<p>Abstract</p><p>Date: June 2, 2010</p><p>Program: MIMA – International Marketing</p><p>Course name: Master Thesis (EFO 705)</p><p>Title: An Exploratory Study on Thailand‟s Young Women: Consumer Behavior toward Purchasing Luxury Fashion Brands</p><p>Authors: Kamolwan Tovikkai (851125)Wiwatchai Jirawattananukool (841111)</p><p>Group number: 2462</p><p>Tutor: Konstantin Lampou</p><p>Problem: If and how personal value, social recognition, and demographics impact Thai female students luxury fashion brand purchases and which marketing strategies should be used to influence their purchase intention?</p><p>Purpose: -To identify what motivates Thai female students in purchasing luxury fashion brands -To identify the most effective strategies to use in penetrating the market and keeping the loyalty of customers Thailand.</p><p>Method: Quantitative research method via survey was used for this research. Survey questionnaires were distributed to sample groups. The variables used in this paper personal values, social, recognition, intention to buy products, and demographics. Both primary and secondary type of data collection were used for this research.</p><p>Conclusion: Based on the demographic information, there are two indicators that are significant to purchase intentions of Thai female students on luxury fashion brands. Social status is one of the significant indicators of socialiiirecognition variable. There is a strong level of relationship on Thai female students toward luxury fashion products. Personal Values‟ indicators can be utilized on Thai female students as the following; materialism, the need for uniqueness, conformity, and vanity. All of them have strong levels of significance. However, Ethnocentrism has no relationship and effect with the luxury fashion product in Thailand.</p><p>Key words: Thai female students, Luxury fashion products, Luxury fashion brands, Consumer behavior</p>

<p>Background: Brand strategy tends to become an important management issue. It is therefore interesting to reach a greater understanding about how companies work to make their existing brands stronger. The purpose of a brand is to influence the customers’ view of the brand image. The literature is insufficient concerning how leaders handle the process of repositioning a brand, in order to change the brand image. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to, from a management perspective; describe how the process of repositioning a brand continues. The aim is also to describe which aspects within the brand that are changing. Also, our aim is to identify the underlying causes of repositioning a brand. The main focus of the thesis is, however, the first two research questions. </p><p>Research method: We have conducted 16 personal interviews with representatives of Volvo, Indiska, Scan Foods, Bageri Skogaholm, Coop, Arla Foods, Carlsberg Sverige and Lindex. We also conducted interviews with the advertising agencies that the companies work with.</p><p>Results: Repositioning a brand is a time-consuming process that involves the whole company. The process constitutes a certain pattern, formed as different steps. The process contains changes in the brand identity and/or changes in the communication. Generally, the process characterizes recruitment of new competence to handle brand issues.</p>

<p>Background: In the existing branding literature there is no distinction made between theories for building product- and services brands although services have very different characteristics compared to products. The services characteristics imply that the customer has a high need of reassurance that the right brand choice is being made, which ought to bring forth the role of trust in the relationship between the customer and the service brand. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose is to analyze the process of building a service brand and the role of trust in this process. </p><p>Delimitations: The study will include the financial service sector since the complexity of services is brought to its head in this case. Realization: In total, 13 interviews were conducted with company representatives at SEB and Östgöta Brandstodsbolag, a Brand Consultant and customers of financial service companies. </p><p>Results: We suggest that when it comes to the process of building a service brand, the emphasis of the elementsdiffer somewhat compared to the building of product brands, where the emphasis is put on brand identity and in particular trust. When it comes to trust, a positive reputation could initially serve to signal trust but it is the actual encounter with the staff that determines the trustworthiness of the service brand.</p>

