Brand Competition Research Articles

Comparative analysis of the competitiveness of milk chocolate brands

Comparative analysis of the competitiveness of milk chocolate brands

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ФОРМУВАННЯ БРЕНДУ РОБОТОДАВЦЯ

The article considers the development and promotion of the employer's brand. It is noted that the employer's brand is a complex attitude and perception of the company that arises from an already working employee and an external candidate. That is, the brand of the employer is the image of the company, which forms the idea of it as a good place to work for current, former and potential employees, customers, shareholders. The article describes the author's vision of the process of creating an employer brand, which includes four stages: defining the vision and purpose of creating an employer brand, analysis and evaluation of competitors' brands, identifying unique value proposition and forming attributes of the employer brand. The positive aspects of forming an employer's strong brand are considered. The purpose of creating an employer brand depends on what stage of development the company is at. If the company is young and developing dynamically enough, the main purpose of creating a brand is to attract staff, as well as the formation of common values of employees. In a company that has reached maturity, the employer's brand is created to form the corporate spirit of employees and communicate values. In the event of a crisis in the company, its merger with another organization, the deterioration of its financial condition, etc., the employer's brand is created to retain staff and create a sense of unity. The transformation of the goal of creating an employer brand in accordance with the stages of the life cycle is studied. Attention is drawn to the fact that the attributes of the employer's brand should be based on the conclusions obtained about the target audience, vision and goals of the brand, as well as – on the images of competitors. It is important that the communication and visualization of the employer's brand meet certain requirements. Creating and managing an employer brand can be seen as an integrative mechanism essential to achieving the company's common goals. It is important not only the competitiveness of the employer's brand, but also the high efficiency of its operation. Conclusions are made and prospects for further research on this issue are identified.

The Differential Effects of CSR and CSI on Consumer Willingness to Pay: Implications for Service Providers and Retailers

Service providers and retailers reselling branded have the discretion to set and adapt prices according to customers’ willingness to pay (WTP). Research often notes markup effects, such that WTP increases in response to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and markdown effects, lowering their WTP for corporate social irresponsibility (CSI). Theory suggests attitude changes to (negative) CSI are stronger than to (positive) CSR, but the extent and whether this difference holds for WTP and across various product types are unknown. Using experimental data, an incentive-compatible measure, and an actual purchase, this article reports on three studies that show that consumers mark up WTP for CSR and mark down WTP for CSI. The differential effects arise across brands; compared with WTP for a competitor brand, the acceptable price of a focal CSR/CSI brand is marked down more than it is marked up. Comparing the WTP for a focal brand relative to the average CSR performance of that brand does not produce any within-brand differential effects The evidence also indicates a product type effect: Consumer WTP adaptation for CSR or CSI is stronger for utilitarian than for hedonic products. These findings have implications for service providers, retailers and manufacturing firms, as well as for further research.

Development Strategy of New Energy Business for Traditional Car Manufacturers under the Dual-Credit Policy

With the track of new energy vehicles continuously booming and accelerating, more and more automobile manufacturers are seeking effective methods to help companies stand out. Some of them attempt to split the new energy vehicle (NEV) business module in order to boost brand competitiveness for the top spot in an increasingly competitive market. The dual-credit policy, however, makes Chinese automakers consider whether the benefits of adopting the splitting strategy exceed the drawbacks, yet few domestic studies can offer assistance. As a result, the study develops split strategy and integrative development strategy’s optimal decision models under the dual-credit policy. The paper also addresses which scenario the Integrative development approach or the splitting strategy is more advantageous and effective under using model comparison and numerical analysis. According to the study, manufacturers of fuel vehicles frequently reduce their output and raise their prices in response to the dual-credit policy. The credit price should receive significant attention from both traditional car manufacturers and NEV manufacturers due to its profound impact on both. Whether traditional car manufacturers should split the NEV business module independently depends on the pricing of NEV credits as well as the supply and demand for NEV credits. Traditional car manufacturers can only use a splitting strategy when the price of NEV credits is within a particular range and the NEV credit is surplus.

