Branding Practices Research Articles

Personal Branding: A Study on the Effects of Sociability and Charisma on Perceived Competence and Authenticity

Competition and complexity have increased many folds in professional arenas. The world is now becoming more integrated. However,the trend of personal success is gaining more importance in our lives. The process of Personal Branding is similar to Celebrity Branding. Professionals use it as a tool for creating an intended professional image and enhancing career success. There have been books and research on Personal Development,self-improvement, and personal management since 1960. However, Personal Branding is differentiated from regular branding practices as it focuses on personal strengths and talents. It helps the professionals to differentiate themselves from their competitors and achieve intended professional goals.Personal Branding is not synonymous with becoming famous or acquiring celebrity status. Instead, it focuses on building a reputation as a professional and creating a positive image for the relevant target audience.

TERRITORIAL BRANDING AS A FACTOR OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGION

The article deals with the issues of territorial branding as a tool for the strategic development of cities and regions. In the context of global globalization processes there is a rigid competition between territories for resources: human, financial flows, tourist flows. Understanding this issue by territorial communities, authorities in Ukraine led to the development and approval of marketing strategies of individual Ukrainian cities. The creation and widespread distribution of Ukrainian territorial brands will enable domestic cities, both large and small, rural areas and regions, followed by a chosen strategy, solve their social and economic tasks. The purpose of the article is to analyze the basic methodological principles that are used in the Ukrainian practice of territorial branding and its impact on socio-economic development. It is determined that the geographical position and global geopolitical role of the territory, natural resource potential of the territory, national-cultural features of the country and its regions, current visual policies and symbols of the territory are affected. Investigated that in today Ukraine there are clearly formed brands of territories that already make their positive contribution to the socio-economic Development of cities, rural areas and regions in general.

Media Branding and Brand Management: Promotion Strategies of Ukrainian National TV Channels during COVID-19 Pandemic

The research explores the Ukrainian TV market, where major TV channels are owned by the four large media groups and are marked by peculiar branding and promotional activities. It is their branding and promotion strategies during the coronavirus pandemic that the article focuses on. To achieve this, the authors employ a systematic analysis to a sample of the leading Ukrainian channels’ broadcasting as well as to examine, in particular, their branded programs and their extensions on digital platforms launched by the media channels in order to facilitate their communication with audiences. The research reveals similarities in the channels’ promotion activities and practices of branding, common to TV industry in general. These include integrated marketing activities and branding strategies such as audience-oriented content, cross/self-promotion, new value chains, communicative engagement, sponsorships/partnerships and public relations.
 
 Received: 30 November 2021 / Accepted: 3 February 2022 / Published: 5 March 2022

Implementation of Chinese-styled branding in global fashion: ‘Guochao’ as a rising cultural identity

Culture-specific Chinese-styled branding as a rising trend in cultural and branding studies has provided new discourse for the discussion on the national identity of Chineseness or chinoiserie that has long existed, with further reflections on the Chinese fashion brand design known as ‘Guochao’, which has become an increasingly ubiquitous new conceptual identity in the past five years. Chinese fashion brands are changing their peripheral cultural status and impacting global fashion, transforming the global recognition of Chinese national identity and style in the field of fashion. This article investigates this emerging phenomenon in the global fashion system and theorizes ‘Guochao’ as a rising cultural identity that reconfigures and readdresses the national identity in Chinese fashion branding practices in terms of its connotations and industry applications. It shows that the ‘Guochao’ identity can be separated into two sub-connotations: one that addresses the connotations of ‘Guo’ that symbolize, rejuvenate and rematerialize Chinese historical and material culture, and one that emphasizes the ‘Chao’ discourse, featuring subtle Chinese symbolism that incorporates strong western street style and further blurs the boundaries in the West–East aesthetic binary system. Through case studies on the brand designs and campaigns of two Chinese designer brands that are paradigmatic of the ‘Guo’ identity, Angel Chen and MUKZIN, and two classic Chinese sportswear brands that are representatives of the ‘Chao’ identity, Li-Ning and Warrior Shanghai, the theoretical connotations of ‘Guochao’ as a rising cultural identity in Chinese-styled branding are discussed. This article theorizes ‘Guochao’ as a recreated representative cultural identity in global fashion that challenges the world’s understanding of chinoiserie in the field of fashion and further showcases the popularization of Chinese-styled branding in Chinese fashion.