<p>Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera styrkor och svagheter i byggandet av varumärket Asea Brown Boveri, ABB i Storvik. Det ska vidare påvisa om varumärket bör ompositioneras i kundernas sinne, och i så fall hur denna ompositionering skulle kunna åstadkommas. Studien baseras på litteraturstudier samt intervjuer med sju externa kunder och två interna medarbetare på ABB. Resultaten visar på tydliga brister i varumärket inom projektarbeten medan de inom ramen för service och reparationer har en relativt stark position på marknaden. En ompositionering av varumärket är därför nödvändig, vilket kan åstadkommas bland annat via utökade resurser och åtgärder inom marknadsföringen.</p> / <p>The purpose of this study is to identify the strenghts and weaknesses in brand building of Asea Brown Boveri, ABB in Storvik. It shall point out if the brand should be repositioned in the minds of the customers, and if so how this repositioning could be managed. The study is based upon litterature studies and interviews with seven external customers as well as two internal employees at ABB. The result clearly shows faults in the brand within projects, while as in the fields of service and maintenance they posess a relatively strong position on the market. A repositioning of the brand is thereby necessary, which can be done among other things by increased resourches and measures in marketing.</p>

<p>This thesis aims at investigating consumers’ perceptions on the incorporation of an established brand and how the general attitude and buying behaviour is altered in the course of an acquisition. The combination of two or more brands in a newly formed conglomerate implies a combination of values, principles and associations that might affect a company’s appeal. Therefore, underlying reasons for M&As will be elaborated upon as well as branding concepts based on brand image, loyalty and reputation in order to bridge the two theoretical areas with a case study. The acquisition of Body Shop International by L’Oréal represents the practical case, which will be analysed in reference to consumers’ reactions towards it. Quantitative consumer questionnaires will be conducted in order to collect representative data on consumers’ perceptions and associations of the brand Body Shop. Moreover, an expert interview with a Body Shop representative will be executed in order to add the company’s perspective. By analysing the results of the questionnaire, the thesis reveals an observable trend towards a correlation of the awareness of the acquisition and a negative shift in customer perception. The buying behaviour is however not found to be influenced by the combination of the two firms. In conclusion, it can be stated that the need for pre-acquisition analysis regarding strategic fit and compatibility of values and associations is assured. The study clearly identifies that brand dilution is a possible threat for established brands and implies the risk of lost credibility and loyalty.</p>

<p><strong>Syfte:</strong> Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga kundernas köpbeteenden i en inredningsbutik, Divas Boning och att diskutera hur dessa kan påverkas och bidra till ökad konsumtionsnivå hos kunderna.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Metod: </strong>Vi har valt att använda oss av både en kvalitativ metod i form av en intervju samt en kvantitativ metod i form av en enkät. Dessa presenteras var och en för sig i empirikapitlet. Analyser har sedan gjorts också uppdelat i kvantitativ- och kvalitativ data.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Resultat & slutsats: </strong>Vår studie visar att det är av stor vikt att Divas Boning tydligt positionera sig och arbetar med sina kundrelationer. Vår studie visar även att valet av sortiment i hög grad påverkar hur butiken uppfattas och att det är viktigt att som mindre inredningsbutik inte bara se liknande butiker som konkurrenter utan även större kedjor. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Förslag till fortsatt forskning:</strong> Som fortsatt forskning skulle vi finna det intressant och lärorikt att studera branschen ur ett vidare perspektiv och göra en grundlig konkurrensanalys av Divas Bonings alla konkurrenter. I denna studie kan vi endast beröra köpbeteendet hos Divas Bonings kunder. Det skulle även vara intressant att studera skillnader mellan handel i fysisk miljö och på Internet.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Uppsatsens bidrag: </strong>Förutom kunskapen att arbeta med teoretiska modeller har vår studie framförallt bidragit med kunskap om Divas Bonings nuvarande kunder. Vi har fått en god uppfattning om kundernas köpbeteenden, vad de har för uppfattningar och behov. Denna studie kommer också att vara användbar för Divas Boning i deras marknadsplanering.</p><p><strong> </strong></p>

