a partir de documentos, entrevistas e observação, analiso a dinâmica deste campo. Situado na fronteira urbana entre áreas valorizadas e populares da cidade, a narrativa de marca do Jardim Europa se sustenta por meio da simultânea associação-diferenciação e negação-isolamento do entorno respectivamente afluente e pobre. A análise das propriedades dos agentes dá conta de interesses convergentes entre a construtora responsável pelo empreendimeno, o poder público e os moradores dos condomínios. A análise das dinâmicas do campo, por sua vez, dá conta de como esses agentes hegemônicos, em aliança, perseguem seus interesses e disposições, os quais ao se materializar no bairro, pouco a pouco contribuem para a territorialização das classes média e média-alta e para a desterritorialização das classes populares. Essa análise processual das dinâmicas de mercado no campo de moradia permitiu descortinar como, no contexto do capitalismo financeiro contemporâneo, alguns recursos distintivos de mercado são coproduzidos de forma intrinsecamente violenta e necessariamente excludente, contribuindo para os debates teóricos na intersecção entre os estudos sobre “projetos de identidade” e “padronização sócio-histórica do consumo”, para os estudos sobre espaço e lugar na Consumer Culture Theory, bem como para a discussão interdisciplinar sobre a produção do espaço urbano na cidade contemporânea. / Space physically incorporates the set of social relations in a given time. In the contemporary city, the production of urban space is increasingly subject to the market logic, which gives rise to branded-places, understood as public and/or collective (dwelling, working, or leisure) spaces, physically and symbolically surrounded by brand narratives and value propositions that are particular of marketing processes. As part of the spatial daily experience in the city, such places constitute important market resources around which socio-historically patterned identity projects evolve. This study aims to understand how branded-places are produced through the everyday practices and negotiations of multiple stakeholders, both reflecting and reproducing distinctions between social groups. To do so, I analyze the territorial constitution of “Jardim Europa”, in Porto Alegre. The self-proclaimed “planned district” consists of a complex of upscale condominiums encompassing private (highly securitized condominiums) and public (a park and urban infrastructure) spaces bounded by a brand narrative, which targets the middle and upper middle-class consumers. Following Bourdieu’s social praxeology, I conduct a two-step qualitative study: first, through archival data and interviews, I configure Jardim Europa as a field of forces; secondly, through archival data, interviews and observation, I analyze the dynamics of this field. Located at the border of upscale and popular areas of the city, the development’s brand narrative is sustained by the simultaneous association-differentiation and denial-insulation respectively from the affluent and the poor surroundings. The analysis of the structural properties of the agents shows the existence of converging interests between the developer, the municipality and condominium residents. The analysis of the dynamics of the field, by its turn, accounts on how hegemonic agents, in alliance with each other, pursue their interests and dispositions. The materialization of these interests and dispositions slowly leads to the territorialisation of middle and upper middle-classes and the deterritorialisation of the popular ones. This process analysis of the market dynamics in the housing field allowed uncovering how some distinctive market resources are coproduced through an inherently violent and necessarily exclusionary way, in the context of today’s finance capitalism. This analysis contributes to the theoretical debates on the intersection between the studies on “identity projects” and the “socio-historical patterning of consumption”. It also contributes to the studies on space and place in Consumer Culture Theory and to the interdisciplinary discussion about the production of urban space in the contemporary city.

