In an ever changing world, consumers are less and less responsive to traditional advertising, which creates a challenge for marketers, as they need to constantly develop new marketing communication tools to make a lasting impression on current and potential consumers. Consumers of the twenty first century are described as emotionally acting individuals, and has led to a increase in creative and emotional marketing communication tools, for example sponsorship, which is an increasingly important element of an integrated marketing communication strategy. Because of the value sponsorship can have for a business, and the high costs involved in this marketing initiative, it is imperative to examine variables that might be influential, in order to apply this promotional activity to the business’ advantage (Belch & Belch 2007:12; Hartland, Skinner & Griffiths 2005:164-173; Nicholis, Roslow & Dublish 1999:365-387; Pham & Vanheule 1997:407-417). Because of the important effect of sponsorship, marketing managers seek clarity in respect of which events to support and to link their business’ brand with or not. There is however little guidance in literature available on which events to sponsor and how to exploit resources efficiently and effectively (Crimmins & Horn 1996; Speed & Thompson 2000). Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify factors that might influence sponsorship initiatives within corporate businesses in South Africa. The variables that was identified for the study at hand was marketing related variables namely branding, marketing ethics and green marketing, and human resources related variables namely, corporate culture, values and employee empowerment. In order to determine the influence of the predetermined variables on sponsorship, an empirical investigation was conducted. The positivistic (phenomenological) approach was used in this study as the aim was to determine whether a relationship exists between selected independent variables and the dependent variable, via the intervening variables, using statistical analysis. In order to gather primary data, selfadministered questionnaires were issued to 182 respondents by means of convenience and snowball sampling of which the results were analysed to arrive at conclusions regarding the research in question. The empirical analysis of the data followed the following statistical steps: exploratory factor analysis to test the validity of the measuring instrument, Cronbach Alpha correlation coefficients to confirm the reliability of the questionnaire, SEM goodness-of-fit, multiple regression analysis to test the hypothesised relationships between the independent, intervening and dependent variables, ANOVA and descriptive statistics. The main findings of this study suggest that branding and green marketing have a significantly positive relationship with sponsorship, indicating the importance of a business’ brand and environmental awareness in terms of its emotional marketing initiatives. These relationships iIn an ever changing world, consumers are less and less responsive to traditional advertising, which creates a challenge for marketers, as they need to constantly develop new marketing communication tools to make a lasting impression on current and potential consumers. Consumers of the twenty first century are described as emotionally acting individuals, and has led to a increase in creative and emotional marketing communication tools, for example sponsorship, which is an increasingly important element of an integrated marketing communication strategy. Because of the value sponsorship can have for a business, and the high costs involved in this marketing initiative, it is imperative to examine variables that might be influential, in order to apply this promotional activity to the business’ advantage (Belch & Belch 2007:12; Hartland, Skinner & Griffiths 2005:164-173; Nicholis, Roslow & Dublish 1999:365-387; Pham & Vanheule 1997:407-417). Because of the important effect of sponsorship, marketing managers seek clarity in respect of which events to support and to link their business’ brand with or not. There is however little guidance in literature available on which events to sponsor and how to exploit resources efficiently and effectively (Crimmins & Horn 1996; Speed & Thompson 2000). Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify factors that might influence sponsorship initiatives within corporate businesses in South Africa. The variables that was identified for the study at hand was marketing related variables namely branding, marketing ethics and green marketing, and human resources related variables namely, corporate culture, values and employee empowerment. In order to determine the influence of the predetermined variables on sponsorship, an empirical investigation was conducted. The positivistic (phenomenological) approach was used in this study as the aim was to determine whether a relationship exists between selected independent variables and the dependent variable, via the intervening variables, using statistical analysis. In order to gather primary data, selfadministered questionnaires were issued to 182 respondents by means of convenience and snowball sampling of which the results were analysed to arrive at conclusions regarding the research in question. The empirical analysis of the data followed the following statistical steps: exploratory factor analysis to test the validity of the measuring instrument, Cronbach Alpha correlation coefficients to confirm the reliability of the questionnaire, SEM goodness-of-fit, multiple regression analysis to test the hypothesised relationships between the independent, intervening and dependent variables, ANOVA and descriptive statistics. The main findings of this study suggest that branding and green marketing have a significantly positive relationship with sponsorship, indicating the importance of a business’ brand and environmental awareness in terms of its emotional marketing initiatives. These relationships imply that, according to respondents, if these two aspects improve within the business, so could its sponsorship initiatives. Interestingly, it was established that ethics was insignificant in terms of a business’sponsorship initiatives. Corporate culture