Study on the Development of Marine Cultural Tourism of Dalian

Dalian is one of the famous coastal tourist cities in China, with a unique geographical location. This paper studies the development of marine cultural tourism in Dalian by means of literature analysis and data analysis. This paper holds that the existing problems of Dalian marine cultural tourism are as follows: Covid-19 impact; Serious pollution of marine resources; Weak brand competitiveness of marine cities; and missing talent. Combined with analysis and the author’s personal knowledge base, this paper believes that paying attention to marine ecological environment protection, excavating cultural resources and personnel training are helpful to break the barriers of Dalian marine cultural tourism, so as to promote the development of Dalian marine cultural tourism.

소비자의 패션감성/취향이 라이프스타일숍 선호도에 미치는 영향과 감각적 체험요소가 온라인 라이프스타일 제품구매 의도에 미치는 영향 ╶ 한국형과 유럽형 라이프스타일숍을 중심으로╶

This study aims to investigate the shopping behavior of lifestyle shops, and to examine the effects of various consumers' fashion sensibilities and tastes on the preferences of lifestyle brand shops launched in Europe and Korea. In addition, it was attempted to observe whether the sensibility experience factors of consumers in the on/offline lifestyle shop store influence the intention to purchase products of online shopping shops. The research method was a questionnaire method, for female consumers aged 20s to 30s those who have an experience in purchasing a lifestyle shop, collecting data on mobile and online by convenience sampling, and conducting statistical analysis. As a result, respondents showed that the most preferred shop was IKEA in lifestyle shop preferences, Most of consumers first looked at things offline, and mostly bought online, called “showroomig”. Second, we realized that ethnic taste had a significant negative influence on the preference of European lifestyle shops, while Korean & romantic taste and mass sense had a positive effect. Third, sensibility experience factors such as “safety of shopping due to fear of corona”, “easy exchange and refund”, “happy feeling of receiving a gift during delivery”, and “free shipping charge” are significantly positive in product purchase intentions at online lifestyle shops. Among the factors, the stability of shopping has the greatest impact on the purchase intention. In addition, the most important factor influencing the repurchase intention of an online lifestyle shop is the “purchase review”. The findings was significant in proposing product planning and VMD strategies that could appeal to Korean consumers in terms of marketing, considering the competition of domestic brands with global SPA lifestyleshop brands.

ІНСТРУМЕНТИ ДЛЯ ПРОСУВАННЯ ПРОЦЕСУ БРЕНДИНГУ НА ПІДПРИЄМСТВАХ ЛЕГКОЇ ПРОМИСЛОВОСТІ УКРАЇНИ В УМОВАХ ПАНДЕМІЇ

This work is devoted to the analysis of tools for promoting the branding process in light industry enterprises of Ukraine in a pandemic. The author defines the concepts of "brand" and "branding". It is established that in the conditions of a pandemic the use of social networks is an effective tool for promotion of branding process at the enterprises of light industry of Ukraine. Research reveals the theoretical foundations of social communication and the principles of its operation. The benefits of using social media to promote a domestic company's brand during a recession are well known. The analysis of the target audience of Instagram is carried out, the ways and means of effective brand advertising are determined, the main advantages of brand advertising in social networks are considered. The advanced tools of digital marketing are analyzed and the necessity of their application in promotion of a company brand or goods in crisis conditions is substantiated. The rules of creating and maintaining the activities of the corporate platform in the social network Instagram are systematized, and the need to use them to promote the brand on social networks is justified. It is proved that the use of social networks in marketing communication allows the company to specifically influence the target group, choose platforms on which the audience is more represented, identify the most appropriate communication channels, build long-term relationships with consumers, manage company's image and reputation. It is established that the implementation of a competitive brand is one of the main directions of marketing activities of new enterprises. Large global organizations, which at one time successfully withstood the competition in the market and became favorites in their field, owe much to the development of a successful brand. At the same time, in conditions when the main factors of enterprise triumph are customer relations, personnel and intangible assets, the doctrine of branding becomes more important and becomes the main means of ensuring the competitiveness of goods and services.

