Brand Meaning Research Articles

Increasing competitive advantage in Binong tourism village with the implementation of digital brand destination

The potential of Binong Tourism Village is very large with the various knitting products produced and the existing tourist attractions. It is hoped that this potential will be known to the public so that it will increase their interest and interest in visiting Binong Tourism Village. Digital Brand Destination is a strategy to increase branding by utilizing digital media. This research aims to improve the branding of Binong Tourism Village with a Digital Brand Destination strategy which can also be a competitive advantage, and increase tourist experience. The research was carried out in various stages, starting from conducting focus group discussions and interviews with the Binong Tourism Village, then pre-survey, taking photos and videos for marketing content, creating a Digital Marketing Plan, creating a Business Model Canvas, utilizing digital media, using Ads features until later training and mentoring will be held for MSME players there. This research using qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data based on interviews with the Binong Tourism Village. Quantitative data was obtained by distributing questionnaires to 100 respondents. The data used is primary data and secondary data. A pre-survey was also carried out to find out the hopes of partners and the general public for developing the potential of Binong Tourism Village in the future. The next step is to create a digital marketing plan by analyzing the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and challenges of Binong Tourism Village both externally and internally. Furthermore, data and analysis will also be obtained from the Business Capital Canvas. Based on several stages of research that have been carried out, it shows that Binong Tourism Village has great tourism potential, but has not yet maximized the use of digital media as a means of promotion and branding. A Digital Marketing Plan and Business Model Canvas scheme been created to develop digital branding as a competitive advantage and an indicator of improving the tourist experience when visiting Binong Tourism Village. So, it is hoped that the development of a digital brand destination can increase public awareness of the potential of Binong Tourism Village, and can increase the reach of promotions and branding.

‘A Victimless Crime’? Implications of eSports Extensions of Sport Club Brands for Brand Management From a Multi-Actor-Dominant Logic

Adhering to the multi-actor-dominant logic of sport brands, this study examines the influence of eSports extensions on the dynamic branding processes within the ecosystems of sport club brands (SCB). The findings build on a qualitative multi-case study (N = 11 SCB in the German Bundesliga implementing different types of eSports extensions), using 20 semi-structured interviews and netnographic analysis of more than 70.000 social media comments. SCB preserve but also translate brand identity in the context of eSports. The fine line between both strategies is reflected in internal negotiation processes. eSports extensions receive little attention from extant actors. However, ‘relevant’ eSports extensions initiate discursive processes among extant and novel actors and the development of diverging brand meanings. This research contributes to literature on eSports and brand extensions by enhancing the understanding of the effects of eSports extensions on SCB. In addition, this study offers implications for sport managers, developing and implementing eSports extensions.

Factors Influencing Political Brand Coolness and Voting Intention

ABSTRACTEstablishing a voter connection requires political parties to prioritize providing the electorate with pleasurable experiences, treating them as consumers, and incorporating the “coolness factor” as a key ingredient. Consequently, the perceived coolness of a political brand is a characteristic that develops and evolves independently within society. The current empirical research aims to explore the various factors that contribute to the perceived coolness of political brands and its influence on voting intention. The study's participants are selected from India, a vibrant and diverse nation known as the world's largest democracy. In order to analyze the data, researchers employ the technique known as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of the analysis highlight the considerable impact of political party brand meaning on its coolness, indicating a positive relationship between the two. The coolness of the political party brand is heavily influenced by the leader's image, which has a significant positive impact. It is further revealed that political party brand coolness has a significant positive association with voting intention and party brand engagement. Our investigation shows that political brand engagement serves as a mediator in the association between political brand coolness and voting intention, besides the direct influence of political brand coolness on voting intention. A comprehensive understanding of the study's findings enables political marketers to identify more effective strategies for cultivating political brand coolness and leveraging them to create memorable experiences that resonate with voters. Those factors ultimately affect how people vote.

Creation and Training of Online Media as a Means of Da'wah and Branding of IMM Baubau City

Print media is one of several media types including newspapers, magazines, books, and so on. Electronic and online media are also included in the communication media, which functions as an intermediary in disseminating information. One of the functions of the internet is to disseminate information digitally or online that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere and anytime, while connected to the network. Communication media is a means of connecting that can help disseminate this information. Fast, precise, and accurate information is needed in various institutions and companies in the current era of globalization. This community service activity aims as a forum for information to institutional administrators and the Baubau City community, then as a place to report activities by IMM Baubau City, then the goal is to be used as a means of branding and marketing IMM Baubau City Branch to prospective members or sympathisers to be easily attracted to the management or activities of IMM Baubau City. The results of this socialization and training activity can provide solutions for leaders and commissariats to make the immbaubau.or.id website a centralized and trusted source of information. Once achieved, this will [insert benefits here] and can make the website an online archive that can be uploaded and downloaded anytime and anywhere.

