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Adopting a brand prominence perspective, this study aims to examine how textual and visual brand elements influence the success of crowdfunding campaigns for aftermarket offerings.

A Python-based Web scraper was used to collect data from 620 crowdfunding campaigns for aftermarket offerings hosted on Kickstarter. The linguistic inquiry and word count application programing interface was then used to analyze the linguistic aspects of these campaigns. A fixed effects regression model was used to evaluate the hypotheses.

Textual and visual brand prominence are positively associated with campaign success. Further, with some variations, both types of brand prominence augment the positive effects of narrative and graphic design elements on campaign success.

This study makes novel theoretical contributions to the literature on branding, crowdfunding and aftermarket products. The results also provide practical insights to aftermarket enterprises on creating compelling crowdfunding campaigns.

By analyzing the direct and synergistic effects of branding, narrative and graphic design elements on crowdfunding success, this study extends various literature streams and identifies several future research opportunities.

A growing challenge for organizations is to keep their brand relevant and connected to consumers. This can be achieved by connecting the consumer not only through conventional lines but also through means of developing emotional bonding, leading to brand gratitude. This study aims to develop a conceptual model by identifying a set of components and establishing a probable linkage between them for the development of brand gratitude.

A qualitative study involving three focus group discussions with industry experts was conducted to identify the brand elements that can help build a strong emotional connection between the brand and customers, leading to brand gratitude.

The study identified the different brand elements and their relative influence on building the consumer-brand emotional connection. These components were then incorporated into a conceptual model for creating a “Unique Emotional Connection” (UEC). The outcome of the UEC model is enhanced and long-lasting association of the brand through brand gratitude.

An integrated study to understand the different elements influencing customer-brand emotional connection is rare. Also, papers studying the role of gratitude in brand management are limited. This study has tried to address these gaps through a conceptual framework that can help marketing practitioners to develop a long-lasting customer-brand relationship.

This research investigates how advergame design elements (fantasy vs realistic advergame experiences) may impact players' brand patronage (BP), under the influence of mediators (hot and cold brand relationship quality [BRQ]) and moderators (advergame reward system and brand personality).

This research comprises of a survey (study 1) and a lab experiment (study 2).

Study 1 shows that fantasy (reality) based advergame experience leads to brand patronage through strong mediation of hot (cold) BRQ and weak mediation of cold (hot) BRQ. Introducing a utilitarian (hedonic) advergame reward system positively moderates the effect of fantasy (reality) based advergame experience on cold (hot) BRQ. Study 2 shows that an advergame that elicits fantasy (realistic) experience and offers hedonic (utilitarian) rewards for a brand having affective (vs cognitive) brand personality strongly impacts hot (cold) BRQ.

This research is an effort to understand how gamification as leisure information systems may be used to create gamers' advergame experiences that elicit BP by strategically designing advergame reward systems specific to brand personality types.

The research methodology used for this case study follows a comprehensive approach, combining both primary and secondary sources to ensure a well-rounded understanding of the subject. Primary sources include in-depth interviews with the founders of the company, providing valuable firsthand insights into their experiences and decision-making processes. Multiple company visits were also conducted, enabling a closer examination of the operational aspects and allowing for a more holistic perspective on the case. Complementing these primary sources, secondary sources were used, consisting of a diverse array of articles from leading journals, newspapers, magazines and other reputable sources. These secondary sources offer a broader context and perspective, enriching the case study’s content and ensuring a robust foundation for classroom discussion and analysis.

True Elements was a clean health food brand that emerged from the vision of Mr Sreejith Moolayil and co-founder, Mr Puru Gupta, who recognized the potential of promoting healthy foods in India inspired by the health-conscious lifestyle that they observed during their work tenure in China. The co-founders began their entrepreneurial journey in 2011 with “Healthy World” kiosks inside IT company campuses in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. However, early challenges surfaced as the target market narrowed. Undeterred, the founders sought innovative solutions to expand their reach and created “True Elements” – a brand that resonated with health-conscious consumers given its positioning as a clean and minimally processed food brand devoid of chemicals, preservatives and added sugars. True Elements excelled in the online market and catered to a few offline markets. To sustain and augment their success, the entrepreneurs sought a strategic partnership and succeeded with Marico Ltd. However, challenges remained on the horizon. One was the need to appeal to a new target group: the 25–45 age group with a lower monthly income of INR 30,000. Another pressing question was exploring the entry into the modern trade sector.

This case can be taught in undergraduate and post-graduate business management programs for marketing, strategy and innovation and entrepreneurship related courses. Apart from that, this case can also be discussed in incubator programs as cases highlighting entrepreneurship can facilitate discussions among early-stage founders, providing practical insights and lessons for their ventures. This case also can be discussed very effectively in management classes for working executives.

This study aims to examine the impact of the gameful experience on behavioural outcomes. Drawing from stimulus–organism–response theory, it proposes and tests a new model that investigates the relationship between the gameful experience, brand loyalty and intention to use gamified branded applications in the sports context. In addition, it explores the mediating role of customer–brand engagement (CBE) and the moderating role of self-image congruity (SIC).

A sample of 436 active users of sport-related branded gamified applications was used to test the model. Data was collected from online sports forums, brands’ Facebook communities and during sporting events.

Results indicate that the gameful experience positively and directly impacts behavioural intentions but does not directly influence brand loyalty. This relationship becomes partially significant when mediated by CBE. In addition, results show that users with high levels of SIC are more likely to continue using the gamified application, whereas users with low levels are more likely to engage with the brand.

