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This paper aims to demonstrate the utility of branding theory for social marketing services. Specifically, this is to our knowledge the first to investigate brand personality (BP) and brand personality appeal (BPA) in a single study as predictors for consumer attitudes and intentions to engage with a service.

The associations between BP and BPA and their subsequent associations with attitudes and intentions are tested in two service types, i.e. a commercial marketing service (banking) and a social marketing service (health screening). This involved a cross-sectional dual online survey administered to a sample of 395 women 50-69 years old in Queensland, Australia. This sampling criterion represented the primary target audience for the social marketing service, which was breastscreening and was maintained for the banking services sample. Multiple mediation analysis using a bootstrapping approach was conducted using Mplus 6.11.

BP and BPA perform similarly across the two service types. BP and BPA are related and have direct and indirect associations with consumer attitudes and behavioural intentions towards both commercial and social marketing services. Specifically, the BP traits of responsibility and activity were found to have significant direct and indirect relationships with attitudes and behavioural intentions towards both commercial and social marketing services. The relationships for the emotionality and simplicity traits were non-significant. The results also suggest that the attractiveness, favourability and clarity BPA traits had the strongest associations with consumer responses.

This study demonstrates the utility of using branding in social marketing services, which to date has been under-utilised. It also offers originality by combining BP and BPA in the same empirical inquiry, which to date has been examined separately. A new and alternative factor structure for BPA is provided, and future research is recommended to further examine BPA in this and other contexts.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the personalities that are associated with sportswear brands and tests the applicability of Aaker's brand personality framework in the context of sportswear brands.

This study employed Aaker's brand personality framework to empirically investigate the personality of sportswear brands based on data collected from 420 college students.

Results revealed that consumers perceive seven distinct personality dimensions and 53 personality traits in sportswear brands: Competence, Attractiveness, Sincerity, Innovation, Activity, Excitement, and Ruggedness.

This research developed a valid and reliable scale that measures personality for sportswear products and confirms that consumers do associate particular brand personality dimensions with sportswear brands. The findings would help managers in the sportswear market better understand the image of their brand in the minds of consumers and better distinguish their brand from competing brands.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the economic value of celebrity endorsements to Indian firms based on their branding strategy – corporate or house-of-brands – and their “congruence” or “fit” with the celebrity. The overall economic value of endorsements to firms in India, a moderately collectivist culture, is also assessed.

Standard “event study” methodology is used to evaluate the economic value of endorsements under different branding strategies (47 endorsement announcements – 25 corporate brands and 22 house-of-brands). The impact of the level of congruence (assessed using brand personality scales) on abnormal returns is also examined.

Event study results indicate significant positive abnormal returns for corporate brands and insignificant returns to house-of-brands. Moreover, the level of congruence is found to have an insignificant effect on endorsement announcement returns. Overall, celebrity endorsements result in positive economic value to Indian firms.

This study evaluates the differences in the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements (which might form a significant part of advertising costs) to firms following different branding strategies. Findings from this study indicate that celebrity endorsement announcements from house-of-brands do not lead to any significant stock market returns (in terms of market value). Further, contrary to current literature, the results indicate that the congruence between brand and celebrity has no impact on returns to endorsements in India, warranting further examination of whether congruence or likeability is important in endorsements.

This study aims to explore the underdog brand biography dimensions that emerging-country consumers identify with (Study 1) and attempts to uncover the effects of these dimensions on brand affinity and purchase intention moderated by self-identity and brand trust (Study 2).

Study 1, using data from 359 young Indians, reveals three underlying dimensions integral to underdog brand biography in emerging markets. Study 2 uses an experimental setup with a single-factorial design among 332 young Mexican consumers to investigate the direct effects of three identified underdog brand biography dimensions on purchase intention, mediated by brand affinity and moderated by consumer self-identity and brand trust.

Study 1 reveals three dimensions underlying underdog brand biographies: unfavorable circumstances, striving in adversities and passion, and persistent will to succeed. Study 2 reveals that consumers with higher self-identity demonstrate greater purchase intentions for an underdog brand than a top dog one.