Developing responsible consumption behaviours through social media platforms: sustainable brand practices as message cues

PurposeThis study aims to examine the underlying antecedents and psychological mechanisms through which brand's communication of sustainable business practices in social media influences consumers' responsible consumption behaviour and brand relationship outcomes.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using two surveys, from a sample of WhatsApp users (N = 632), and a sample of Facebook users (N = 471), and were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling.FindingsThe results suggest that systematic and heuristic processing of message cues about sustainable business practices communicated by the brand through online social networks influence consumers' perceptions of brand warmth and competence. These perceptions, in turn, direct consumers' responsible consumption behaviours and strengthen brand relationships. The impact of these cues is moderated by consumers' perception of the brand's motives for engaging in sustainable business practices.Originality/valueThe study insights can help brand managers to enhance consumers' brand-related perceptions, responsible consumption and consumer-brand relationships.

Co-created employer brands: the interplay of strategy and identity

PurposeThe study aims to explore strategic employer brand management by combining experiences of multiple organizations. In particular, the purpose is to identify what strategic management processes managers consider relevant to employer brand management for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThis study took an inductive approach, observing a practitioner project in Sweden. The data were gathered during four full-day workshops, where 14 SMEs from different industries were chosen to participate and to actively work their employer brand(ing) activities.FindingsThe results show that organizations have difficulty understanding and comparing employer branding practices, and thus, evaluating their own brand. The major themes show that organizations have two focus points for their employer branding work: building strategic structures (processes) on one hand, and a collective identity that aligns with the brand values, on the other. However, organizations differ in these dimensions, affecting what needs to be done to become successful.Originality/valueThis contributes to the limited knowledge about employer branding, human resources development (HRD) and SMEs. In addition, most of the previous studies have neglected to take into account the differences between organizations, approaching employer branding as a universal process. This paper summarizes different positions for employer brands that affect strategy: the unmanaged, the non-strategic, the impersonal and finally, the co-created. Co-creation can be facilitated with the help of constructive and collaborative HRD. Then, it can be turned into a dynamic capability that builds competitive advantage.

The determinants of personal luxury purchase intentions in a recessionary environment

ABSTRACT Luxury brand consumption has remained strong even in countries with recessions. This study explores the role of personal factors, socio-cognitive factors, and potential marketing forces, in driving consumers’ luxury purchase intentions in a market that is struggling to recover from a recession – Greece. Data were collected using a self-administered survey via an online panel. The results indicate that consumers’ need to escape and impulsiveness are positively associated with luxury brand purchase intentions in a recession. Sales promotions moderate the relationship between escape, self-expression, and luxury brand purchase intentions. Consumers’ perceptions about the recession effect on society also moderate the relationship between escape, self-expression, social status, and luxury brand purchase intentions. This study contributes to the literature and practice of luxury branding in recession by identifying the interplay between various personal, social, and marketing factors that can influence luxury brand purchase intentions in a recessionary environment.

The geographical aspect of place branding: Interactions between place brands in the spatial hierarchy

Despite increasing experience with the practice of place branding, researchers find it challenging to produce a broad, multi-disciplinary framework that encompasses the full complexity of a place brand. This paper applies a geographical approach to brand analysis, acknowledging the multifaceted relationship between place brands and the network of socio-cultural dependence and collaboration. This study examines how interactions between place brands affect small, peripheral place brands by identifying interactions between brands, estimating their importance, and explaining them geographically. The research focuses on the interactions between four city brands in the Negev region in Israel and between them and the Negev regional super-brand to which they belong. The sample includes Beersheba, the central city, and three medium and small towns in the northeastern Negev. Four hundred questionnaires were completed by residents of the Central District, representing the target audience that might visit or move to the Negev. Various brand components were measured, including brand associations, familiarity, recognition, and perceived quality, to determine the value and positioning of the brands in the eyes of the respondents. The analysis reveals the network of associations and images, showing similarities and differences between the place brands, their strengths and weaknesses, and the impact of spatial relations.