Conceptualising place branding in three approaches: towards a new definition of place brands as embodied experiences

PurposeThis paper aims to provide conceptual clarity on the different approaches of place branding in the literature. It discusses three main approaches and provides a new definition of place brands that acknowledges the full multi-sensory experience of place brands. This paper also elaborates brand management within the three approaches.Design/methodology/approachConceptual paperFindingsThis study identifies three co-existing approaches of place branding and provides a definition of place brands for each of them. The first approach conceptualises place brands as symbolic constructs that identify and differentiate places from others. Brand symbols such as logos and slogans are central, assuming that brand meaning resides in them. The second approach views place brands as images and associations in the minds of target groups, whereby brands reside in individuals’ minds (the cognitive). This paper aligns with a third approach that views place brands as experiential, multi-sensory constructs. Brands invite not only mental representations in people’s minds but especially also multi-sensory embodied experiences. The authors thus define place brands as marketing systems that consist of dynamic performative assemblages of symbolic, discursive, institutional and material elements that selectively invite certain multi-sensory and embodied experiences of place by stakeholders and target groups.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to conceptual clarity by providing an analytical framework identifying three main approaches to place branding. The authors further reflect on the implications of each approach for brand management. This paper also builds on recent literatures to provide a new and contemporary definition of place brands as multi-sensory experiences that encompasses embodiment.

Brand conceptualization for academic libraries: A grounded theory approach

Marketing and branding are still regarded as aspects of the business world irrelevant to libraries. Understanding the impact of brand and its evolution on the success of academic libraries necessitates elucidating the meaning of brand and its contributions to libraries. The lack of a comprehensive definition of marketing and branding and their functions in Iranian libraries also confirms the idea that they are unnecessary in libraries and prevents libraries from moving in the right direction in marketing and branding. To this end, this study aimed to investigate the brand concept of academic libraries in Iran. This qualitative study employed the grounded theory (GT) methodology based on two of the three coding steps suggested by Strauss and Corbin (1998): “open coding” and “axial coding”. Twenty experts in fields such as branding, marketing, and librarianship, among others, were interviewed for data collection purposes. Out of these experts, nine were faculty members, three were researchers, and eight were library employees. Using the MAXQDA software, the content of the interviews was analyzed qualitatively. In addition, the academic library brand was also conceptualized with 12 dimensions, including brand identity, brand associations, brand awareness, brand imagery, brand compatibility, brand quality, brand credibility, brand superiority, brand security, brand excitement, behavioral loyalty, and attitudinal attachment. Therefore, it made sense for the brand to focus on providing its customers with the best possible library experience. This study is the first to define the brand concept for academic libraries in order to shed light on the concept and its significance in these libraries.

Mamaearth: a digital first brand venturing offline

Learning outcomes The key learning objectives are as follows: analyze Mamaearth’s growth trajectory in the Indian market, illustrate the meaning of a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand, analyze the importance of social media in building a D2C brand, analyze the challenges and advantages associated with a D2C brand, analyze growth and expansion options available with Mamaearth and evaluate the strategies for Indian start-ups in the beauty and personal care space. Case overview/synopsis In 2016, what began as a quest to find safe baby care products for the first-time parents Varun and Ghazal, turned into an entrepreneurial opportunity. The couple started Honasa Consumer Private Limited at Gurugram, which owned the brand Mamaearth. Conceived as a D2C brand for mothers opposed to harsh baby care products, it debuted with just six baby care products with exclusive online availability. For the brand to grow, it recreated the marketing mix to be perceived as a brand for all ages. The step successfully garnered a customer base of over 1.5 million consumers in 500 cities and a valuation of INR 1bn within four years of operations. In February 2021, Mamaearth became a brand with INR 5bn annualized revenue run rate and aspired to double it to INR 10bn by 2023. Though Mamaearth debuted as a D2C brand, after tapping around 10,000 retail stores, the Alaghs realized that many consumers still preferred transacting in the offline space. Alaghs decided to expand by acquiring a robust offline space in 100 smart cities in India. Would it be wise for Mamaearth to take forward their offline expansion plans? Alternatively, would an aggressive product innovation coupled with a more substantial online presence be a more sustainable proposition? Complexity academic level The case study is appropriate for Post Graduate Diploma in Management/Master of Business Administration level courses of second year in strategic brand management, digital marketing, integrated marketing communication and marketing strategy. The case stuudy may also be useful for prospective entrepreneurs planning to embark upon a D2C venture. The case study elaborates on the emergence, marketing and branding of Mamaearth. The case study helps students understand the meaning of a D2C brand and the growth options available in the Indian market for a D2C brand from the perspective of Mamaearth. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

