Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Brands and branding

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 11
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    The relative importance of branding on patient choice of private hospital in South Africa
    (2014-01-14) Sim, Claire Ann
    The private healthcare group in South Africa is dominated by the three major hospital brands: Netcare, Mediclinic and Life healthcare. It is important therefore to understand the factors that affect patient choice of private hospital, and the relative importance of hospital branding on patient choice There is limited research on the importance of branding on patient choice of private hospitals in South Africa. As such, the purpose of the research was to identify the factors affecting patient choice of private hospital in the South African private healthcare sector. In addition, the relative importance of branding on patient choice was investigated. A survey questionnaire was designed and then analysed using quantitative research methodology. One hundred and eighty six respondents completed the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis identified 5 factors affecting patient choice of private hospital. They included hospital branding, physician recommendation, staff attitude, functional decision criteria and quality of service and the available offering. In addition, hospital branding came out as the factor with the highest eigen value and accounted for the majority of the variance explained by the variables. Therefore, hospital managers should incorporate these factors into improving the service to their patients and should recognise the importance that branding plays within the private healthcare sector.
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    Brand personality and consumer product choice
    (2013-10-25) Mda, Liziwe Laura
    A brand is an important, but intangible asset of a company. The relationship between the brand and the consumer is one of the key dimensions of customer-based brand equity, and brand personality provides substance to that relationship. A problem is how best to position the personality of the brand in order to leverage consumer relationships with the brand. Although a substantial amount of research has examined the constructs of brand personality, there is limited research that examines how the broad spectrum of brand personality traits impact consumer relationships with the brand. This research examined the impact of brand personality on consumer relationships by studying four brands that brought a broad spectrum of personality traits. The author aimed to determine the relationship between brand personality, trust, attachment, commitment to the brand and intent to purchase. The questionnaire was developed using construct scales from previous researchers, and the constructs were validated for reliability and validity. Data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire from 198 respondents who stated that they owned one of the laptop brands Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM/Lenovo. This research brings new findings in addition to confirming existing research. Major findings of this research are that the competence trait is important for building trust in a brand. A new finding is that excitement and sophistication play an important role in building brand attachment and affective brand commitment. Another key finding is that building trust in the brand, while important, is not enough to achieve purchase intent. The key message from this research is that customer-based brand equity can be increased by positioning the brand as competent and exciting.
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    Brand Strategies in the Financial Services Sector in South Africa
    (2012-01-23) Gillham, Craig
    There are two main branding strategies adopted by organisations in the Financial Services sector in South Africa, monolithic and multi-brand strategies. Both strategies have proven to be effective in this sector. The two most successful organisations following the respective strategies are ABSA and the First Rand Group. The purpose of this research is to determine the main factors that need to be considered by organisations in the sector when they are faced with the challenge of branding a new business unit or division. The research was focused in the banking sub-sector within the Financial Services sector. The methodology chosen to complete the research was qualitative in nature and consisted of a series of in-depth interviews with senior individuals who are directly involved in the branding decisions of the respective organisations. The snowball technique was used to obtain access to a number of these individuals within the organisations. The findings revealed convergences with the literature review in terms of specific factors that need to be considered, such as taking into consideration the financial implications, the history of the organisation, the market competitors and the ability for the brand to stretch while remaining relevant to the target market. There were also a number of new factors that were highlighted that need to be considered when making the branding decision. Some of these include streamlining the operational structure of the organisation, encouraging collaboration between existing divisions, aiding recruitment of employees as well as taking the customer needs into account when branding the new business unit or division
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    THE FOCUS OF SOUTH AFRICAN ORGANISATIONS ON BRAND EQUITY AND CUSTOMER EQUITY
    (2011-11-22) Frank, Natalie
    Intangible assets are becoming an increasing portion of the value of organisations. Consequently, to grow Shareholder Value, management need to focus on building intangible assets, rather than a concentration on tangibles. However, as these are intangible and difficult to quantify, the temptation is to cut back on these assets to meet short term financial objectives. The purpose of the research was to evaluate the perception of South African marketers in determining their choice of marketing investments; whether to focus on building Brand Equity, Customer Equity or both through marketing programmes with a view to increasing Shareholder Value. The research set out to evaluate the rationale for investing in marketing assets and to ascertain the positioning of different industries on the marketing equity trade-off matrix. The research used a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. There were 60 respondents from a convenience sample who were marketing practitioners involved in the budget allocation decisions within their organisations. Quantitative data was analysed using the distribution-fitting rescaling analysis, a method demonstrating accuracy and validity. The qualitative data was content analysed using data reduction and data display to draw conclusions. The main findings show that the majority of marketing practitioners chose to focus on both concepts simultaneously; 64% of interviewees rated building Brand Equity as very important and 74% rated the same for building Customer Equity. Therefore the research findings suggest that the Brand and Customer Equity matrix proposed by Bick (2009) is the correct diagrammatic representation to use as opposed to a single-line spectrum. Brand building plays an important role in establishing a unique positioning and brand image by simplifying the consumer‟s purchase decision amongst competing brands. Customer Equity plays an important role in providing clear quantifiable financial effects, contributing to the bottom line and driving long term profitability and sustainability