An ethnographic approach to understand cultural perspectives of tribes on branding practice for sick children in Odisha, India.

Traditional beliefs on child healthcare at time lead to potentially harmful practices like branding. However, there is a gap in people's perceptions, attitudes and beliefs about branding practice. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to document the cultural motivation, ability and opportunity for branding practice in a tribal district of Odisha, India. Initially, such practices were observed in the tribal community for three months. Then, 18 in-depth interviews were conducted - ten among women having under-five children, and eight among traditional healers. Six focus group discussions were conducted with community health workers as well. The responses were digitally recorded, transcribed and translated and were further used for thematic framework analysis. The primary determinants of branding practice were cultural beliefs compounded with low-health literacy, proximity to conventional care and influence of family and friends. The key driver for branding practices was traditional cultural beliefs on child healthcare decisions and health-seeking behaviours. Opportunities in the health system - availability and quality of health services - frequently drive them to seek healthcare from the system structure and routine health communication improves their ability to make better healthcare decisions. Culture significantly affects the conceptualisation of illness and care-seeking pathways in a society. The indigenous community used to consult local traditional healers for their health concerns. While the government has made efforts to increase community health literacy through various platforms and multiple stakeholders' engagements, the doorstep availability of modern care and health promotion interventions remains critical for meeting the health needs of the indigenous community.

СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ РЕГИОНА КАК ОСНОВАНИЕ УСПЕХА БРЕНДИНГА ТЕРРИТОРИЙ

This paper aims to explore how regional socio-economic conditions and organizational factors affect the success of place branding activities. The secondary purpose is to systematize place branding practice of the Russian federal subjects.We conducted a logistic regression analysis of place branding success probability versus quality of place branding organisation and regionalsocio-economic conditions.The sample is comprised of 22 federal subjects of Russia within the period of 2010 to 2021. The secondary purposeis achieved through a chronological and cartographic analysis of place branding activities. We confirmed the positive influenceof organizational factors, used as a control variable, onplace branding success, and revealed the relationships between place branding success and some socio-economic conditions ofthe federal subjects of Russia: a positive relationship with the GRP, investment, and migration; a negative relationship with the population. The relationship with the adjacency to regions, already having place brand, was not confirmed. This study contributes to place branding theory by unveiling the relationship of regional socio-economic conditions and place branding success. Thus, regional conditions are needed to take into account when predicting the place branding results. This is especially important when using branding as a typical development tool because the uniform success across all regions is unlikely.

Urban Culture and City Brand: A Study on Food Experience

Urban culture is the foundation and lifeblood of a city’s sustainable development. A city’s brand is often rooted in its culture, showcasing and then reviving the urban culture. Characteristic and traditional food, as an element that can quickly bring urban culture and its stakeholders closer, may be able to reconcile conflicts in the development of urban culture and city brands. Taking Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China as a case site, this study for the first time takes food experience as an intermediary variable to construct a structural equation model to empirically examine the influence mechanism of urban cultural cognition on city brand. Research results show that food experience plays a partial intermediary role in urban cultural cognition and city brand identity. This study supplements the research on urban cultural perception and city brand perception and provides suggestions for the revival of urban historical culture and sustainable urban branding practices through characteristic and traditional food.

Logo as a Tool of European Union Countries’ Destination Branding

Developing a coherent and comprehensive brand of a country is of vital importance for a destination in the contemporary global world. There seems to be a recognizable gap in the literature regarding the application of visual signs practiced in country branding. The subject of the study: The research identifies the logos of the European Union countries used in place branding. The purpose of the study is the exploration of the logo content from the senders’ perspective, i.e., the structures and organizations responsible for the country branding. There are many reasons why logos are used in place branding practice. The authors decided to focus on the logo as a form of controlled and projected message communicated via media and ICT. Cognitive gap: The research conducted so far has focused on the reception of logos by the recipients. The presented research attempts to examine the visual message contained in logos from the senders’ perspective. Research methods and data collection techniques: The content analysis method was used to study the visual identity of the countries. The authors collected logos and scrutinised them using Beyrow and Vogt as well as Mollerup’s taxonomy. The results of the study illustrate how governmental institutions, which are responsible for country branding, portray countries using visual identity on the Internet, social media, and their own media.