and values had a positive relationship with sponsorship, and employee empowerment proved to be negatively related to Sport and Broadcast sponsorship, with no significant relationship with Education and Community sponsorship. Additionally, the empirical investigation revealed that the ethnicity of respondents exerted an influence on the perception employees have regarding ethics, employee empowerment and Sport and Broadcast sponsorship within the businesses they are employed at. As this study assisted in the development of sponsorship strategies for businesses to implement, it will have a direct benefit to marketers and businesses in general so that sponsorship initiatives can be directed in such a way to maximise the return on investment for a business. The implications of this study will be of great value to marketing managers as sponsorship is such an important marketing strategy and communications tool which impacts on the overall business objectives.mply that, according to respondents, if these two aspects improve within the business, so could its sponsorship initiatives. Interestingly, it was established that ethics was insignificant in terms of a business’ sponsorship initiatives. Corporate culture and values had a positive relationship with sponsorship, and employee empowerment proved to be negatively related to Sport and Broadcast sponsorship, with no significant relationship with Education and Community sponsorship. Additionally, the empirical investigation revealed that the ethnicity of respondents exerted an influence on the perception employees have regarding ethics, employee empowerment and Sport and Broadcast sponsorship within the businesses they are employed at. As this study assisted in the development of sponsorship strategies for businesses to implement, it will have a direct benefit to marketers and businesses in general so that sponsorship initiatives can be directed in such a way to maximise the return on investment for a business. The implications of this study will be of great value to marketing managers as sponsorship is such an important marketing strategy and communications tool which impacts on the overall business objectives.

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to investigate how Employer branding can help increase the job satisfaction among the employees and thereby affect their ambition to stay in the workplace. The aim of the study is also to research around what factors are crucial in the work of Employer branding based on it existing staff perspective. To contribute to knowledge of key factors in the work with Employer Branding can help companies in the future to succeed with the concept. Method: The study is based on a mixed method. The quantitative part of the mixed method consisted of a questionnaire survey where ten surveyed questionnaires were obtained. The qualitative survey consisted of interviews with employees at Lidl. Results: A modified version of Kotter's model, adapted to the work with Employer branding, can be used to increase job satisfaction and thereby also increase the employee's ambition to stay in the workplace. In the modified model, crucial factors such as the shift ratio between employers and employees, Herzberg's motivation factors for job satisfaction, as well as the design of Employer Value Proposition must be considered. Common personal contact is a key factor in the work of Employer branding which leads to increased job satisfaction and thereby increasing employees' ambition to stay in the workplace. The work with Employer branding in retail/grocery stores must include factors such as working hours and forms of employment, as they are key drivers that must be met to keep staff within an organization. The result of this study shows that the work with Employer branding, in order to increase employee satisfaction and thus increase the ambition to stay in the workplace, is affected by many cohesive factors. In conclusion, it can be noted that all these factors must be taken into account in order to succeed with the work of Employer branding.

In order to understand if and how employer branding influences employees’ work behaviours and enhances employees’ ability to contribute to organizational productivity, effectiveness, and competitiveness, one needs to examine its functionality and capacities beyond that of employee attraction and retention to that of employee development, engagement, and performance. This research aims to do that by answering the following questions:1. What are the factors present in the content and delivery of employer brand promises and how might they influence employee performance?2. What influence does employees’ perceived level of employer brand promise fulfilment by their organization have on their level of organizational citizenship and task performances? A mix method case study was conducted on one of Canada’s best-of-the-best employers. In total, 19 managers were interviewed and 316 employees were surveyed. Five themes emerged to reflect the employer brand promise content factors that could influence performance. They are the factors of personal sustainability, personal connectedness and belonging, opportunities and growth, personal stake and influence, as well as significance and esteem. Three themes emerged to reflect the employment benefit materialization factors. They are brand championship, branding control, and stakeholder selection and interaction. Quantitative results suggest that as a whole, statistically significant, positive, and generally weak to moderate influence exists between employees’ perceived level of employer brand promise fulfillment and their organizational citizenship performance. The influence on task performance is much weaker. However, there is stronger indication that employees’ perceived fulfillment of employer brand promises positively influences their perception of 1) their employment experience as being desirable and distinctive, 2) their organization as being a great place to work, 3) their happiness to spend the rest of their career at the organization, and 4) their lack of frequency in thinking of leaving the organization, and these positive perceptions, in turn, further influence employees’ organizational citizenship and task performances.