Esse trabalho analisa a publicidade apresentada sob a forma de conteúdo produzida por quatro marcas brasileiras, veiculada no Youtube durante o período compreendido entre 2012 e 2016. O objetivo é estudar o conteúdo de marca, verificando suas definições, sua relevância, as características de sua mensagem e sua presença na expressividade marcária. Para isso, nossa pesquisa traça um panorama sobre a sociedade contemporânea, colocando em discussão conceitos sobre os tempos atuais e suas definições por diversos autores, que têm em comum o consenso sobre a mudança na relação com o tempo, com o espaço e um maior individualismo. Feito isso, problematizamos também a inserção do consumo e sua centralidade em virtude das transformações sociais. Além disso, estudamos a evolução da publicidade brasileira até chegar ao conceito do conteúdo de marca, debatendo antes questões relativas a outros formatos que se assemelham a ele, como o Product Placement. Acerca do conteúdo de marca discutimos sua estrutura, cuja constituição apoia-se nos vetores persuasão, entretenimento, interação e compartilhamento. Antes de avançarmos à análise, colocamos questões relativas ao reconhecimento mercadológico acerca do conteúdo de marca, por meio das premiações e de um olhar sobre a regulamentação da publicidade brasileira. A partir daí, propomos uma análise de conteúdo para selecionar os materiais mais relevantes nos canais das marcas: Itaú e Skol (marcas que integram o ranking das dez mais valiosas do país), Vivo e O Boticário (marcas que se destacaram nos últimos anos por conteúdos veiculados, principalmente, na internet). Essa etapa permitiu escolher, dentre os 298 vídeos, 24 peças para análise. Eles são analisados a partir dos princípios da semiótica da marca e da circulação midiática, verificando a manifestação dos quatro vetores da constituição do conteúdo de marca em sua estrutura. Para finalizar, apresentamos uma representação visual dos quatro vetores, por meio de gráfico de radar, para cada uma das marcas selecionadas. Os resultados obtidos apontaram para ampla presença do conteúdo de marca, ainda que a maioria das marcas apoie sua comunicação sobre os atributos da persuasão, com grande ênfase para o entretenimento, explorando pouco a interação e o compartilhamento. / This work analyzes the advertising presented in the form of content produced by four Brazilian brands, transmitted on YouTube during the period between 2012 and 2016. The objective is to study branded content, verifying its definitions, its relevance, the characteristics of its message and its presence in brand expressivity. For this, our research traces a panorama about the contemporary society, putting in discussion concepts about the present times and its definitions by diverse authors, who have in common the consensus on the change in the relation with time, with space and a bigger individualism. Once we have done this, we also problematize the insertion of consumption and its centrality by virtue of social transformations. In addition, we study the evolution of Brazilian advertising to the concept of branded content, discussing issues related to other formats that resemble it, such as Product Placement. About branded content we discuss its structure, whose constitution relies on the vectors of persuasion, entertainment, interaction and sharing. Before we proceed to the analysis, we also discuss issues related to the market recognition of branded content, through awards and a look at the regulation of Brazilian advertising. From there, we propose a content analysis to select the most relevant materials in the channels of brands: Itaú and Skol (that integrates the ranking of the ten most valuable brands in the country), Vivo and O Boticário (brands that stood out in recent years for Content aired mainly on the internet). This stage allowed to choose, among the 298 videos, 24 pieces for analysis. They are analyzed from the principles of brand semiotics and media circulation, verifying the manifestation of the four vectors of the constitution of the branded content in its structure. Finally, we present a visual representation of the four vectors, by means of a radar chart, for each of the selected brands. The results obtained pointed to the wide presence of branded content, although most brands fit their communication on the attributes of persuasion, with great emphasis on entertainment, and a lower exploring of interaction and sharing.