This study expands the gamification literature in the sports sector by revealing the importance of the gameful experience in driving loyalty, behavioural intentions and CBE. It proposes a new model that sheds light on the emotional aspect of the interaction between a user and a gamified system and the importance of exploring the effects of moderators, such as SIC, in these relationships.

Increasingly brands are performing several activities on social media in order to alter consumer consumption towards their offering. However, limited studies have attempted to understand as how activities on social media influence usage intentions and brand loyalty. Thus, this study aims to examine the influence of social media marketing activities (SMMA) on brand experience and its association with continued usage intentions (CUI) and brand loyalty.

The study conceptualized a research model by using the theoretical premise of stimulus-organism-response theory. SMMA acts as stimulus, four (sensory, affective, behavioral and intellectual) elements of brand experience act as organism, and CUI and brand loyalty act as response. A survey-based questionnaire is used to collect data from 309 respondents. The hypothesized associations of research model were examined using the structural equation modeling approach.

Results of the study are in line with hypothesized associations among constructs. Results suggest that SMMA is associated with all four elements of brand experience. Also, affective, behavioral and intellectual aspects of brand experience are associated with CUI which influence brand loyalty. The moderating role of education on hypothesized association and the mediating role of organism are also confirmed.

Using stimulus-organism-response theory, this study confirms that SMMA are associated with sensory, affective, behavioral and intellectual aspect of brand experience which has not been examined so far. Also, the novel findings of study add to existing literature of SMMA, brand experience and brand loyalty. The study further contributes to literature by showing the moderation effect of education.

This paper aims to develop a cross-border regional brand management model to help enhance cooperation for developing such localities. It analyzed its applicability in the Brazil–Argentina and Italy–Austria cross-border regions comprising several cities.

A systematic literature review was conducted to obtain a theoretical basis and select elements for creating the cross-border regional brand management (CRBM) model. To apply the model, in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 specialists of different nationalities and distinct expertise on cross-border governance and regional branding. In addition, to validate the proposed model, a focus group was carried out, and specialists were consulted using forms, providing 22 additional opinions.

The results show good managerial practices and gaps that must be overcome to create and manage the brands from the two regions analyzed.

The theoretical contributions consist in extending the literature in place branding by presenting the first CRBM model and the conceptual explanation of each of the model's elements.

The study's practical implications occur through the suggestion of good management practices for the studied localities arising from the applicability of the CRBM model. Furthermore, it is expected that the model developed can be applied in other locations, bringing practical contributions to the management and creation of cross-border regional brands in other countries.

This study presents the first CRBM model and its applicability to two cross-border regions.

Although brands have developed mobile applications (apps) to offer consumers new experiences, low app usage numbers indicate the need to develop a systematic, practical evaluation framework for branded app design that specifies concrete design features.

An expert review provides an overview of the design of current branded apps. On the basis of an extensive literature review, this article classifies state-of-the-art design features for branded apps according to a proposed evaluation framework that includes human–computer interaction (HCI)–related and marketing-related evaluation criteria. In an application of these evaluation criteria, the authors evaluate 73 branded apps issued by 11 top fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands.

The expert review identifies strengths and weaknesses that are common to the design of current branded apps. These findings inform the set of design recommendations that this article offers, which includes 14 features common to all types of apps and 9 features specific to particular types of apps.

This research offers practical implications for app designers, who need to address design dimensions contained in the proposed framework including the HCI-related (mobile, social and user experience design features) and marketing-related (branding and customer relationship management design features) to create effective branded apps.

Design elements identified in prior literature remain abstract and do not prescribe a systematic or pragmatic approach to using them in practice. This study takes a multidisciplinary perspective (HCI, marketing and design science) to establish a practical evaluation framework for branded app designs.

The aim of the study was to determine the region brand’s strength by measuring the awareness of the regional brand elements, associations and the perception of the region’s promotional activity in the corporate customers’ group.

To obtain the necessary data, this study conducted computer-assisted web interviewing on a sample of 151 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) registered in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and engaged in furniture production and food and beverage production. Statistical data analysis included Pearson and Spearman’s rank correlation and chi-square tests.

The survey showed a high number of brand associations with the region of Mazovia, but the level of brand recognition was low. The awareness of the region’s logo among SMEs shows the strongest correlation with the belief that promotional activities increased the scope of company operations. Moreover, this evidences the perceived utility of the brand among those customers.

The regional authorities should invest more in the frequency of promoting the region among certain strongly engaged user groups to increase their brand awareness level. Furthermore, local authorities should try establishing an umbrella brand that would cover several sub-brands promoting separate industries in the region.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in Poland that focused on regional branding effects among entrepreneurs and using a quantitative method. The relationship between the studied entrepreneurs’ willingness to use the Mazovia brand and their range of operations indicates that some enterprises already enjoy greater trust thanks to the brand, which increases their loyalty toward the region.

The present chapter aims to assess how digital transformation impacts current trends in city branding, to analyze the role of digital communication in the branding of selected cities, and to compare the level of exploitation of digital communication for city branding between European and Slovak cities. We conducted empirical research in several phases, and the overall sample consists of 155 cities in Europe and Slovakia. The results of our research showed that European and Slovak cities use to some extent all the investigated tools of digital marketing communication in city branding with a dominant position of social media, both in terms of exploitation and importance for city branding in European and Slovak cities. European cities score significantly better than Slovak cities in all elements of the City Brand Hexagon, as well as in the overall city brand index. Therefore, city branding strategies in the best European cities can serve as a good practice example or inspiration for Slovak cities. Cities with lower rankings and scores on city branding should focus on strengthening their city branding or strengthening their digital communication. The possible trajectory is also the concerted strategy for the branding of the city and its digital communication.