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1 – 10 of over 62000
Article
Publication date: 24 January 2023

Farzane Sahli, Sirous Alidousti and Nader Naghshineh

This study identifies factors affecting brand building for academic libraries affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) in Iran.

Abstract

Purpose

This study identifies factors affecting brand building for academic libraries affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

This research applied the grounded theory method based on the three open, axial and selective coding steps (Strauss and Corbin, 1998). The research tool was interviews conducted with 20 experts in librarianship, marketing and branding.

Findings

Library building architecture, library information resources and services, librarians' branding, marketing activities and library management are the causal conditions affecting brand building. The national economic situation, the digital publishing situation in the country and different characteristics of the new library community are the intervening conditions affecting brand building. The role of other libraries in society in the scientific education of the new generation provides contextual conditions for brand building. The higher education system and the library parent organization play a part in the operative actions/interactions for brand building. The consequences of brand building are brand image development, brand excellence and brand behavioral loyalty for libraries. Library brand identity is also a core category in brand building.

Originality/value

Facing steep challenges by emergent services, academic libraries are ill-prepared to meet the needs of the new information society solely with traditional services and functions. Academic libraries are required to rebrand themselves to be more successful at delivering a strong performance within a changing information environment by enhancing their brand image and establishing a more effective relationship with users.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 April 2008

Jukka Ojasalo, Satu Nätti and Rami Olkkonen

The purpose of this paper is to increase the knowledge of brand building in software SMEs.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to increase the knowledge of brand building in software SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical method used is a multi‐case study. Data were collected from 20 companies in the software industry through in‐depth interviews. The data were analyzed using systematic coding and categorization of qualitative evidence.

Findings

The study identified five special characteristics of brand building in software SMEs, relating to goals and perceived benefits of brand building; resources in brand building; external and internal cooperation in brand building; means and communication in brand building; and the process of product brand building and its connection to software product development.

Research limitations/implications

The scientific contribution of this empirical study relates to two aspects of brand management: branding in software business and branding in SMEs. A vast amount of literature exists on “brands”, “software business” and “SMEs”, but there is very little on “branding in software business” or “branding in SMEs”. Unarguably, there are two significant knowledge gaps in the literature, and they relate to branding in software and SME industries. Both theoretical and managerial knowledge is needed. This study corresponds to this need by increasing the knowledge of brand building in software SMEs with an empirical study. The present study is characterized by the general limitations of a case study. The results lack statistical reliability, they apply primarily in the case companies examined, and no direct generalizations should be made without further quantitative study.

Practical implications

Directors of SMEs often think that branding is just for big companies, but small companies with limited resources can brand their products and services as well. However, the means of branding are often different. The present study encourages SMEs to systematically think of the potential advantages of branding for their business, and develop creative, targeted, and affordable approaches for brand building.

Originality/value

The present empirical study makes an original contribution to the literature by increasing the knowledge of branding in the context of both SMEs and software business.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2012

Sridhar Samu, Preeti Krishnan Lyndem and Reginald A. Litz

Retailer brand communities exist between a franchisor brand and individual retailers, with retailer‐based brand equity and brandbuilding activities being key drivers of their…

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Abstract

Purpose

Retailer brand communities exist between a franchisor brand and individual retailers, with retailer‐based brand equity and brandbuilding activities being key drivers of their success. This paper aims to introduce retailer‐based brand equity and examine its relationship with brandbuilding activities and retailer brand community.

Design/methodology/approach

Individual stores in a variable format franchise from the retail hardware industry were studied at annual conventions in two North American cities. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and regression.

Findings

Results show that retailer‐based brand equity mediates the relationship between brandbuilding activities and brand community identification and demonstrates the importance of branding in retailing contexts. The franchisee's continuation as part of the retailer brand community is influenced by the retailer‐based brand equity, with increased identification leading to increased purchase and higher performance.

Research limitations/implications

The practical demands of the field study constrained the ability to examine other issues relevant to this research. There is also need to develop and refine further the items that measure the relationships.

Practical implications

Increased brandbuilding activities do not automatically translate into higher commitment by franchisees, and franchisors need to increase the value of the brand. Engaging the franchisee as a member of the brand community has important outcomes for both parties. While franchisor brands benefit through increased sales, franchisees benefit through increased profit.