This study investigates the potential to develop an analytical framework for the measurement of city brands. The research objectives are: (1) to identify any city brand attribute dimensions; (2) to develop a research framework to investigate the city branding related attributes that impact on city branding; (3) to develop a research process to identify additional attributes or variables that have not been recognised as components of city branding in related literature; (4) to develop a city brand measurement tool; and (5) to refine a city brand measurement tool using a case study approach. The research process took a standard format of literature review, method development, data collection and analysis, work critique and further work discussion. The purpose of the literature review was to identify a gap in the city branding academic literature in relation to the existence of a concise city branding measurement framework. A judgement was made that the literature search should also incorporate three brand related subject areas: corporate branding (including corporate reputation); city branding and country branding. The primary research instrument phase 1 was then developed. It took the form of a combined semi-structured interview guideline and a questionnaire. The semi-structured interview was devised to detect potential attributes not identified in the literature review. The questionnaire was devised to test the veracity of the finalised potential city branding attributes derived from the literature review. The target audience consisted of city branding experts from four cities: Dubai; Dublin; Manchester; and Moscow. This enabled views from different cultures and aspects to be explored. They were interviewed and asked to complete the questionnaire. The results of the primary research phase 1 were analysed. New potential attributes were identified from the semi-structured interviews; and added to the listings. Furthermore, most potential city branding attributes were retained from the questionnaire analysis. However, some of the attributes were deemed to be not applicable and deleted from the research instrument. The primary research instrument phase 2, a questionnaire, was derived from the remaining potential city brand attributes from the phase 1 questionnaire analysis and the addition of the potential new attributes. A sample of one hundred and fifty people took part in the research focused on the cities of London and Paris. The sample population consisted of an international population who are UK and Irish residents. It was established that participants had awareness and some knowledge of the two target cities. The results from the primary research instrument phase 2 were initially analysed using exploratory factor analysis. The results provided a refined list of potential city brand attributes. The attribute list was loosely grouped into three dimensions: city brand personality; city business and infrastructure attributes and city cultural/educational and history related attributes. These results were then analysed using confirmatory factor analysis. Subsequently 46 city brand attributes were identified: 16 within a city personality dimension, 16 within a business related and infrastructure dimension and 14 within a history and culture dimension. The finalised city brand measurement framework is then described. An ensuing critique of this study and suggestions or further related work is provided.

M.A. (Marketing Communication) / Communication in the 21st century has been defined as a practice through which members of society achieve shared meanings through the exchange of information, so that the making and managing of meaning creates a shared understanding of a social reality. Recent research emphasises the strong influence of communication platforms such as the media which encapsulates social thought, social discourse and reflects social reality, notwithstanding the prolific digital media as one of the most intriguing benefits of 21st century communication, specifically in the arena of brands and brand awareness. As such, a brand is a promise made by its owners to its consumers, creating brand perceptions and expectations as conveyed by the story of the brand through its various forms of communication. More specifically, media content significantly contributes to consumer perceptions and aspirations to interact with a brand because 21st century media in collaboration with the brand and media-savvy 21st century consumer creates awareness of a social reality such as brand consumption, by influencing public interest on specific characteristics such as the iconicity of a brand, thus setting the agenda for public discourse on the brand. As such the brand achieves an optimal competitive advantage, which contributes to its iconicity or collective high regard that the media find difficult to ignore, thus the application of the principles of the agenda-setting theory, which implies that the media is a fundamental contributor to social thought and discourse, creating public conversation and interest in the brand, ideally infusing the market with profitable awareness of the brand. In acknowledgement of the recognition of the African Development Bank as Africa’s premier development finance institution and as such, an iconic brand, this study addresses the research problem which explores how the African Development Bank uses its iconic branding in order to establish profitable brand awareness among its public sector clients.

