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A l’heure de la mondialisation, les collectivités locales cherchent en permanence à renouveler leur communication politique et leur marketing territorial et à les différencier de celui des territoires concurrents. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions comment les différents modes d’appréhension de la notion de créativité dans les politiques publiques urbaines répondent à ces enjeux. Notre analyse porte sur les projets de « territoires 2.0 » ou de « territoires créatifs », ayant dès leur émergence, étroitement associé des institutions politiques et publiques ainsi que des cercles d’experts. Au regard des dispositifs de communication d’influence facilitant l’incorporation de ces notions dans l’action publique locale, quelles sont les transformations en cours des stratégies de promotion des territoires ? En particulier, comment les modes de relation aux habitants, aux acteurs économiques et aux touristes, qui s’étaient instaurés à la faveur des actions de communication développées à partir des années 1980, se transforment- ils aujourd’hui? L’analyse croisée des discours d’experts et des pratiques locales, recueillies à travers des études documentaires, des observations directes et des entretiens (non directifs et semi-directifs), au sein de plusieurs territoires emblématiques, met en exergue l’apparition d’une offre métropolitaine mise en avant dans les discours de la politique publique locale, témoignant d’une évolution de la communication territoriale vers le marketing territorial. / AIn the era of globalization, local authorities are permanently looking to renew their political communication and territorial branding and differentiate them from competing territories. This thesis will examine how the different ways to apprehend creativity in urban public policy are answering those challenges. Our analysis relies on « territories 2.0 » or « creative territories » projects, which have closely linked political and public institutions to experts circles since their emergence. Considering the influence communication systems, which provide an easier use of those notions in local public actions, what are the current transformations affecting territorial branding strategies? More precisely, to what extent are the relationships with citizen, economic players and tourists, which have been established thanks to communication strategies developed in the 1980’s, transformed? The crossed analysis of lectures from experts and local practices, collected through documentary studies, direct observations, structured and semi-structured interviews, within several emblematic territories, highlights the emergence of a metropolitan supply promoted through local public policy discourse, which shows an evolution from territorial communication to territorial branding.

The aim of the Master Thesis is to describe how to build Employer Brand a company. It is based on the description of Employer Branding project of a particular company and the evaluation its process. The thesis is a case study and consists of theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part focuses on trends and changes in leadership approach, definition of Employer Branding and HR Marketing. The practical part deals with the brand building process itself, describes the outputs of the project and evaluates the project. The final chapter is devoted to the general applicability of the Employer Branding Strategy and its weaknesses.

The purpose of this diploma thesis is to define HR Marketing strategy of GE Aviation Czech company. The objective is achieved by three conducted researches among company employees, students of technical high schools and universities and also by the monitoring of GE publicity and relevant competitors. The theoretical part is focused on the characteristics of HR Marketing background that is subsequently used in the analytical part of the thesis. The outcome of these conducted researches is the definition of such an activities and marketing channels that can significantly contribute to increasing the efficiency of the recruitment process of the company. The defined strategy includes also basic financial allocation of costs of the proposed activities. Some of the proposed actions have been already implemented; therefore the analytical part describes and evaluates the benefit of these marketing channels.

Dissertation files not currently available online.A brand is emotional, has a personality, and captures the hearts and minds of its customers. Great brands survive attacks from competitors and market trends because of the strong connections they forge with customers (Kotler&Pfoertsch, 2007). Organisations can use this to ensure competitive advantage with the right talent at low costs. Employer branding focuses on how the company is seen by current and potential employees with the aim of winning the war for talent (Ulrich, 1997). Current and potential employees are now looking to work for more responsible organisations – employers of choice. A strong employer brand fosters a positive image, identity or reputation and encourages (current and potential) employees to identify with the organisation. This research explores how organisations can use employer branding to attract and retain talent. A mixed methodology is employed using semi-structured interviews and a survey questionnaire to understand the perception that current and potential employees have about employer branding. Key results of the study are that building both the internal and external employer brand will ease the organisation’s ability to recruit and retain people, and that there are significant gaps between the different perspectives and how they can be managed. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The University of Pretoria is an international institution that has seen many of its alumni carry its good reputation and high standards into the global community. A well rounded student is one who has not only achieved academically, but also has learnt life skills through exposure to different people from all walks of life. The Core Student Centre is the heart of the University's campus that belongs to the students. It is a place where students will feel like they belong, and be unconsciouslyb encouraged to interact with fellow students. Branding in architecture is the vehicle through which centralised management,student ownership and consistency in high standards of service will keep the Core Student Centre as the hub of student activity on the University's campuses. The main campus in Hatfield is the pilot project, then the rest of the University's campuses will have their student centres adapted to have the Core brand be a campus-wide initiative. The students will then know to expect nothing but high quality standards associated with the brand. Copyright 2008, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bhebhe, T 2008, Rejuvenation of the campus core, MInt(Prof) dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11272008-154959 / > C169/eo / Dissertation (MInt(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Architecture / unrestricted