O espaço incorpora fisicamente o conjunto das relações sociais estabelecidas em um dado tempo. Na cidade contemporânea, a produção do espaço urbano se mostra cada vez mais submetida à lógica de mercado, originando lugares-marcados – de moradia, lazer e trabalho – tomados como espaços públicos e/ou coletivos, cercados física e simbolicamente por narrativas de marca e propostas de valor características dos processos de marketing. Inseridos na experiência cotidiana espacialmente localizada, tais lugares se constituem importantes recursos de mercado em torno dos quais projetos de identidade sócio-historicamente circunscritos se desenvolvem. O objetivo desta tese é compreender como lugares-marcados são cotidianamente produzidos, refletindo e reproduzindo distinções entre grupos sociais. Para tanto, eu analiso a constituição territorial do Jardim Europa, em Porto Alegre. Autoproclamado o “primeiro bairro planejado” da cidade, o Jardim Europa consiste em um complexo de condomínios de alto padrão, que combina espaços privados (condomínios-clube com infraestrutura de lazer e segurança) e públicos (parque e infraestrutura urbana adjacente aos condomínios) em torno de uma narrativa de marca distintiva, tendo como alvo os consumidores de classe média e média-alta. Seguindo a orientação teórico-metodológica da Praxiologia Social de Bourdieu, eu conduzo um estudo qualitativo dividido em duas etapas: primeiramente, por meio da análise documental e de entrevistas, constituo o Jardim Europa como um campo no sentido bourdiano; em segundo lugar, a partir de documentos, entrevistas e observação, analiso a dinâmica deste campo. Situado na fronteira urbana entre áreas valorizadas e populares da cidade, a narrativa de marca do Jardim Europa se sustenta por meio da simultânea associação-diferenciação e negação-isolamento do entorno respectivamente afluente e pobre. A análise das propriedades dos agentes dá conta de interesses convergentes entre a construtora responsável pelo empreendimeno, o poder público e os moradores dos condomínios. A análise das dinâmicas do campo, por sua vez, dá conta de como esses agentes hegemônicos, em aliança, perseguem seus interesses e disposições, os quais ao se materializar no bairro, pouco a pouco contribuem para a territorialização das classes média e média-alta e para a desterritorialização das classes populares. Essa análise processual das dinâmicas de mercado no campo de moradia permitiu descortinar como, no contexto do capitalismo financeiro contemporâneo, alguns recursos distintivos de mercado são coproduzidos de forma intrinsecamente violenta e necessariamente excludente, contribuindo para os debates teóricos na intersecção entre os estudos sobre “projetos de identidade” e “padronização sócio-histórica do consumo”, para os estudos sobre espaço e lugar na Consumer Culture Theory, bem como para a discussão interdisciplinar sobre a produção do espaço urbano na cidade contemporânea. / Space physically incorporates the set of social relations in a given time. In the contemporary city, the production of urban space is increasingly subject to the market logic, which gives rise to branded-places, understood as public and/or collective (dwelling, working, or leisure) spaces, physically and symbolically surrounded by brand narratives and value propositions that are particular of marketing processes. As part of the spatial daily experience in the city, such places constitute important market resources around which socio-historically patterned identity projects evolve. This study aims to understand how branded-places are produced through the everyday practices and negotiations of multiple stakeholders, both reflecting and reproducing distinctions between social groups. To do so, I analyze the territorial constitution of “Jardim Europa”, in Porto Alegre. The self-proclaimed “planned district” consists of a complex of upscale condominiums encompassing private (highly securitized condominiums) and public (a park and urban infrastructure) spaces bounded by a brand narrative, which targets the middle and upper middle-class consumers. Following Bourdieu’s social praxeology, I conduct a two-step qualitative study: first, through archival data and interviews, I configure Jardim Europa as a field of forces; secondly, through archival data, interviews and observation, I analyze the dynamics of this field. Located at the border of upscale and popular areas of the city, the development’s brand narrative is sustained by the simultaneous association-differentiation and denial-insulation respectively from the affluent and the poor surroundings. The analysis of the structural properties of the agents shows the existence of converging interests between the developer, the municipality and condominium residents. The analysis of the dynamics of the field, by its turn, accounts on how hegemonic agents, in alliance with each other, pursue their interests and dispositions. The materialization of these interests and dispositions slowly leads to the territorialisation of middle and upper middle-classes and the deterritorialisation of the popular ones. This process analysis of the market dynamics in the housing field allowed uncovering how some distinctive market resources are coproduced through an inherently violent and necessarily exclusionary way, in the context of today’s finance capitalism. This analysis contributes to the theoretical debates on the intersection between the studies on “identity projects” and the “socio-historical patterning of consumption”. It also contributes to the studies on space and place in Consumer Culture Theory and to the interdisciplinary discussion about the production of urban space in the contemporary city.