El objetivo principal de esta tesis es el desarrollo de un plan de entrada al mercado peruano para las tiendas BubbleGummers, marca infantil perteneciente a la empresa de calzado Bata, con experiencias exitosas de este formato en Chile y Colombia. La oportunidad detectada se basa en la ausencia de participantes en el mercado con una propuesta integral de ropa, calzado y accesorios infantiles. Ante esta situación, la propuesta comercial de BubbleGummers se orienta a cubrir las necesidades de vestimenta infantil mediante productos de excelente calidad, con diseños innovadores y divertidos, además de su aroma a chicle como elemento diferenciador con respecto a las marcas competidoras. Esta tesis se ha desarrollado de acuerdo con las pautas de la investigación exploratoria y de la investigación concluyente. La primera, nos proporcionó los datos cualitativos necesarios para comprender la situación del calzado y ropa infantil en el país. La segunda, nos ayudó a conocer las características, preferencias, hábitos de compra de los potenciales clientes y consumidores, así como la estimación de la demanda. A través de la ejecución de cuatro focus groups (tres con madres de familia y uno con niños) y una encuesta a 398 madres, se estableció un mercado objetivo de mujeres de entre 28 y 45 años, con hijos de 1 a 8 años de edad, que vivan en Lima, pertenecientes a los segmentos B2 y C1. De acuerdo con la investigación de mercado se descubrió que los aspectos más valorados por las madres encuestadas eran la calidad de las prendas, así como su diseño y precio. Se debe resaltar, además, que el 86% de las madres encuestadas indicó su preferencia por realizar las compras de prendas y calzado en un solo lugar; el 87% conocía la marca BubbleGummers; y el 82% mostraba una predisposición favorable a comprar en una tienda de esta marca. El proyecto sugiere la implementación de 4 tiendas en Lima Metropolitana al final del primer año. Luego del análisis de la demanda y las proyecciones de venta, contempladas en un período de 5 años, se obtiene que los indicadores económicos que ofrece el proyecto son atractivos, ya que se muestran resultados positivos desde el segundo año y un retorno de la inversión positivo desde el tercer año, de 4%, y al término de los primeros cinco años de 105%. El análisis del valor actual neto (S/ 289.802) supera las expectativas con una tasa de descuento alta (28%), lo que sustenta la viabilidad del proyecto. Finalmente, la presente tesis sugiere que de considerarse la implementación del modelo, se deberán plantear futuras investigaciones respecto de los tres factores críticos de éxito: tendencias del mercado, nuevas ubicaciones y gestión del riesgo.

Even big companies cannot guarantee their brands never ever fail customers. Recently the brand failures of Toyota taught us a vivid lesson that a brand takes decades to be built up but to be ruined overnight. Although, the advantages of building global brands are well recognized in literature, the superiorities of global brands in brand failure context are not yet studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of perceived brand globalness (PBG) on consumer affective and behavioral responses to brand failures. Global brands are perceived superior to local brands due to factors like higher quality perceptions and prestige feelings. Based on attribution theory, consumers are expected to have less negative responses to the failure of a brand which has a higher (vs. lower) PBG. Two studies were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Both studies were 2 (high PBG vs. low PBG brand) × 2 (failure present vs. absent) between subjects factorial designs. More than 200 respondents participated in the experiments. Study 1 examined the effects of PBG on consumer responses to fictitious brands. In order to increase the generalizability of research, Study 2 used established brands to find out the effects of PBG on consumer responses while controlling the confounding variables of brand familiarity and brand equity of the selected established brands. The results indicate that the more a brand is perceived global, the less negative responses consumers have toward the failures. Moreover, this thesis examines the moderating role of consumer ethnocentrism on the relationship between PBG and consumer responses. The proposed hypotheses are generally supported. The findings enrich the literature and benefit the marketing practitioners by broadening their views of building global brands.