Originality/value

This is the first paper that has applied brand community principles to understand the franchisor‐franchisee relationship. The results from a field study have important implications for both brand building and franchising areas.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 46 no. 11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2016

Lishan Xie, Yaoqi Li, Sheng-Hsiang Chen and Tzung-Cheng Huan

This paper aims to investigate the brand building behavior in the luxury hotel industry from the perspective of frontline employees. In particular, this study addresses the…

3301

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the brand building behavior in the luxury hotel industry from the perspective of frontline employees. In particular, this study addresses the importance and relevance of supportive leadership, brand building behavior and customers’ perceived brand image in the hotel industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses data from four luxury class (4 and 5 star) hotels in the Pearl River Delta of China. Contact with frontline employees yielded employee and customer data, with 243 of 369 employee questionnaires having one or more matches with 1,158 customer questionnaires. Hierarchical linear modeling was adopted to test the research model.

Findings

Luxury hotels benefit from managers who provide supportive leadership that encourages employee brand building behavior. In turn, employee brand building behavior influences customers’ positive perception of brand image.

Practical implications

Brand building behavior is a top-to-bottom process. Luxury hotels need to pay attention to internal brand building orientation, while managers should reinforce the organization’s cultural orientation and provide appropriate job skills training to improve employees’ willingness and ability to build the company’s brand.

Originality/value

Findings of this study contribute to the brand management literature and the hotel management literature by addressing important matters affecting the frontline employees’ brand building behavior.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 28 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 March 2020

Christian Nedu Osakwe, Nikolina Palamidovska-Sterjadovska, Martin Mihajlov and Anita Ciunova-Shuleska

This study aims to facilitate the understanding of brand building among owners/managers of SMEs by highlighting the relationships among the multidimensionality of brand

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to facilitate the understanding of brand building among owners/managers of SMEs by highlighting the relationships among the multidimensionality of brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity.

Design/methodology/approach

In addressing the research issue, the study uses responses from 158 domesticated SMEs in North Macedonia, afterwards relying on structural equation modeling to test the research propositions.

Findings

This study validates brand orientation as a multidimensional term that is underlined by brand artefacts, norms and values. This study also validates the assumptions that brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity are significantly related.

Research limitations/implications

While it is possible that our evidence base is limited to the context studied, the research findings nevertheless contribute primarily to the emergent scholarship on SMEs' brand building.

Practical implications

This study has practical consequences for SMEs' brand building. More specifically, it enriches the understanding of the interrelationships between brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity.

Originality/value

This study provides an advanced perspective of brand orientation as a complex phenomenon and further provides understanding of its relations to brand-building behavior and brand identity of the domesticated SMEs.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 38 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 August 2021

Geeta Marmat

The purpose of this paper is to present the mechanism of online customer brand trust building through the lens of Walther’s Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) – Social…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the mechanism of online customer brand trust building through the lens of Walther’s Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) – Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper integrates a range of theoretical and empirical works across branding and marketing, including concept of brand trust, use of online social media in brand communication and customer brand relations and CMC-SIPT theory and relational marketing literature other relevant information which were found useful in the given context were reviewed. The aim was to collect a broad spectrum of ideas, based on their relevance to the research purpose to propose effective online brand trust building framework.

Findings

This paper proposes three different developmental stages in brand trust building on online social media networks. Each stage is guided by the components of CMC-SIPT. Stage I is interaction and compliance of the brand communication clues which suggest that the aggregated level of interaction and compliance in online brand communication on social media determine the movement of the customer to the next level. Stage II suggests information processing at three successive layers by the customer as identification, internalization brand information and bonding, which eventually prompt the customer to the next level of brand trust building. Stage III is related to trust building which is the critical stage as customer internal states of arousal are experienced, which reduces the emotional risk of decision-making and increases confidence and trust of the customers in brands.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed framework of brand trust building has not been tested empirically. Future research could test and validate the proposed model tracking intrinsic changes in the customer in different brand trust development stages. This research is important for marketers or brands who wish to move beyond the notion of merely satisfying customers, to establishing more powerful emotional bonds between their brands and customers. It fills a gap in brand-trust literature and provides marketers and researchers a means to understand and draw strategies for consumers’ attraction toward brands (Patwardhan and Balasubramanian, 2011). The proposed framework has the capacity to revolutionize the way business and brands engage with society by enhancing and establishing trusting relationship.

Originality/value

To date, this research has not been done specifically from the SIPT perspective. This research is the first to examine brand communication strategies in an effort of building brand trust in the context of online social media network from the CMC-Social information theory perspective. It highlights the peculiarities of online brand communication on social media networks and customer information processing in presenting three stages of customer brand trust development to explain the development and flow of events.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 71 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 November 2016

Raphael Odoom

The purpose of this paper is to examine brand-building efforts within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an attempt to understand the extent to which such efforts are…

2512

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine brand-building efforts within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an attempt to understand the extent to which such efforts are undertaken in high- and low-performing enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses data from 430 SMEs in an emerging market. After evaluating scale measures with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, multiple stage analyses involving cluster analysis, ANOVA and hierarchical regression with sub-group analysis were used to examine the theoretical relationships among the constructs.