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE PLAYED BY CULTURAL DESTINATION BRANDING IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF TRIBAL INDIA – CASE STUDY OF JAUNSAR BAWAR TRIBAL REGION OF THE HIMALAYAS.

Purpose: Cultural Destination Branding plays an important role to attract tourists. Jaunsar Bawar is endowed with historical and archaeological sites. The main purpose of this study is to identify the constituent elements of the overall image of the brand of Jaunsar Bawar’s main heritage destinations by utilizing heritage, general, and unique images, and it proposes a model for branding Jaunsar Bawar’s cultural & heritage destinations. The region has all the potential to be an important cultural destination in the world. Well-planned branding strategies of these cultural destinations are a primary requirement to attract both foreign and domestic tourists. There are some barriers, which can impede successful cultural tourism marketing in Jaunsar Bawar. Lack of coordination among stakeholders, insufficient funding and providing less importance to the needs of the tourists can obstruct successful cultural destination branding. Developing creative promotional program, coordination among relevant stakeholders, conservation and protection of heritage sites and active participation of both private and public sector are necessary to implement cultural destination branding in Jaunsar Bawar. Design/methodology/approach – This research is exploratory in nature and it uses the qualitative approach of primary research methodology by adopting a non-random stratified sampling method. To collect the data, approach of face-to-face semi-structured & openended interviews of 19 local people as well as some from outside region but having specific knowledge about Jaunsar Bawar due to their detailed work done here was conducted. Outcomes – The study shows that the people believe Destination Branding as an effective tool for the enhancement of the tourism in field related to Cultural & Historical perspective of a tribal region like Jaunsar Bawar. The study also establishes that the various initiatives in field of creating a destination brand enhances the reputation and build a very strong, unique & competitive brand in the minds of locals as well as in the minds of tourists/ visitors who are planning or who have visited Jaunsar Bawar and this could result in the economic development of this Himalayan tribal region. Research implications – The findings of the study represent a significant contribution to the field of destination branding and will help practitioners to develop destination brand of their area of research and achieve competitive advantage in long-run which will create several business opportunities in the local area and thus gives competitive advantage in the long-run. Research limitations – The study is confined only to the region of Jaunsar Bawar thus having a limited geographic scope of one region of one state of India. Therefore, studying other tribal regions of Himalayas may carry out further research. Keywords: Jaunsar Bawar, Tourism, Cultural Destination Branding,, Economic Development, Cultural Tourism, Destination Brand.

Competitive positions of universities in the regional higher education market

The current stage of higher education development is featured by a complex and dynamic environment, new threats associated with the coronavirus pandemic. These challenges dictate the need for universities to maintain firm competitive positions. Taking into account the peculiarities of the higher education and the subjective assessment of a number of factors, it is necessary to adapt the models of assessing the competitiveness of educational organizations to the specifics of the market. The purpose of the article is to modernize and test Porter's model of Five Competitive Forces for the education market system. The object of the study is the educational services market of the Sverdlovsk region. The most significant attention in the proposed model is paid to identifying and describing the features and structure of the five forces of competition. The authors propose to consider the power of internal and external consumers of university educational services as the power of customers, and the threat of online education and the creation of corporate universities of large companies as a threat from substitutes. The main attention of the authors is paid to an empirical study of the competitiveness of brands of universities in the Sverdlovsk region using the results of a survey of 177 graduates of the 11th grade of Yekaterinburg, conducted in 2020. The analysis of the applicants' motivation showed that the most important motives in choosing a university are the possibility of free education and the qualification of the teaching staff, further material benefits, such as fair wages and favorable employment. The most popular sources of information for applicants are the official website of the high school, as well as relatives, friends and acquaintances. As a result of the analysis, it is concluded that it is necessary to develop a marketing strategy to increase the competitive position, awareness and the level of public confidence of the university. The authors suggest universities to personalize relationships with students in order to increase loyalty to the university, use information technology to implement flexible programs of interaction with consumers of educational services.