How and when effective customer journeys drive brand loyalty: the role of consumer-brand identification

PurposeEffective customer journey design (ECJD) is considered a key variable in customer experience management and an essential source of brand meaning and pro-brand behavior. Although previous research has confirmed its importance for driving brand attitudes and loyalty, the role of consumer-brand identification as a social identity-based influence in this relationship has not yet been discussed. Drawing on construal level and social identity theories, this paper aims to investigate whether effective journeys and the resulting overall journey experience are equally powerful in driving brand loyalty among customers with different levels of consumer-brand identification.Design/methodology/approachThe present article develops and tests a research model using data from the European and US service sectors (N = 1,454) to investigate how and when ECJD affects service brand loyalty.FindingsAcross two cultural contexts, four service industries and 33 service brands, the results reveal that ECJD is a crucial driver of service brand loyalty for customers with low consumer-brand identification. Moreover, the findings show that different aspects of journey effectiveness positively impact the valence of customers’ experience related to those journeys – a process that is ultimately decisive for their brand loyalty.Originality/valueThis study is unique because it generates theoretical and practical knowledge by combining the literature streams of customer journey design, customer experience and branding. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that consumer-brand identification is a critical boundary condition to be considered in the relationship between ECJD and brand loyalty in services.

Customer-Based Brand Equity Drivers: A Leading Brand of Beer in Estonia

Based on the trust/commitment theory and the customer-based brand equity theory, this study aims to ascertain which of the brand equity drivers of A. Le Coq beer have an impact on attachment and its overall brand equity in the Estonian brewery market. In order to achieve this goal, an empirical study was conducted based on the 17 customer-based/consumer-based brand equity models: the 15 brand equity models, including the beer/beverage brand equity models, the 2 internal brand equity models, as well as 3 other related models. The study utilised a sample of convenience of 120 University of Tartu students. The questionnaire was placed on Google’s online survey administration service. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) through AMOS29 was used for testing the fit of the model and covariances (through AMOS29) were used for testing the hypotheses. Additionally, t-test analysis was used for the differences in the means between the demographic characteristics and the items of the model. The results show that brand meaning has a strong positive effect on attachment strength, which significantly influences relationship factors—commitment, trust, and satisfaction. Another major finding is that the relationship factors—commitment, trust, and satisfaction—play a significant role in the development of the brand equity of A. Le Coq beer. This study provides useful insights for brewery marketing managers by exploiting the strong positive relationships found between beer brand equity drivers, such as the strong positive relationships found within consumers of beer, i.e., the relationships between brand reputation and brand image, brand meaning and attachment strength, attachment strength and commitment, attachment strength and satisfaction, attachment strength and trust, satisfaction and brand equity, commitment and brand equity, and trust and brand equity. This finding contributes to the literature on brand equity related to the Estonian environment. Five differences in demographic characteristics seem to play a role in designing strategies by the management teams of different brands for increasing the consumption of their competing brands of beer. A replication of a model previously used for a non-product is part of the novelty of this paper. In addition, all the examined relationships are found to be positive and significant, which provides a contribution to the existing literature.

Identifying distinctions in the perception of fast food and sport shoes brands by children and adolescents based on the brand meaning model

The article makes an effort to evaluate the influence of a brand meaning on the perception of popular products by children and adolescents on the example of junk food and sport shoes. The study involved 703 pupils of secondary schools from 11 to 18 years old. The proposed approach is based on the use of the Saaty's method, which allows to assess the influence of different factors on the perception of brands by children and adolescents and to determine the distinctions in their perception of brands of various types of products. Based on the analysis, a hierarchical structure of brand perception by children was built. It includes the brand awareness, brand logo recognition, consumer impression of brand advertising. The weighting coefficients of the hierarchical model for fast food and sport shoe brands were estimated and the results were compared, distinctions and similarities were identified in the perception of brands of various types of goods by children and adolescents. For fast food brands, perception of brand quality plays a major role, whilst for sport shoe the brand attractiveness is the most important factor.