Secondary data defines employee engagement as “a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success and are able at the same time to enhance their own sense of well-being” (Guest, 2009). Corporate branding is defined as “the systematic planned management of behaviours, communication, and symbolism in order to attain a favourable and positive reputation with target audiences of an organisation” (Foster, Punjaisri&Cheng, 2010). This research paper has three research questions which examine the relationship between employee perception of a corporate brand and employee engagement; what impact strong corporate brands have on employee engagement and lastly examines demographical factors that may impact employee engagement.The study design was non-probability and convenience sampling was used. Statistical tools that were used in this study included t-test, correlation analysis, Cronbach’s alpha test and factor analysis. The data was collected from seven organisations namely: MTN, BMW, Absa, McDonalds, KFC, Eskom and Pep which are located within South Africa. The questionnaire was delivered to a 150 respondents across seven organisations.The research results indicate that corporate brand variables: brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived brand quality, brand leadership, perceived brand value, brand personality, brand organisation and brand differentiation, have a positive influence on employee engagement.The findings from this research can contribute to the body of knowledge within the domain of improving employee engagement within organisations, which will result in increased profitability, reduced turnover, improved working environment and enhanced employee satisfaction. The primary audience for the study will be the academic community and more specifically individuals interested in marketing and general business and managerial practices. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Titel: Fängsla oss annars Zzzz… Författare: Nellie Lindéen och Ida Andersson Institution: Linnéuniversitetet, Ekonomihögskolan  Program: Human Resource Management  Kurs: Företagsekonomi III – Organisation, Examensarbete  Handledare: Jasmina Beharic  Examinator: Mikael Lundgren Problemformulering: Hur föredrar medarbetare tillhörande generation Z att arbetsgivare arbetar med intern employer branding för att generationen ska vilja stanna i en organisation?                     Syfte: Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen för hur arbetsgivare kan arbeta med intern employer branding för att få medarbetare tillhörande generation Z att vilja stanna i organisationen. Vår förhoppning är att arbetsgivare med hjälp av studien ska kunna öka sina teoretiska kunskaper om alternativa sätt att arbeta med generation Z för att senare kunna applicera dessa kunskaper i praktiken. Metod: En kvalitativ studie med induktiv ansats. Empirin samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio respondenter tillhörande generation Z. Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att generation Z söker utvecklingsmöjligheter och trivsel i form av starka kollegiala band för att vilja stanna i en organisation. Om än något mindre viktiga framställs även miljöarbete och digitaliserade processer som viktiga faktorer. Arbetsgivaren kan tillmötesgå dessa behov genom att inkludera development-, application-, social- , management- samt interest value i arbetet med intern employer branding.  Nyckelord: Generation Z, Employer branding, Intern employer branding / Title: Capture us, otherwise Zzzz… Authors: Nellie Lindéen and Ida Andersson  Institution: Linnaeus University, School of Business and Econmics Program: Human Resource Management  Course  Business Administration III - Organization, Bachelor Thesis Supervisor: Jasmina Beharic  Examiner: Mikael Lundgren Statement of problem: How do employees of generation Z prefer an employer to work with internal employer branding to make sure the generation stays in the organization? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of how employers can work with internal employer branding to make employees within generation Z, stay in the organization. Our hope is that with the help of this study, employers will be able to increase their theoretical knowledge of alternative ways of working with generation Z in order to be able to apply these skills in their daily practice later on. Method: A qualitative method with an inductive approach. The empirical material was collected with semi-structured interviews with nine respondents within generation Z.  Conclusion: The results of this study shows that generation Z seek opportunities to develop but also well-being in shapes of strong collegial bonds to stay within an organization. Although, slightly less important, environmental work and digitized processes are also presented as important factors. The employer can meet these needs by including development, application, social, management and interest value in their work with internal employer branding. Keywords:Generation Z, Employer branding, Intern employer branding

This research investigates the ways in which Unilever's LUX soap has repositioned their brand away from their historical association with beauty pageants. This research aims to unpack the ways in which Instagram is utilised by LUX soap to effectively communicate a distinct brand personality. This research identifies that the repositioning of the brand on Instagram was achieved through a strategy that integrated social media influencers and brand events, whilst incorporating social marketing. Not only does this research focus on LUX's branding on Instagram, it critically engages with the content from a postfeminist perspective. This is the secondary theoretical engagement of this work. The paper highlights the ways in which the content is postfeminist in nature and how this was incorporated into the branding messages. The main focus of this dissertation is the #MoreThanYouCanSee and #EvenMore LUX soap campaigns. Through a mixed methodology of interviews, content analysis, and survey the paper focuses on the ways in which LUX created a relationship with their customers on Instagram and effectively repositioned the brand. The research suggests that three key techniques were repeated on Instagram to effectively create new associations with the LUX brand during the #MoreThanYouCanSee and #EvenMore extension campaign. The paper, furthermore, suggests that the LUX soap campaign employs postfeminist rhetoric in their Instagram strategy. This dissertation argues that the development of a strategy consisting of branded events, social media influencers, and social marketing content allowed LUX soap to reposition their brand.