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    A FRAMEWORK FOR
    (2011-07-14) Munthree, Shantini
    Many prominent brands wane at the end of their brand life cycle. This research report analysed this phenomenon and whether an upscale line extension could assist to revitalise a stale brand. Research in beverages found that a line extension allows an established brand to venture into new territories with less risk than repositioning itself altogether. The line extension is akin to a tugboat that steers a ship in a desired direction. The research revealed some reciprocation where a line extension adds brand differentiation. Findings included four possible functions for a line extension. In addition, some parameters in crafting a line extension were firstly, the core brand remained the driver; secondly, brand-fit in the market opportunity, the functional and emotional benefits and lastly, entry entrant launch timing is optimal. Finally a conceptual framework is presented to develop line extension incorporating the portfolio strategy, core brand and line extension execution
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    THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF BRANDING TO
    (2011-06-24) Warnick, Tracy
    The recent rise in the numbers of high net worth and high net income individuals and deregulation, globalisation and information access has driven the rapid growth in private banking in South Africa. Competition is fierce and differentiation on the basis of innovation and price only deliver short term advantages. It is envisaged that brands will play an increasingly important role in distinguishing private banks as customers become more discriminating and demanding. This study aims to better understand the importance of branding from a potential and existing client perspective and develop a series of recommendations for business and brand managers in private banks to successfully build their brands. A qualitative study was undertaken and in-depth interviews were employed to uncover client’s perceptions of private banking and understand the importance of the brand relative to other key attributes. The overall finding is that brand is as important as attributes such as the product offering, the additional benefits and access to information. Clients want to associate with a private bank and want to be treated as individuals. They want to feel special and recognised and they want private banks to be more proactive in terms of addressing their needs. Private Bank employees have considerable influence on the perception of the brand. It appears that Private Banks have a way to go when it comes to branding.
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    Corporate Brand Management in
    (2011-06-15) Siso, Linda
    Global trends have shown a shift in marketing emphasis from product branding to corporate branding. Some of the reasons cited by prior research for this shift were: high consumer expectations; anti-branding movements that demand a visible link between product brands with companies that produce them; high rising costs in advertising; commoditisation of products; and highly competitive and unstable markets. There is limited practical evidence in the corporate branding field. As such the purpose of the research was to identify the critical success factors of corporate branding in the South African context. In addition the degree to which South African companies have adopted a strategic and crossfunctional approach to corporate branding was investigated. A structured questionnaire was designed and analysed using quantitative research methodology. 100 respondents from 4 industries completed the questionnaire. The research findings identified 3 critical success factors of corporate branding. They were the important role that employees play; top managements’ role and cross functional team alignment; and customer involvement and interaction. In addition the research found that the surveyed South African companies were still far from adopting a strategic and cross-functional approach of corporate branding. Only 3 out of a possible 10 principles were identified as being in place towards the adoption of a strategic and cross-functional approach to corporate branding. The 3 principles identified were: respondents agreed that they were aware of their organisations’ identity; that their organisation’s vision was realistic and that their organisations used contact points with stakeholders to build relationships. In addition the respondents felt that their organisations were not giving adequate attention to corporate branding; providing adequate resources to implement a corporate brand strategy, and there was not enough understanding of the paradoxes of their brands
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    POSITIONING FIT AND CATEGORY FIT DURING BRAND
    (2011-05-17) SLADE, DOMINIC JOHNATHAN
    Brand extensions are a popular method adopted by marketers and brand custodians to enhance and augment brand equity and there have been numerous studies undertaken to determine the factors that play a role during this brand-building process. Most of these have highlighted the importance of category fit. The purpose of this Research Report has been to examine both category fit and positioning fit during brand extensions and determine the relative importance of positioning fit. The Delphi Technique was selected as the methodology for this piece of research. The panel selected included a broad range of marketers, strategists and consultants including Rae McGraw (Marketing Director, Dulux), Derek Carstens (Brand Director, FirstRand), Siyabonga Khuzwao (Brand Manager, Unilever), Mike Perry (Founder, Perry & Associates) and Sarah Mathems (Managing Director, Original Insight Learning). The initial findings of this research indicate that current marketer thinking does not assign a critical role to positioning fit during the process of brand extensions. However, later stages of the research and subsequent analysis indicate that positioning fit certainly plays a role and should be one of the factors considered when undertaking brand extensions.