Brand Promotion Strategy in the Internet Services Market

Digital technologies have become an integral part of modern life, the Internet services market is rapidly developing all over the world, which requires business companies to enter cyberspace. Staying on the Internet has long been an obligatory part of the business not only for large multinational companies but also for small regional and local business structures. It is not just the presence of a website or a group in social networks that is important, a brand communication strategy is necessary. The relevance of the studied subject is due to the need to increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian companies in the field of Internet marketing. The purpose of the article is to develop standard recommendations for strategic brand promotion in the Internet services market, to study the most effective promotion tools and communication channels with the audience in cyberspace. The leading methods for studying the problem were sociological and statistical methods. The technologies of system analysis and modeling are applied. The article analyses the best international and industry branding practices in cyberspace, examines the e-commerce market in Ukraine, and structures the main trends in its development. The material of the article formulates the mechanism for developing and introducing a brand positioning strategy in the e-commerce market, the main characteristics of successful branding, structures recommendations for the use of marketing technologies on the Internet. An important component of the research is the analysis of digital marketing tools and communication channels in the Internet services market. The materials of the article are of practical importance for the business community, specialists in the field of public relations, marketing, advertising, sales departments, and other specialists in the field of management. Effective brand management of Internet services allows increasing the commercial results of one's business, provides additional competitive advantages

Luxury customization and self-authenticity: Implications for consumer wellbeing

Offering customization services via online toolkits has emerged as a growing trend among luxury brands. Previous studies in this domain have largely focused on how customization influences product evaluations and purchase intentions. Our research identifies a novel effect of luxury product customization by showing that customized luxury offerings can positively affect subjective well-being. Three experimental studies provide empirical evidence for this prediction and establish the underlying process driving the effect. Specifically, Study 1 shows that the heightened feelings of self-authenticity drive the effect of luxury customization on subjective well-being. Extending the results of Study 1, Study 2 further demonstrates that the experience of luxury customization influences actual well-being behavior. Notably, this effect is unique to luxury brands and does not occur for non-luxury brands (an ancillary study). Important implications for the theory and practice of luxury branding and consumer well-being are discussed.

"Are You There, Trademark Law? It's Me, Misogyny."


 
 
 When I became aware of the emergent body of legal scholarship on menstruation related topics on which this Symposium builds, I thought that the authors of these articles were very brave.1 I’m an imperfect but life-long feminist and accepted the emotional challenge that writing this Essay posed for me out of gratitude to those authors. Because my principal scholarly focus is intellectual property law, I approached the topic through the lens of trademark law. Part One of this article positions this Essay firmly within the contours of the author’s life and personal experiences with menstruation. Part Two maps common trademark and branding practices related to tampons and sanitary napkins. Part Three explains that the Lanham Act does not offer legal mechanisms by which to challenge the federal registration of sexist trademarks. As with racist trademarks, amplified criticism and persistent public pressure are the main mechanisms available to foment positive change in the marketplace for feminine hygiene products.
 
 

‘Just be Easy, Feel the Music’ – Branding in the Musical and Social Life of Kampala’s Hip-hop Scene

ABSTRACT Situating branding as socio-cultural performative practice, this article provides critical insight into the hip-hop scene in Kampala, Uganda, with spatial contexts evoked through ethnographic accounts. Focusing on a recording studio in the city, branding mobilises, first, musical life through performative practices such as the creation of musical commodities informed by sound and image; and second, branding characterises and extends social life through formal and informal collaborative processes. Sustaining this is hip-hop’s prominence as a global brand of popular culture; apprehendings of the genre act in response to problematic social and economic issues in Uganda, engendered in turn by neoliberal structural adjustment policies and development interventions. Drawing on popular music studies and postcolonial scholarship, this article argues that practices of branding in Kampala’s hip-hop milieu acts in response to this social and economic uncertainty.