Research on the Impact of High-End Ev Sales Business Model on Brand Competitiveness

Electric vehicles have many advantages compared with traditional fuel vehicles, whereas the immaturity of technologies and high manufacturing cost make it difficult for EV brands to be promoted in traditional business models. Thus, auto-mobile companies started to establish high-end sales business model to promote the brand. This paper studies the influential mechanism of high-end EV sales business model on brand competitiveness and the mediation effect between high-end EV sales business model and brand competitiveness. A total of 624 consumers’ survey data were collected and the structural equation model (SEM) was analyzed to test the hypotheses by using a scale made up of indicators referring to high-end EV sales business model, brand competitiveness and customer perceived value. This paper contributes to the sustainable innovation literature by exploring the psychological perception of customer perceived value in strengthening brand competitiveness. The results show that both the value proposition and value creation of high-end EV sales business model have significant positive impacts on brand competitiveness. Moreover, customer perceived value fully mediates the relationships between the value proposition of high-end EV sales business model and brand competitiveness and between the value creation and brand competitiveness. Customer perceived value cannot mediate the relationship between the value capture of high-end EV sales business model and brand competitiveness. Our insights contribute to the business model research area from a customer-centric perspective.

REVIEW OF THE KEY DIRECTIONS OF FOOD POLICY DEVELOPMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

The article provides an overview of the main priorities and measures in the field of ensuring food security, enshrined in the strategic and program documents of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the present stage. The author identified key priorities and directions for the development of food policy and reviewed the progress of its implementation in terms of key indicators. For instance, the author highlights the increase in acreage as one of the measures of state policy in the field of food security. By analyzing the statistical data, there has been revealed the trends of an increase in the area of irrigated land since 1991, as well as a disproportion in the volume of sown areas in the context of regions. The author also considered such areas of food policy as ensuring an increase in yields, the creation of national competitive brands with an emphasis on environmental friendliness and an increase in the share of agricultural products in the country's GDP. The paper identifies trends in achieving indicators of food security development in each of these areas.

The Effects of Brand Community Identification on Consumer Behavior in Online Brand Communities

Today, companies must create brand community identification on social media in order to transition from traditional marketing to online marketing. This transition can increase advertising in online platforms, the customers’ trust in the brand and, ultimately, their refusal to buy and use rival brands in competitive online environments. This study investigates the effects of brand community identification on consumer behavior of online brand communities which consists of social media community users. The sample size includes 245 observations (Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks users) in Iran. After an in-depth review of the relevant literature, a conceptual model was developed and the proposed hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modeling technique. Results indicate that brand community identification in online brand communities has important and different effects on customer behavior, so companies could use it to support their online marketing strategies. Ultimately, companies would be able to create a unique sense in customers who avoid buying and using competitor brands.

Open Innovation—An Explorative Study on Value Co-Creation Tools for Nation Branding and Building a Competitive Identity

Nation branding has gained increasing popularity among marketeers, academics, and practitioners during recent decades. However, awareness among multidisciplinary researchers has been raised in the recent past. The purposes of this conceptual study were to address the lack of research on the process of building a competitive identity for nation brands and to suggest the use of open innovation-based approaches, such as value co-creation, as new potential tools for such purposes. This study identifies, discusses, and evaluates two scientific models, the PERFA Framework and the Four Actions Framework, which were originally developed to increase value propositions in organizations, and applies them as suitable tools for nation branding in building a competitive identity. The authors argue that applying open innovation-based value co-creation frameworks will create a solid basis for competitive nation branding, as the method engages multiple stakeholders.

