All fashion brands work with PR in some way, its importance is evident. At the same time it is expensive and difficult to say what it provides, consequently one may wonder whether if it is all worth it. Existing literature leaves a gap of missing research in PR and especially in PR events. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute with an increased understanding of PR events in the fashion industry, by an open approach. In more detail, the purpose is to explore the fundamental aspects of PR events in the fashion industry, and how such events contribute to brand equity. The method used was a qualitative case study, including descriptive and exploratory research methods. The data collection consists of participant observations, during an internship at a PR agency, and semi structured interviews with five participants. A cross case synthesis analysis method was used with a comparative approach. The fundamental aspects of PR events and its contribution to brand equity, was found to differ and depend to a great extent. The main dependent variable is the strategy and objective of the brand. The findings show that a PR event is a marketing activity and a communication tool/channel, of which the end goal is to create sales. Important aspects include relationships, reputation/image and experiences. PR events contribute to brand awareness and brand associations, however the contribution to perceived quality and brand loyalty was found to be less evident. PR events may have a positive effect, negative effect, or no effect. It is possible to evaluate events to some extent. Quantitative and qualitative aspects are discussed, both as possible and less usable methods. The results were found to be wide and extensive, opening up for more questions rather than providing answers. Future research could narrow the scope to a less extensive range of PR events, in order to generate answers that may be more useable. The data collection methods could, for the same reason, be more structured. The study adds knowledge to existing theories to the area of PR events. By the open approach, this study draws attention to the rather unexplored and undiscovered topic of PR events, and brings focus to the discussion of its value. The qualitative research method brings attention to considering both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The findings are of interest to brands that use or consider using PR events, and want to gain a more clear picture of the events and their contributions to brand equity.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In a global era of growing consumer economies, retailers rely extensively on the exploitation of consumers’ personal and behavioural information, in order to successfully execute and sustain their business models and strategic objectives. The gathering and mining of consumers’ personal and behavioural information represent tremendous potential in the application of relationship marketing tactics, towards consumer intimacy, and ultimately towards competitive advantage. However, in their quest to understand consumers better, retailers need to be acutely aware of consumers’ views regarding the gathering and use of their personal and behavioural information, in order to derive the associated benefits whilst mitigating the risk of alienating consumers. To this end, the main objective of this research assignment was to understand the thoughts and feelings of a selected sample of retail consumers, regarding the use of their personal and behavioural information in relationship marketing tactics. The research aim was achieved through a qualitative exploration of the thoughts and feelings of thirty millennial retail consumers who shared their individual views in written format and small group interviews. Cognitive mapping was used as the central technique for the coding and interpretation of written and interview data, depicting the central themes of consumer rationale, as well as the causal relationships of the concepts, which influenced their sentiment and decisions. The insights produced by the cognitive mappings were triangulated using additional techniques of sentiment analysis and word frequency analysis. The combination of research techniques produced robust overarching insights of universal value, coupled with insights of specific subtleties alluding to consumer groups with differentiated engagement needs. Universal insights included strong negative sentiment whenever consumer participants considered the possibility that retailers with whom they engage on the basis of their personal information could potentially share such personal information with third-party entities outside of their explicit or implicit relationship with a particular trusted retailer. Similarly, the personally intrusive nature of telemarketing as an engagement and communication channel was met with universal disdain at every mention thereof, clearly eliminating it as a viable channel for any retailer who would seek to build and sustain trusted consumer relationships. The sample of participants revealed four broad groups of millennial consumers, each with different preferences of engagement with retailers. The majority of the participants across two groups recognised a conditional and transactional basis for exchanging varying degrees of personal information for a variety of derived benefits. A small group of participants indicated a clear preference towards avoiding engagement on a personal basis and sharing of personal information with retailers. A similarly small group of participants exhibited general openness and willingness to engage retailers and share personal and behavioural information with little restraint or concern. The insights derived from this research assignment provide a solid foundational exploration for future research on the specific and related topics, whilst the application of the cognitive mapping technique provided profound multi-dimensional insights. Businesses stand to gain potential material benefit through the careful consideration of the terms of engagement with their consumers, as provided through the universal and specific insights of this research assignment.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