A Research on the Dynamization Effect of Brand Visual Identity Design: Mediated by Digital Information Smart Media

The article utilizes the literature research method, case study method, and practical verification method. The article discusses brand visual identity and motion graphics design principles. The article outlines dynamic brand visual identity design trends that digital information and AI enable. It explains AI generative models like GAN and diffusion models that generate graphics and effects. Examples like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney show AI's potential for diverse, abstract visuals in motion graphics. AI could also enable interactive effects by combining with AR/VR. Overall, AI can empower dynamic, personalized graphic design and branding. Key points are that dynamic design brings interactivity and better conveys brand meaning. Brand visual design is diversifying, with core brand image and dynamic performance reinforcing each other. AI can boost efficiency, innovation, and meaning in dynamic design. Though mainstream, 2D branding remains relevant. The article highlights the future potential of AI in motion graphics and visual storytelling, as it can generate new interpretations and experiences.

Place branding: Religion in shaping the three-dimensional essence of a city brand through stakeholder engagement.

This study explores the role of religion in engaging stakeholders in branding a place on social media and unmasks what implications this has for (re)constructing the three-dimensional meanings of a place brand. Using the content analysis method to examine the case of Saudi Arabia, it probes how the key stakeholder groups of the government and the residents structure and interact with the narratives of the cities-Jeddah and Riyadh-on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The results show the Islamic religion serves as a powerful tool for motivating the residents to engage in the government-led city branding initiatives at the individual level. However, the strategy of dwelling on religion to mobilize resident engagement at the individual level towards the social level with the aim of growing resources in support of social development should be reassessed within a dynamic social system. Theoretically, the proposed framework of religion city branding expands the scope of stakeholder engagement in place branding research through the integration with the driver of religion, especially unveiling how religious factors shape the personality traits of a place brand. It contributes to the practical sense that religious elements might be deployed by the key stakeholder groups of the government and residents in city branding initiatives, which potentially contributes to their relationship and the engagement of residents in co-creating a place brand with the government. This Saudi-focused study, therefore, possesses significance for place branding practices in Middle Eastern countries and beyond.

The effects of residential mobility on consumers’ preference for paradox brands

The present study investigates paradox brands, which incorporate contradictory brand meanings, and explores the influence of residential mobility on consumers’ evaluations of these brands from a socio-ecological perspective. This research presents three experimental studies conducted in two distinct markets: China and the United States. The findings reveal that consumers who experience residential mobility (vs. stability) are more likely to positively appraise paradox brands and prefer them over traditional brands without contradictions. This preference is attributed to a stronger dialectical self among consumers with greater residential mobility. Furthermore, a stronger dialectical self is associated with more positive evaluations and preferences for paradoxical brands. This study highlights the role of residential mobility in fostering paradoxical brands and emphasizes its significance in both residential mobility and brand development domains.

브랜드 스토리텔링에 관한 고찰 및 새로운 연구 방향

Nowadays, brand has become the most important intangible asset of a company, and the competition in the market has become a competition of brands. Narrative is considered to be an effective means of branding. Storytelling is an effective way for companies to communicate with consumers. Since stories do not require complex information processing by consumers, the content conveyed in the form of stories makes it easier for consumers to understand and be persuaded. Through storytelling, companies communicate their values to consumers, allowing them to empathize with them and build relationships with them. Brand storytelling has become one of the hot topics in the marketing field. This study collates and analyzes the research results of brand storytelling from five aspects: definition, types, components, roles, and research trends, and proposes suggestions for future research directions in view of the shortcomings of current research.

Designing Brand Cocreation Activities to Increase Digital Consumer Engagement

Brand cocreation campaigns offer consumers various activities centered on interpreting brand image. Yet, little is known about what brand cocreation characteristics increase digital consumer engagement (DCE; e.g., liking a brand on Facebook) and how they do so. Given the importance of DCE, the current research addresses this gap. Three experiments demonstrate that brand cocreation activities with high (vs. low) focus on brand meaning generate greater DCE among consumers who have high self–brand connection. Evidence suggests that this occurs because an activity's high focus on brand meaning facilitates the generation of abstract brand knowledge. For consumers with low self–brand connection, focus on brand meaning does not differentially affect DCE because these consumers lack appropriate knowledge about the brand. This research also offers implications for optimizing interactive marketing practice.