<p>Bakgrund och syfte: Det är viktigt för ett företag idag att hitta en position på marknaden som fungerar i ett långsiktigt perspektiv. Dessutom gäller det för företaget att på ett tydligt sätt positionera sin produkt eller sitt varumärke i kundernas medvetande. Ett företag som inte är nöjd med positioneringen kan välja, eller är tvunget, att ompositionera.</p><p>Vi har studerat fastighetsföretaget Norrviddens arbete med ompositioneringar av två varumärken, galleriorna Flanör i Gävle och In: i Sundsvall. Syftet är att undersöka när och varför ett företag är i behov av att ompositionera sitt varumärke eller sin produkt samt att beskriva hur processen kan gå till. Huvudfrågorna uppsatsen behandlar är:</p><p>- Varför genomför ett företag en ompositionering av ett varumärke?</p><p>- Vilka strategier kan ett företag använda sig av vid en ompositionering?</p><p>- Hur kan en ompositioneringsprocess gå till?</p><p>Metod: Vi har gjort en fallstudie där vi har arbetat med ett induktivt angreppssätt med utgångspunkt i empirin. För att samla in data har vi gjort två kvalitativa intervjuer med dels Maria Davidson som är centrumledare på Flanör och dels Jan-Åke Eriksson som är shoppingansvarig på Norrvidden Fastigheter AB. Innan intervjuerna sammanställde vi relevanta teorier och modeller som ligger till grund för uppsatsen och de frågor vi ställde till intervjupersonerna.</p><p>Utifrån de data vi samlat in har vi gjort intressanta iakttagelser och försökt se samband med de modeller och teser som teoriavsnittet behandlar. I analys- och diskussionskapitlet presenterar vi våra tankar kring detta.</p><p>Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Organisation, ledarskap och beslutsfattande inom företag är inte vad denna uppsats primärt avser att behandla och fortsatta studier med fokus på någon av dessa delar skulle vara intressant. Det vore även intressant att följa upp arbetet med flanör efter färdigställandet, för att se hur Norrvidden lyckats med positioneringsarbetet.</p><p>Resultat: För att konkurrera på marknaden såg Norrvidden ompositioneringarna som ett måste. Flanör var väldigt nedgånget, kändes omodernt och var i behov av förnyelse. I Sundsvall byggde Norrvidden ihop två gallerior och blev då tvungna att arbeta fram ett helt nytt varumärke som skulle passa det nya konceptet.</p><p>För Flanör var positioneringsstrategin att förstärka sin position på marknaden genom att skapa en modernare och trendigare galleria. För In: var strategin att hitta en ny position på marknaden då man inte ville behålla det gamla som den tidigare gallerian Världshuset stod för.</p> / <p>Aim: On today´s market it´s important to find a position that is sustainable over time. To position a product or a brand in the mind of the consumers in a clear way is crucial. If a company is unsatisfied with their position, they can choose, or might be forced to, reposition the brand.</p><p>In this paper we have been studying how the real estate company Norrvidden is repositioning two of their brands, Flanör in Gävle and In: in Sundsvall. The purpose of this study is to explore when and why a company needs to reposition their brand or product, also what this process can look like. The main questions in this paper are:</p><p>- Why does a company reposition their brand?</p><p>- What strategies can be used to reposition the brand?</p><p>- What can a reposition process look like?</p><p>Method: We have used a case study which is based on the empirical information. To collect data we have interviewed two people at Norrvidden Fastigheter AB, Maria Davidson and Jan-Åke Eriksson. Before the interviews we gathered relevant theories and models which the questions is based on.</p><p>We have compared the empirical information with the theories and models to find possible connections and illuminate interesting observations. We present our thoughts concerning this in the final chapter; analyze and discussion.</p><p>Suggestions for future research:</p><p>Organization, leadership and the decision making process is not what we have been focusing on in this paper. We believe that this is something that varies between different companies and we suggest that future research within this subject would be interesting.</p><p>Results: Norrvidden saw the reposition of their brands as the only way to be able to compete on the market. Flanör was old fashioned and in need of renovation. In Sundsvall, Norrvidden brought two separate gallerias together and felt they had to come up with a new brand to fit the concept.</p><p>In Flanörs case the positioning strategy is to reinforce their position on the market by creating a modern and fashionable galleria. The strategy for In: is to find a new position on the market.</p>

