3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Mobile marketing as an antecedent of creating brand awareness in South Africa(2019) Lamola, Medupi JohnThe use of social networking sites as enablers of engagement between people is growing as more people are getting access to technology. Researchers in developed countries have studied how people engage on social networking sites and the role played by brands in that engagement (Hollebeek, Glynn & Brodie, 2014). A lot still needs to be uncovered in emerging markets like South Africa to bridge the knowledge gap that exists. The aim of this study was to investigate if mobile marketing was an antecedent of creating brand awareness in South Africa. It fills a gap in emerging markets that showed apathy by brands and marketers alike in adopting social networking sites as strategic business tools, hoping this technology would disappear (Maduku, Mpinganjira, Mercy, 2016). The variables of user experience and social media usage were examined to see if they influenced online consumer engagement. Online consumer engagement was studied to determine if it had any influence on brand awareness. An online survey was conducted using Qualtrics software to collect data from 223 respondents through convenience sampling method. A quantitative analysis of collected data was statistically examined by running multiple linear regression, studying correlation between variables, analysing variance and observing coefficients as well as using graphs to plot the results. The results revealed that mobile marketing was indeed an antecedent of creating brand awareness. The study proved that user experience and social media usage had an influence on online consumer engagement respectively, and so did online consumer engagement on brand awareness, thus supporting the findings by Hollebeek et al,.(2014). It is recommended that marketers should leverage mobile marketing and other opportunities brought by social networking sites to create brand awareness. Future research should consider the influence that other elements of digital marketing such as social media management, search engine optimisation, online advertising, etc. have on brand as well as on engagement (Hollebeek, Glynn & Brodie, 2014; Tsai & Men, 2013; Yoo Donthu & Lee, 2000). Researcher should study other available social networking sites in emerging markets such as MySpace, WeChat, Tumblr, etc. to observe online consumer engagement and brand awareness in those networking sites (Hollebeek et al, 2014; Pfeil, Arjan, & Zaphiris, 2009). Researchers should also conduct qualitative research with social networking sites users to explore the perceptions of different age groups. Keywords: Social networking sites, mobile marketing, social media marketing, user experience, social media usage, online consumer engagement, brand, brand awareness, digital marketing, emerging marketsItem 'Taken for ride': an analysis of instagram, lifestyle branding and identity performance within Johannesburg-based urban cycling(2018) Mpholle, Reitumetse VanessaInstagram is a social media platform that enables its users to take photos and videos, filter and edit them, and then shares them instantly with fellow users. Because Instagram is free-touse, it has become a platform for self-expression as well as a commercial space. Accordingly, several users have become increasingly aware of the nature of Instagram and have taken to putting on selected versions on themselves as means of making themselves commercially viable. Using the Maboneng City Riders (a social and urban cycling group that is based in the Maboneng Precinct) as a case study, this study looks into the group’s use of Instagram as a means of lifestyle branding via the ‘performance of self’. This is done by looking into the MCR’s identity in online and offline spaces as well as looking into the economies that are generated and sustained by this lifestyle branding. This study therefore reveals that the MCR are branding their lifestyle through the performance of self. At the centre of this performance is Instagram as both a staging space to show the MCR’s creativity and self-expression but more importantly, it is a platform being used to brand the MCR as lifestyle which is proving to be a profitable space. Whilst this branding is only benefitting a few people, it has also proven to be a highly effective and profitable system. It can be established that the findings of this study shows how the nature of Instagram enables lifestyle and branding to connect on social media as a form of performing self – a performance that is essentially feeding profits back in to very specific brands and commercial entities.Item Effective ways South African brands can market on instagram to influence purchase intentions: a user's perspective(2018) Rambarun, Simone NicoletteBackground - Although Instagram is one of the fastest growing social network sites, research dedicated to this platform has been limited. Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate how South African brands could optimally utilise Instagram as a marketing channel that positively influences consumer buying behaviour. Research Methodology/Approach – A quantitative approach was used for this study. Research data was collected using an online survey, with a total of two hundred and seventeen South African Instagram users who made up the final sample. Findings – The outcomes confirmed that all hypothesised statements were significant and thus, accepted. The main findings further revealed that user perspectives played a valuable role in the co-creation process and reiterated that types of content (on Instagram) positively affected the study’s constructs; customer engagement, brand awareness and electronic-word-of-mouth. In addition, these constructs proved to positively impact consumer purchase intentions. Research limitations – The present study focuses on a niche sample which consists of South African Instagram users only. It is recommended that future researchers incorporate a global user perspective from Instagram users across the world, to determine other key factors that might positively impact consumer purchasing behaviour. Managerial implications – Marketing practitioners spend a significant amount of time in determining the driving forces that boost sales. The verified relationships between types of content, brand awareness, customer engagement and electronic-word-of-mouth reiterates the need for all stakeholders to incorporate Instagram as a powerful channel of marketing in their social media strategies.