The results indicate that marketers can successfully use underdog narratives to influence consumer decision-making, thereby increasing brand affinity and purchase intention.

This study delineates the link between different dimensions of underdog brand biographies with brand affinity and purchase intention in emerging countries and builds on the understanding of the moderating role played by self-identity and brand trust.

The Howard Shuttering Contractors case throws considerable light on the importance which the tribunals attach to warnings before dismissing an employee. In this case the tribunal took great pains to interpret the intention of the parties to the different site agreements, and it came to the conclusion that the agreed procedure was not followed. One other matter, which must be particularly noted by employers, is that where a final warning is required, this final warning must be “a warning”, and not the actual dismissal. So that where, for example, three warnings are to be given, the third must be a “warning”. It is after the employee has misconducted himself thereafter that the employer may dismiss.

In recent years, brands have increasingly engaged in corporate political advocacy (CPA; also termed brand activism or corporate sociopolitical activity) by taking positions on polarizing sociopolitical issues. Recent experimental research suggests that consumers respond to CPA based on its alignment with their own values, and that it typically induces an overall negative response. This study aims to provide additional insights by exploring consumer brand perceptions following CPA.

An event study of 106 CPA events and weekly consumer brand perception data was conducted. A regression model was used to investigate the moderating effects of CPA effort, concurrence and the strength of the online protests evoked by the CPA.

The results show that CPA had a negative effect on consumers’ brand perceptions and that the effect was stronger for customers relative to non-customers. The negative effect was attenuated by CPA concurrence and amplified by effort. Additionally, online protests were driven by the CPA effort and had a strong negative effect on brand perception. Online protests were stronger in the past, and, in turn, the negative effects of CPA on brand perceptions have slightly weakened in recent years.

This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the role of online protests following CPA and distinguishing consumer and customer responses. This study also provides converging evidence of the moderating effects of effort and concurrence identified in previous studies.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss why social media frames may exert substantial influence on the image of organisations and even trigger organisational crises.

The study applies the theoretical approaches of crisis, framing and stakeholder theory to examine social media constructions of organisational behaviour. A recent case from the Danish restaurant industry exemplifies the structuring of social media frames and their impact on organisational image.

The results of the study confirm the findings of previous studies but with the crucial addition that the power of social media frames is closely connected to their drawing on basic cultural and social beliefs that unite stakeholders across potentially different interests and identities.

The study is qualitative and applies a small dataset. To confirm the findings, further studies need to be conducted.

This paper sheds light on an issue which continues to be highly relevant for organisations. By gaining insight into the conceptual nature of frames and stakeholder motivations, which guide social-media entries, they may be better equipped for meeting the demands of the public and thus for preventing crises.

This is a field of research that continues to develop concurrently with the development and spread of social media. By analysing in detail how frames are constructed, the study contributes to research in the field.

Cloud computing has disrupted the information technology (IT) industry. Associated benefits such as flexibility, payment on an on-demand basis and the lack of no need for IT staff are among the reasons for its adoption. However, these services represent not only benefits to users but also threats, with cybersecurity issues being the biggest roadblock to cloud computing success. Although ensuring data security on the cloud has been the responsibility of providers, these threats seem to be unavoidable. In such circumstances, both providers and users have to coordinate efforts to minimize negative consequences that might occur from these events. The purpose of this paper is to assess how providers and users can rely on social media to communicate risky events.

Based on the Situational Theory of Publics and trust, the authors developed three research questions to analyze stakeholders’ communication patterns after a security breach. By gathering Twitter data, the authors analyzed the data security breach faced by the Premera Blue Cross’ Web application.

The results indicate that Premera acted as the main source of information for Twitter users, while trustworthy actors such as IT security firms, specialists and local news media acted as intermediaries, creating small communities around them. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Social media could be used for diffusing information of potential threats; no research has assessed its usage in a cloud-based security breach context. The study aims to fill this gap and propose a framework to engage cloud users in co-securing their data along with cloud providers when they face similar situations.