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    Perceptions of Brand Management in
    (2011-05-17) Mawela, Tendani
    The non-profit sector faces a myriad of challenges. Non Profit Organisations (NPOs) operate in a highly competitive market for financial support, skilled employees and volunteers. They are thus often driven to adopt commercial practices to improve their strategic performance and differentiate themselves in an environment that has experienced significant growth and currently has vibrant and active NPO sectors across the various continents. The study reviewed the application of brand management within the South African NPO sector and aimed to establish the understanding of the branding construct, the main drivers of a brand and the objectives of branding within this sector. The research paradigm was qualitative and the study was exploratory in nature applying input from thirteen in-depth interviews with respondents from the NPO sector. A thematic approach to qualitative data analysis was applied and the themes that arose included the terminology in use in the NPO sector, how the brand construct is understood, the elements of a brand, challenges in branding, the management and ownership of NPO brands and the results of undertaking branding. The study established that South African NPOs have different goals in branding with the majority seeking to increase visibility and credibility and garner support for their cause. There are varying understandings of the concept of a brand and it is deduced that branding is still in its infancy in the sector. NPOs also offered a variety of drivers that are deemed to be important for the development and maintenance of a brand supporting the notion that branding is multifaceted and complex. Furthermore, funding was overwhelmingly highlighted as the major constraint for brand management activities followed closely by access to the right skills and knowledge in this area. These key issues highlighted the need for a branding approach that is both relevant and accessible to the NPO sector bearing in mind their daily challenges. The study includes recommendations for key stakeholders and proposes a structure for an NPO branding information source. Proposals for future research are also highlighted.
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    The Importance of Branding in the
    (2011-05-16) Marriott, Liesl
    It is estimated that there are approximately 4900 fuel retail stations operating in South Africa. The industry is typically characterised by an oversupply of fuel retail stations, strong competition, a high degree of regulation and low retail margins. In order to differentiate their product offering, oil companies and fuel retailers make use of branding of fuel retail outlets, the inclusion of fuel additives to petrol and diesel and diversification of services available at fuel retail stations (for example the addition of convenience stores) to increase their competitive advantage. The purpose of this study is to determine the relative importance of branding in the South African fuel retail industry and to examine if certain demographic groups consider branding to be more important compared to other attributes. The research found that there is a significant difference in the degree of importance the South African private fuel consumer attaches to brand, location, fuel specification, quality of convenience store and level of forecourt service when determining fuel retail station preference. The private fuel consumer typically rates the fuel retail brand as the most important factor in his/her preference of a fuel retail station. The level of service, quality of the convenience store and the location of the fuel retail station also play an important role in determining fuel retail station preference. It was found that fuel specification played the least importance to the private consumer when selecting a fuel retail station. It was also found that certain demographic groupings attached varying importances to these attributes. For example, it was found that the Indian population seemed to be more brand conscious compared to other races, and that in general, men are more brand loyal than women. Women, on the other hand, valued the level of service and the quality of the convenience store as more important than men. A number of consumer clusters could be identified that attach different importances to the various fuel retail station attributes. From this cluster analysis, a group of respondents could be identified that base their fuel retail preference almost exclusively on brand.