As with the traditional form of print advertising, advertisements were, and still are designed in a particular way to attract the viewer’s attention and direct the attention towards a specific area within the framework of the advertisement. However, besides print advertising, today’s markets require further interaction with consumers and the public at large. This has given rise to the use of experiential brand marketing whereby consumers interact with the brand in out-of-context situations. The advancement of technology has enabled user experiences to go beyond the traditional forms of branding such as television, print, radio and even on-line advertising, websites and so forth and users are able to upload experiential brand experiences instantly on social networking sites. This, in turn, has indicated that marketers need to take full advantage of social networking, PR and audience interaction with brands. Theo Van Leeuwen & Gunther Kress (2005:7) investigated the context of ‘framing’ in visual communication where elements either have some kind of ‘connectedness’ or ‘disconnectedness’. This study focuses on the context of Van Leeuwen’s (2005:7) ‘framing’ of traditional print magazine designs to the environments or brandscapes in which experiential brand activations are taking place. According to Lenderman (2006:52), experiential marketing requires person-to-person networking with consumers who use sophisticated networking tools for respectful conversations between the consumer and the brand. Not only is this a cost effective solution to making a relatively unknown brand reach the masses, but it also allows an opportunity of immediate audience participation and instant recording of data that can spread across a global network. The theoretical base of social semiotics, underpinned by Van Leeuwen’s theory of ‘framing’, forms the theoretical basis of this study, with case studies of various experiential brand activations being analysed. An analysis of the environment in which the brand experience takes place, along with consumer reactions and their reactions to the overall brand experience in terms of experiential branding is studied. The aim of this research is to identify how the interplay of social semiotics could be used to interpret the current trend of user brand experiences in terms of experiential, interactive marketing.

This study explored the guidelines advocated by selected media content analysis with the aim of identifying effective approaches to evaluate audience responses to promotional messages. Drawing from literature and documented deliberations by industry professionals, content-specific analysis protocols were applied and tested using a case study representing topic-specific responses to the Two Oceans Quay 5 product launch. In doing so, a logical observation of the communication in unpaid media placements and relevant discussions distributed in public media channels was completed. It is in this sense that this research enriches the study of public relations with a particular focus on output-driven evaluation. It provides insights into qualitative and quantitative publicity measurement and suggests how these methods can be useful to explicate the impact of media coverage as a public relations element. While it largely focused on discovering improved media content analysis solutions, this study revealed that content-driven analysis can only be useful when its protocols are aligned with the context of the data and if communication practitioners remain aware and transparent of its subjectivity. In this regard, this study helps to generate an understanding of the subjective dynamic of public relations and the importance of in-depth and adaptable publicity assessments to help distinguish public relations as a purposeful branding function next to advertising and marketing.

Given the importance of a business being able to create a positive brand image in the minds of customers and influencing customer purchasing behaviour, there is a lack of attention given to the research of the role that social media tools can play in the success of retailers. Numerous research studies have focussed on determining the advantages of and impact that social media tools can have on the success of businesses, however, the impact of social media tools on the creation of a positive brand image, and influencing customer purchasing behaviour is less evident. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the influence of social media tools on the brand image of retailers and how it affects customer purchasing behaviour. A full literature review was conducted on the retail environment and its importance, as well as on social media as a marketing communication tool. Thereafter, independent variables (Official websites, Facebook and Twitter) were identified as possibly influencing the intervening variable (Brand image) and dependent variable (Customer purchasing behaviour). Three independent variables were selected and used to construct a hypothetical model and research hypothesis. The purpose of these independent variables was to determine whether the use of social media tools could lead to a positive brand image and ultimately improve customer purchasing behaviour. An empirical investigation was undertaken to be able to establish the influence of social media tools on the brand image and customer purchasing behaviour of retail customers. The measuring instrument used for this study, a questionnaire, was constructed from secondary literature sources. The convenience sampling technique was used to identify respondents. The usable questionnaires that were gathered from respondents were examined through statistical analyses. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were used to confirm the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument. Descriptive statistics, as part of the data analyses, were calculated to summarise and allow interpretation of the sample data. Furthermore, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations were calculated to determine correlations among variables used in this study. Multiple regression analysis was the primary statistical procedure used for testing the significance of relationships hypothesised between the independent, intervening and dependent variables of this study. The empirical investigation was concluded by a the calculation of a t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), for the purpose of determining the influence of selected demographic variables on respondents’ perceptions with regard to the independent, intervening and dependent variables. In addition, post-hoc Tukey tests were conducted to determine significant differences among individual mean scores, and the degree of practical significance was determined by calculated Cohen’s d values. Based on the results of the empirical investigation, significant relationships were found among the independent variables (Official websites, Facebook and Twitter), the intervening variable (Brand image) and the dependent variable (Customer purchasing behaviour). The empirical investigation revealed that the age of respondents has a significant impact on how their image of a brand and purchasing behaviour are influenced by retailers’ use of social media tools. This study has made a contribution to the shortage of literature on the impact of social media tools on retailers. The hypothetical model developed for this study assisted in understanding the impact that retailers’ use of social media tools have on the brand image of retailers and customers’ purchasing behaviour. As a result, this study provides recommendations and suggestions for retailers to ensure a positive brand image in the minds of customers, and to ultimately use social media tools to positively influence the purchasing behaviour of customers.

Sport, with the help of the media, plays a huge role in today’s society. Sport fans are following their favourite athlete and teams religiously as they compete locally and internationally. Over a century ago, the first professional athlete was endorsed. Since then companies are investing millions of dollars in athlete endorsement to promote brand awareness under consumers. The surfing industry is no different. With the Association of Professional Surfers (ASP) world tour, the big surf companies are jumping at the opportunity to sponsor pro surfers to market their products. Previous studies have shown athletes can evoke both positive and negative attitudes towards their endorsing brand thus effecting company’s sales. The aim of this study was to research the influence these endorsed pro surfers have on consumer behaviour towards their brand in a local market. A qualitative study was done on local surfers in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Results showed that favourite surfers evoke a positive attitude towards their sponsoring brand. However this influence does not seem to be as significant as in other sports. Surf companies within the industry should be aware of the big influence age has on the consumers behaviour and that different age groups follow different surfers. Companies should choose to sponsor professional surfers that fit the image of the company and the products, not necessarily the professional surfer who performs the best. Using professional surfers in advertising of products does create better brand awareness, but endorsed professional surfers are not likely to change consumer’s perceptions of the endorsing brand’s products.