Competitive intensity value resonance antecedence for successful brand performance

<p><em>This study aims to mediate the influence of the Brand Management System on Brand Performance by proposing a Competitive Intensity Value Resonance that mediates between the Brand Management System and the improvement of Brand Performance. Sample data from 160 food product SMEs in Central Java were used to test a model consisting of five hypotheses. The statistical test in this model uses five variables: Brand Management System, Marketing Orientation, Internal Branding, Competitive Intensity Value Resonance and Brand Performance. The results of the data show that Competitive Intensity Value Resonance has an important role in improving Brand Performance.</em></p>

Using the Dirichlet model to predict how fashion brands compete and grow on eBay

AbstractE‐fashion brand competition has historically been studied from an attitudinal lens, through surveys and theory‐based approaches. These studies generally examine consumer attitudes, satisfaction and loyalty; highlighting that trust, satisfaction and reputation are key e‐commerce success elements. However, the empirical consumer behaviour literature rebuts the use of attitudes to explain brand performance, criticising their subjectivity and the overall ineffectiveness of loyalty as a brand growth tool. The article presents Gerald Goodhardt and colleagues' Dirichlet model as an alternative approach to understanding e‐fashion buyer behaviour. The Dirichlet model is a robust, stochastic model that has reliably predicted well‐established law‐like patterns of buyer behaviour and brand competition. We apply Dirichlet modelling to a new, non‐fast moving consumer goods category to extend consumer behaviour research in the online environment. The study uses consumer panel data from the United Kingdom, across two consecutive years. We conclude that the Dirichlet model has an excellent fit within the eBay fashion brand market. The study also identifies that the well‐known double jeopardy pattern exists within this market, demonstrating that e‐fashion brands grow through acquisition rather than retention of customers. This provides a different viewpoint than most e‐fashion brand growth literature. In addition to this, we examine the predictive capability of the Dirichlet model. We use a holdout sample to show that the model can predict future brand performance metrics, which is an exciting new development in consumer behaviour research.

STRATEGY OF THE INTERNATIONAL BRAND MANAGEMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE

The article studies the strategy of international brand management of an industrial enterprise. The state of the Ukrainian industry is analyzed. It was revealed that in a crisis, enterprises should make more efforts to maintain their positions in the market. In this case, it is advisable to develop the company's brand. The segment of consumers is separated by such industries as metallurgy, energy, mining and processing, engineering, petrochemical, papermaking and food. When forming a brand strategy, it should be borne in mind that the activities of enterprises in industrial markets usually take place on the basis of B2B sales. The brand in the B2B market performs the functions of "quality assurance", "reliability", "long-term relationship". Also, an important feature of this approach is that companies do not work for the end consumer, but for other legal entities in various fields and industries. Promotion of industrial products through advertising is ineffective, and it is advisable to use public relations and direct marketing. When performing the work, the following methods were used: structural and functional analysis - to study the relationship between the main factors of the B2B market and the formation of branding, statistical analysis - to study the dynamics of the main indicators of the enterprise, financial analysis - to assess the financial condition of the enterprise, comparative analysis - to compare brands of competitors with this enterprise. A brand management strategy for an international company is proposed, taking into account the peculiarities of the functioning of industrial markets. The implementation of the recommendations presented in the work will create a strong brand and, as a result, create a reputation as a reliable supplier, strengthen relationships with existing customers and increase the number of end consumers. The calculated budget of the promotion program and the assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed strategy indicate that the introduction of the brand at the enterprise will allow receiving additional income in the next year. Therefore, based on the results of the analysis, it can be concluded that the proposed brand strategy for an industrial enterprise is effective and is necessary for the enterprise for further development and financial seurity.

Challenging the Concept that OptiBond FL and Clearfil SE Bond in NCCLs Are Gold Standard Adhesives: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