This study aimed to determine the potential of packaging to strengthen brand equity in female apparel retail stores. A field experiment was conducted in the Tshwane metropolitan - a key political, economic and urban area in South Africa - to investigate the potential of packaging to be acknowledged as an additional element of the marketing mix in terms of its influence on consumers’ perceptions of the service offering of retailers and their brand equity. The study was done in the context of an emerging economy, where international clothing brands have infiltrated the market and become widely accessible in recent years. The data was collected by using convenience sampling methods, and the self-completion of a structured questionnaire after respondents acted as mystery shoppers at a Single Brand Retailer (SBR) and a Department Store (DS) that carry the same footwear brand in a major shopping centre in this metropolitan. The SBR offers consumers a branded high quality canvas tote bag after purchase, whereas the DS offers a generic plastic bag irrespective of the type of purchase or the price paid. Willing females, all final year students at the University of Pretoria (n =103) were divided in two groups. Individuals visited the two retailers according to a schedule compiled by the researcher. One group visited the SBR first, followed by the DS. The other group did the task in the reverse order. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, specifically Principle Component analysis using PROMAX and PROCRUSTES rotation for the two scales that investigated the service offering and brand equity respectively, Means, Standard deviations, Cronbach’s Alpha as well as paired and non-paired 2-tailed t-tests. This study confirmed the potential of secondary packaging as an independent element of the marketing mix in the branded clothing retail industry. The packaging construct dissociated it from the construct ‘Product’ as the literature suggests, which confirms that marketing elements adapt over time and that these changes have to be acknowledged in retail. Respondents generally had a less favourable instore experience in the DS compared to the SBR. The packaging format of SBR was also evaluated more favourably, which enhanced perceptions of the overall service offering. This suggests that respondents’ less favourable evaluation of the less prestigious packaging offered in the DS, is partly to blame for the lower overall evaluations of the service offering of the DS. Packaging also contributed/enhanced brand equity as consumers’ perceptions of the packaging formats – irrespective of whether it was a SBR or a DS – positively contributed to consumers’ perceptions of the brand equity of the retailers that they visited. The contribution of packaging towards brand equity was mostly more prominent than the contribution of other marketing elements such Advertising and Promotion. An order effect was noted. Respondents who visited the DS first, were significantly more impressed with the SBR. Those who went to the SBR first, seemed more forgiving and evaluated the service offering and the brand equity lower compared to the SBR but nevertheless evaluated it more favourably than the group that patronized the DS first. Packaging does not seem to relieve post purchase regret. Respondents were more regretful after their SBR experience. Several explanations may be used to explain this and future studies are envisaged to expand the findings. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted

El mundo publicitario se encuentra saturado por toda la publicidad con la que viven los consumidores diariamente. Debido a esto, en el transcurso de los años se cuentan con nuevas estrategias comunicacionales para poder llegar a los consumidores finales y atraerlos a la compra. Una de las estrategias es el Branded Content, la cual es una estrategia comunicacional que busca captar la atención de los consumidores de una manera no intrusiva; y, lo que se quiere lograr mediante el siguiente trabajo es conocer, a partir de la utilización de la estrategia del Branded Content, cómo se da la recordación de la imagen de marca por parte de los usuarios de Movistar dentro de la creación de su serie web Un día eres Jóven. Las series web forman parte del día a día de muchos usuarios, ya que nos encontramos en una era digital en donde el internet y los formatos streaming se encuentran en su máximo apogeo. Asimismo, la imagen de marca hace que los usuarios tengan un recuerdo de la marca acorde a lo que es percibido mediante su estrategia. A su vez, las organizaciones cada vez se encuentran en búsqueda de nuevas estrategias para poder obtener resultados positivos para su marca. El Branded Content junto a la imagen de marca puede que logren resultados efectivos acorde a los objetivos de la organización que favorezcan la recordación del usuario. Por consiguiente, se empleará un método de investigación cualitativo en donde se quiere obtener el resultado y/o respuestas por parte del público objetivo seleccionado sobre el uso del Branded Content dentro de las series web para generar una imagen de marca de Movistar. / The advertising world is saturated by all the publicity which consumers live daily. Due to this, over the years there are new communication strategies to reach the final consumers and attract them to the purchase. One of the strategies is branded content, which is a communication strategy that seeks to capture the attention of consumers in a non-intrusive way; And, what we want to achieve through the following work is to know, from the use of the branded content strategy, how the brand image is remembered by Movistar users within the creation of their series web Un Día eres Jóven. The web series are part of the day to day of many users, since we are in a digital era where the internet and streaming formats are at their peak. Also, the brand image makes users have a memory of the brand according to what is perceived through its strategy. In turn, organizations are increasingly looking for new strategies to obtain positive results for their brand. The Branded Content next to the brand image may achieve effective results according to the objectives of the organization that favor user remembrance. Therefore, a qualitative research method will be used where you want to obtain the result or responses from the selected target audience on the use of Branded Content within the web series to generate a Movistar brand image. / Trabajo de investigación