<p><strong>Syfte: </strong>Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera varumärkeshanteringen i olika ideella organisationer i Sverige. </p><p><strong>Metod:</strong> I denna uppsats har författarna använts sig av kvalitativa metoder samt utgått från en abduktiv ansats. De primära data är fem intervjuer med fem ideella organisationer i Sverige som arbetar för olika ändamål. Dessa intervjuer har valts utifrån ett bekvämlighetsurval.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Resultat och slutsatser: </strong>Av resultatet framgår det att de ideella organisationerna arbetar med sitt varumärke beroende på vilka resurser de har, vilken storlek organisationen har och vilka ändamål de arbetar för. Författarna av studien anser att varumärkeshantering inte är ett högt prioriterat område för samtliga ideella organisationer eftersom de behöver lägga sina resurser på rätt företeelse, vilket är deras ändamål. Om organisationerna skulle lägga mycket tid på varumärkeshantering och marknadsföring skulle detta leda till att allmänheten blir skeptiska och börja undra om organisationerna använder pengarna på rätt sätt. Eftersom det saknas modeller för ideella organisationers varumärkeshantering har uppsatsförfattarna med hjälp av Melin och Aakers modeller, skapat en egen modell som är anpassad för ideella organisationer.</p> / <p><strong>Aim:</strong> The aim of this thesis is to analyze brand management in the different non-profit organizations in Sweden. </p><p><strong>Method:</strong> In this thesis, the authors used qualitative methods and an abductive approach. The primary data consists of five interviews with five non-profit organizations in Sweden that work for different purposes. The choice of non-profit organizations is based on convenience sample. </p><p><strong>Results and conclusions:</strong> The results showed that the non-profit organizations are working on its brand depending on what resources they have, what size the organization is and what purposes they are working for. The authors of the study, think that brand management is not a high priority for all non-profit organizations because they need to put their resources in the right property, which is their purpose. If non-profit organizations would spend a lot of time on brand management and marketing, it would result in the public being skeptical and start wondering if the organizations use the money properly. Since there are no models for brand management in non-profit organizations, the authors of the study has created a model adjusted for non-profit organizations with the help of the models by Melin and Aaker.</p>

<p>Purpose/Aim: The aim of this paper is to find out how the new media landscape and new communication channels is altering how companies and organizations can reach out with their messages. The aim is also to shine light on the different trends within advertising today and also to discuss the Tivo-effect ie. that consumers are doing whatever possible to avoid advertisements.</p><p>Material/ Method: I have used a qualitative research method where I have interviewed a number of people working in advertising in Sweden. The paper also includes material from books, article and various websites.</p><p>Main results: In order for advertising agencies to create successful advertisement and to generate positive associations around a certain brand, it’s crucial that the advertisement is relevant for the target group. The advertisement and the brand need to be looked upon as genuine and ’real’. In order to create that type of ads and generate a positive outlook for the brand the advertisement needs to be researched properly. In order for agencies and it’s clients to reach their intended target group by using new media their is a need to create ads that provide value for the consumer. The bottom line seems to be that in order to make successful advertisements today you need to work harder, you need to know your brand more intimately and more than ever you need to have extensive consumer insights on a deeper level.</p>

<p>Recent years have seen a significant increase in growth of the Asian luxury market, of which China has clearly come to make up the new major market. As the strategic considerations for international companies differ between countries, an individual approach needs to be adopted to customize operations. With this master’s thesis, the author aims to map out the key current challenges for international luxury fashion companies in China. Through in-depth interviews with industry experts, the study identifies and analyzes a set of thirteen challenges, and finds unique issues within each of the challenges investigated. While further research is needed to further validate the findings of the study, its results points towards a broad spectrum of challenges and considerations, thus purposedly acting as a springboard for future research.</p>