<p> </p><p>Background: In mobile phone industry, Smartphones are gaining popularity as an effective communication tool, providing users with “Smart” functionalities of both cell-phone and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). Experts in mobile industry expect that smartphones are going to be dominant in mobile phone market. However, Smartphone industry is facing a different reality, with its declining sales and less market share, forcing research companies (Gartner, Canalys, etc.) to change their expectations. This situation leads us to another important and often ignored perspective of innovation challenges, i.e. consumers' resistance; as consumers' adoption and purchase decision makes a significant difference in the success of innovative products.</p><p>Problem: Innovation has been called as a key factor for companies to survive and grow in the long run, especially in the dynamic & complex markets and uncertain economic circumstances. Despite the successful outcome of innovations, inhibition or delay in the diffusion of innovation may translate this success into market failure, where resistance has been called as one of the main reasons for inhibiting or delaying the innovation diffusion. Consumers adoption of innovation depend upon several factors: the most important of which are specified as consumers’ characteristics (psychological characteristics of consumers; how they view the innovativeness with respect to that particular product), and the innovation characteristics (outcome and effects of innovation). Past research on innovation & consumers characteristics represents good relationship among the innovation/consumers factors and the adoption/implementation of that innovation by consumers.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the relationship between consumers' resistance and different factors from innovation and consumers' characteristics. Thereafter, important factors are identified that mainly affect/determine consumers' resistance to smartphones. Moreover, the inter-relationship (correlation) among the selected factors is found out, to know the affects of each factor on other factors.</p><p>Method: Following abductive approach, confirmatory factor analysis has been done on pre-test questionnaires to test, improve, and verify the constructs (variables/questions) for measuring the hypothesized factors. A theoretical model has been proposed from the hypotheses; and Structural Equation Modeling has been applied, where results are estimated through Partial Least Square and AMOS approaches, using a sample of 330 respondents from Sweden. SmartPLS software has been used to estimate results, thereafter, AMOS has been used to check and verify the results. Almost same results have been derived from both approaches, while results from PLS are found as more satisfactory.</p><p>Conclusions: Five out of eight hypotheses have been supported by our empirical data, where H1 i.e. relative advantage, H3 i.e. complexity, and H4 i.e. perceived risk, are from innovation characteristics, while H6 i.e. motivation, and H7 i.e. „favorable attitude towards existing products‟ are from consumers' characteristics. Motivation, Complexity, Relative Advantage, and Perceived Risk are found as important factors (as per their order) that affect/determine consumers' resistance to smartphones. Relative Advantage & Motivation are found as positively correlated, and Perceived Risk & Complexity are found as positively correlated. Negative correlation has been found between Perceived Risk and relative advantage. Similarly, negative correlation has been found between motivation and complexity. The proposed model of consumers resistance to smartphones shows an acceptable goodness of fit, where 65% (R-square value) of variation in consumers resistance is caused/explained by the hypothesized factors.</p><p> </p> / The Presentation (Defense) has been attended by Cecilia Bjursel instead of our supervisor Desalegn Abraha.

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The United States is in an emerging period of transition, shifting to online multimedia campaigns. This research attempts to explore general knowledge of multimedia expansion, and through qualitative research methods provide a successful model for the development of an effective promotion tool. Findings from the heuristic study showed users preferences for varying forms of media, thus demonstrating the need to provide content in many different forms. The findings from this study aide in the development of multimedia, and illustrate the need for further studies in the use of multimedia as a promotion tool. / Department of Telecommunications

The primary aim of this thesis is to apply chaos theory to consumer behaviour research. Chaos theory is essentially a theory of time series. The specific focus is product choice consumption behaviour. The conceptual basis for the work is taken from a theory thus far developed entirely outwith the topic focus of consumer research and marketing. The concepts and methods developed by chaos theorists in the natural sciences and some social and behavioural sciences are synthesised with concepts and methods from consumer research. The objective is to both shed light on the consumption process and explore the potential of chaos theory in this field. Ultimately the work attempts to address the question of whether consumer behaviour can be 'chaotic' as described by chaos theory.In order to facilitate these objectives a diary study was conducted using sixty respondents. They were required to record their consumption of branded products for a period of three months. Five product categories were used with informants recording consumption of only one product type (twelve informants in each group). The product groups were as follows: soft drinks; savoury snacks; beer; chocolate snacks and packaged yoghurts and desserts. The data was coded and analysed by methods selected prior to data capture: weighted time series, spectral analysis and phase space analysis. One of the principal findings of the research was that distinctive forms of behaviour were identifiable within the data set as a whole from which a five-fold typology is proposed. However the complexity and individuality of the forms was marked despite this apparent typology. The spectral analysis shows little evidence of regular or periodic patterned behaviour; the series are essentially aperiodic. The phase space analysis reinforces and enhances the analysis of the weighted time series and suggests the series tend more towards chaos than ordered behaviour. The series obey certain 'rules' (i.e. they are 'randomised' but not random) consistent with the existence of determnistic chaos. Moreover they appear globally stable and locally unstable. These findings have a number of implications for various areas of consumer research (e.g. varety seeking, loyalty and other aspects of consumption) and successfully extend the application of chaos theory to another area of human behaviour research.

The concept of CSR is increasingly important in society, and firms are expected to be profitable while ethical. Deciding how to best engage in CSR activities can be difficult, but using a supply-and-demand framework can help firms to maximize their CSR activities. However, the demand for CSR has been proven difficult to measure, but can perhaps be established when dividing the demand into different components. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate how consumer awareness, attitude, and buying behavior, in relation to CSR, affect each other; to establish a measurement for consumer demand for CSR. To find an answer, an explanatory and a deductive research approach was used and consumers were surveyed in a quantitative study to establish a measurement for the consumer demand for CSR. This study provides both managerial and theoretical implications to the field of CSR. The theoretical implication lies in contributing empirical evidence into the discussion of supply-and-demand for CSR. Practically, this study informs managers, in the fast fashion industry, that consumer attitude can be used as a measurement when establishing the consumer demand for CSR. It is suggested for future research that it would be interesting to use other control variables to further elaborate on the findings of this study.