Findings

Findings from the study identify four composite brand-building efforts that influence SMEs’ performance. These are implemented in varying extents, culminating into proportional levels of performance within high- and low-performing SMEs. Significant differences with regard to profit margin, market share, sales volume, customer base and new product success are also exhibited in the two enterprise segments.

Originality/value

The results provide evidence to issues of research and managerial interest, offering insightful implications to the academic and practitioner communities. The paper offers a preliminary attempt to progress literature by synthesizing various brand-building efforts under four broader theorizations in SMEs setting.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 April 2014

Dale Miller

The paper aims to examine the concept of brand-building. The emphasis is on corporate brand-building and brand heritage in the firm, and the differing influences of…

3925

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to examine the concept of brand-building. The emphasis is on corporate brand-building and brand heritage in the firm, and the differing influences of entrepreneurial family leadership and professional transformational leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative research design strategy draws on longitudinal case study research using primary archival data collection and analysis. The sample is one successful Canadian firm, and the study investigates how its brand was built in two distinct eras, the Entrepreneurial Era and the Professional Era.

Findings

The findings identify similarities and differences across the eras. Discoveries include the identification of early brand-building activities based on brand values, which formed the basis for brand heritage, and the importance of brand orientation and brand strategy implementation in the Professional Era.

Practical implications

The managerial implications for brand-building show that the findings can be extrapolated to twenty-first century businesses, if there is an astute understanding of the firm's context be it an entrepreneurial family firm or a large, professionally managed complex firm.

Originality/value

The paper uses original historical qualitative research to contribute to understanding brand building. The study contributes to knowledge with a revised brand building framework and the related detailed brand elements that contribute to effective corporate branding. For researchers, the study adds to understanding of brand building and demonstrates a further example of the efficacy of using qualitative archival materials to explore branding questions.

Details

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-2752

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 May 2021

Ashwini Kumar Tewary and Ritu Mehta

The purpose of this paper is to frame the guidelines for brand building for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and evaluate the role of the entrepreneur in the brand

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to frame the guidelines for brand building for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and evaluate the role of the entrepreneur in the brand management process.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study comprising in-depth interviews of 20 Indian MSME entrepreneurs who had experience with brand-building was conducted. The entrepreneurs were probed regarding the brand management process and their role in the brand-building efforts in their organization. The guidelines that emerged from the study were compared and contrasted with those proposed in Krake’s model, and a new model for brand-building is proposed.

Findings

The improvised new model highlights the importance of “name of the brand”, “managing finance simultaneously” and “exit strategy” as important factors for the creation of a successful brand, amongst other factors revealed in extant literature. The interviews also reveal that an MSME headed by a passionate entrepreneur who accommodates professional expertise witnesses a greater chance of success.

Originality/value

In spite of the growing importance of SMEs, scant attention has been paid to the issue of branding in SMEs. This study contributes to the literature on branding and small business research by examining and advancing the brand-building guidelines developed by Krake. It further looks at the role of the entrepreneur in the entire process of brand building in the increasingly evolving Indian market.

Details

Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2006

Christine Vallaster and Leslie de Chernatony

The paper aims to clarify the relationship between organisational structures and individual brand supporting behaviour. It proposes modelling the social transformation process and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to clarify the relationship between organisational structures and individual brand supporting behaviour. It proposes modelling the social transformation process and outlining why and how leadership is important throughout the internal brand building process. The study aims to expand the domain of corporate branding by including a broader range of human resource and leadership‐related aspects than is normally found in the branding literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper opted for an exploratory study using the open‐ended approach of grounded theory, including 30 depth interviews and one expert group discussion with employees representing middle and senior management having mainly a marketing and corporate communications background. The data were complemented by documentary analysis, including brand documents, descriptions of internal processes, and copies of employee magazine articles.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights about how change is brought about during internal brand building. It suggests that successful leaders act as “integrating forces” on two levels: integrating the elements of corporate identity structures, and mediating between the corporate branding structures and the individual.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further.

Practical implications

The paper includes implications for the development of a powerful brand image, the development of “brand ambassadors” and for managing the balance between stability and change.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified need to study how brand‐supportive behaviour can be enabled.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 40 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 62000