Strategies for successful personal branding of celebrities on social media platforms: Involvement or information sharing?

AbstractThis study explores Internet celebrities’ personal brand development motivations and their strategies for successful personal branding practices. It divides the motivations of Internet celebrities to build their personal brands into internal and external factors as a basic framework to explore the establishment of a personal brand. We collect empirical data on 280 Internet celebrities from Taiwan through online and paper‐based questionnaires and conduct structure equation modeling to examine any causal relationships. Statistical results support the main hypothesis that both internal and external motivations push them to adopt involvement and information sharing as their main activities when building a personal brand. However, only involvement is able to create a successful personal brand, as information sharing alone fails to demonstrate the expected effects. We employ the mixed‐method approach to collect data through qualitative and quantitative sources. In‐depth qualitative interviews of successful Internet celebrities also corroborate the empirical results. This study suggests that future Internet celebrities should focus on involvement activities, rather than just sharing information, if they want to create a successful personal brand.

Coercive persuasion in the rebranding Nigeria campaign discourse

ABSTRACT This article examines the discursive practices of coercive persuasion deployed by Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communications to justify the rebranding Nigeria campaign as a policy designed for value reorientation of the citizenry in the wake of the country’s image crisis both domestically and internationally. Sampling data from select addresses and interviews of the country’s chief image maker during the campaign, the study analyses some discourse structures and strategies in the public discourse, drawing theoretical insights from van Dijk’s Critical Epistemic Discourse Analysis to re-examine and re-interpret meaning in relation to knowledge claims in the organised persuasive communication. The article demonstrates that there is artful management of information and construction of knowledge in the persuasive discourse largely to present an institutional version of reality in re/telling Nigeria’s national identity narratives. The study concludes that the rhetorical means of controlling the discourse and managing the minds of the audience typify leadership practices of knowledge construction to achieve policy dominance given certain norms and conventions of nation branding practices.

Place Branding: What Distinctiveness for the Southern Territories? An Analysis Through the Prism of a Moroccan Region

Over the past 20 years, place branding has received increased attention, both as a practice and as a subject of academic studies. Its rapid expansion in territories can be explained by globalization and its corollary, the feeling of fierce competition between places to attract investment and visitors on the one hand, and the adoption by the public sector of private methods and tools, as part of the managerialist trend, on the other hand. Based on the results of research conducted in the Oriental region of Morocco and a literature review, we propose a comparative study of place branding practices between two French regions and the Moroccan Oriental region, in order to define the similarities and differences, in an attempt to outline a marketing practice specific to Moroccan regions.

The inter-generational arts branding of the Star Wars saga: may the myth be with you!

PurposeEmploying the Star Wars brand as a case study, this paper seeks to critically discuss the importance of comparative mythology for inter-generational branding and consumption practices within arts related markets.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data have been gathered focusing on the analysis of material in the form of books, academic journals, films, videos, television programs, websites and media reports related to the interface between comparative mythology, the Star Wars brand.FindingsFirst, this paper indicates how the long-standing success of the Star Wars brand mirrors and reflects the power of monomythic storytelling in creating a platform for arts and place building branding associations and extensions for numerous products and services. Second, this study shows and highlights the potential of monomythic structures/storytelling and comparative mythology in acting an underlying cultural platform whereupon several arts brand associations, narratives, extensions and overall strategies can emerge. Finally, this project suggests how arts marketing scholars could further explore the infusion of mythological narratives within branding practices in the areas of performing/visual arts, museums, entertainment and arts related tourism campaigns.Originality/valueFocusing on the most successful film franchise of all times, this study argues that comparative mythology constitutes an endless source for common templates of artistic, cross-cultural and inter-generational marketing practices focusing on universal moral codes and archetypes.