The following PICO (Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes) question was proposed: "Are retention rates of composite resin restorations in noncarious cervical lesions (NCCLs) when using adhesives considered "gold standard" (OptiBond FL and Clearfil SE Bond) higher than those obtained with other adhesives brands"? A search was performed in February 2019 (updated in November 2019) in the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, BBO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Grey Literature, and IADR abstracts (1990-2018); unpublished and ongoing trial registries, dissertations, and theses were also searched. Only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) conducted in NCCLs that compared either OptiBond FL or Clearfil SE Bond adhesive with other commercially available adhesives were included. The risk of bias (RoB) was applied by using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. A meta-analysis was performed for retention rates at different follow-up times using a random effects model for both the adhesives. Heterogeneity was assessed with the Cochran Q test and I2 statistics. Grading of Recommendations: Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) assessed the quality of evidence. After removal of duplicates and noneligible articles, 25 studies remained for qualitative synthesis, as one study was common to the two adhesives, of which 9 studies were used for the OptiBond FL meta-analysis and 14 for the Clearfil SE Bond meta-analysis. No significant differences were observed for retention rates in follow-up periods of 12-24 months (p=0.97), 36-48 months (p=0.72), or 108-156 months (p=0.73) for OptiBond FL; and for 12-24 months (p=0.10) and 36-48 months (p=0.17) for Clearfil SE Bond. A significant difference was only found for OptiBond FL at 60-96 months (p=0.02), but only three studies were included in this meta-analysis. The evidence from available RCTs conducted in NCCLs that compared OptiBond FL or Clearfil SE Bond does not support the widespread concept that these adhesives are better than any other competitive brands available in the dental market.

Product patents and access to innovative medicines

Enacted in 1995, the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights of the World Trade Organisation makes it obligatory for member states to protect pharmaceutical product patents, which has great impacts on global access to medicines. This paper analyses the impact of patents on the availability and affordability of new and innovative medicines in a post-TRIPS era. Our data from IQVIA covers 578 molecules in 70 countries. Using launch data from 1980 to 2017, we find that introducing product patents is important for innovative medicines by speeding up their launch by 14 percent. Innovative medicines are launched sooner than non-innovative ones irrespective of patent regimes. However, we find little evidence that either patentability or innovativeness improves drug availability in low-income countries. With regard to differential pricing, a firm-level strategy to achieve affordable prices for patented medicines, we find that overall, from 2007 to 2017, originator medicine prices are adjusted to local income levels by only 11 percent and generic medicine prices by 26 percent. Prices of generic HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis medicines are much better adjusted to local income—by 69 percent—suggesting that disease-specific global policy responses have led to more affordable prices benefiting people with these diseases in poor countries. Also, brand competition in the molecule market can effectively drive down prices of both originator and generic medicines, implying that multiple generic entry is crucial to achieving drug affordability.

Mediating Effect of Perceived Value on the Relationship between Brand Image and Customer Loyalty of Hair Salon

Purpose: This study emphasizes brand image and perceived value by examining and identifying the mediating effect of the relationship between hair salons’ brand images, perceived value, and customer loyalty. It aims to enhance the competitiveness of hair salon brands by providing the basic data necessary for the development and improvement of sales in professional hair salons.Methods: This study performed frequency analysis, reliability analysis, factor analysis, regression analysis, and mediation regression analysis, using SPSS 22.0 for 534 copies of data collected through questionnaires for adult men and women using hair salons.Results: The study results show that brand image significantly affected the perceived value and customer loyalty. Additionally, the perceived value significantly affected customer loyalty and partially mediated the relationship between brand image and customer loyalty.Conclusion: It is necessary to market factors with positive brand image effects for a hair salon, and customers should feel satisfied and unburdened. Additionally, to increase the salon’s value, suitable unit prices for technology and services should be set instead of higher unit prices.

Exploring Negative Spillover Effects on Stakeholders: A Case Study on Social Media Talk about Crisis in the Food Industry Using Data Mining

Focusing on public-centered, social-mediated crisis communication, the current exploratory study drew on situational crisis communication theory to formulate a comprehensive view of consumer reactions to crisis. Data mining and automated content analysis techniques were utilized to analyze social media posts by the public during a crisis in the cereals industry. Two path analyses showed that: (a) crisis-related social media posts tended to skip over competitor brand products, followed by two major reaction paths—(1) a rational path based on guilt attribution that justifies implications for the company and (2) an emotional path associated with public distrust; and (b) public self-blame spilled over to other stakeholders such as the government and economic system. The results give voice to issues that concern the public during crises, both as individuals and as a community. They highlight the fact that sustainable crisis management should involve additional stakeholders. Conclusions and implications for society and practice are suggested.