Artifactual Communication Activities of the transfer of the 10th Century Mahendradatta Women’s Historical Women’s History

One of the most important needs besides food and shelter is clothing, a primary human need. The purpose of this study is to determine the audience's acceptance of the transfer of the history of women in the 10th century AD in the figure of Mahendradatta in the hertorianke style in artifactual communication activities and its communication applications in transferring the history of women in the 10th century AD with the figure of Mahendradatta to fashion brands carried out. This research belongs to the type of qualitative research. In this study, the technique used to select informants. The result of the research is the meaning of the Herstori fashion brand in artifactual communication activities as a vehicle for women's history in the 10th century AD. With the presence of Herstori, Mahendradatta is adequate. The change of vehicle that occurred in the fashion-themed "Mahendradatta Chapter 1" by Herstori experienced many significant changes. These changes can be seen in the character substructure, which has shrunk, and the plot, which has undergone various changes. Apart from that, the creative process of transferring vehicles from the historical tradition of 10th-century women with the figure of Mahendradatta to fashion turned out to be a crucial and great idea as a form of cultural preservation and environmental awareness. In transferring the visualization of the vehicle, the character's image can be further displayed in the fashion presented by Herstori. In addition, other themes of the fashion series can be lifted from folklore from various regions in Indonesia.

Hindu Nationalism, Gurus and Media

This commentary offers a reflection on the triangular interactive relationship between Hindutva, gurus and media. It suggests that Hindu nationalists understand gurus to be a specific form of valued Hindu cultural good, which helps to explain mediatised activist attempts to defend gurus from legal and media scrutiny, and historicises the theme of guru domination, caste politics and Hindutva through the optics of matter and media, exploring both the mass remediation of Brahmanical guruship models that attended Hindutva’s rise in the 1990s and the oppositional response it provoked, which we term ‘the subaltern counter-publicity of the guru’. It discloses how Hindutva is itself structurally composed of guru logics at different scales; it embodies a kind of ‘fractal guruship’. However, if Hindutva mediates principles of guruship, we also see how a multitude of public gurus mediates principles of Hindutva. This ‘bi-instrumentalism’ of Hindu nationalism and some gurus is witnessed in the instances we describe of gurus—and the idea of India as a guru—being used as a means of branding in order to convey and normalise the ‘Hindutva idea of India’. We suggest, in light of the frequent mutual mediation of gurus and Hindutva, that continued investment by devotees and commentators in gurus as figures embodying hope and the promise of post-communal amity can aptly be described using Berlant’s evocative phrase ‘cruel optimism’.

Scripting the Meaning: The Influence of Brand Name Script on Brand Meaning and Brand Attitude

Scripting the Meaning: The Influence of Brand Name Script on Brand Meaning and Brand Attitude

Developing brand meaning theory: the interplay of tangible attributes and intangible associations in relation to local food brands

PurposeThis study aims to explore brand meaning from a consumer perspective, identifying tangible attributes and intangible associations and their arrangement in brand meaning frameworks. Previous literature has focused on brand meaning flowing from intangible associations, and new insights are offered into the tangible attributes’ contribution to brand meaning.Design/methodology/approachA phenomenological approach was adopted, and meanings were gathered from lived experiences with consumers of local food brands. Quasi-ethnographic methods were used, including accompanied shopping trips to food fairs and local farm shops, kitchen visits and in-depth interviews in and around the county of Dorset in the south-west of England.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that tangible attributes have sensorial and functional brand meanings and are mentally processed. Both hierarchical and flatter patterned approaches are present when connecting attributes and associations. The hierarchical approach reflects both short and long laddering approaches; the flatter alternative offers an interwoven, patterned presentation.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a small in-depth study of local food brands, and the findings cannot be generalised across other brand categories.Practical implicationsLocal food brand practitioners can promote relevant sensorial (e.g. taste) and functional (e.g. animal welfare) attributes. These can be woven into appropriate intangible associations, creating producer stories to be communicated through their websites and social media campaigns.Originality/valueA revised brand meaning theoretical framework updates previous approaches and develops brand meaning theory. The study demonstrates that tangible attributes have meaning and hierarchical connections across tangible attributes, and intangible associations should not always be assumed. An additional patterned approach is present that weaves attributes and associations in a holistic, non-hierarchical way.

Engagement and estrangement: a “tale of two cities” for Bristol’s green branding

PurposeDrawing on the service-dominant logic and taking a multi-stakeholder brand value co-creation perspective, this paper aims to investigate whether positioning a place brand around sustainability helps or hinders stakeholders’ ability to co-create value for themselves and the brand.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a case study of Bristol’s city branding following its award of European Green Capital, drawing on 29 in-depth interviews with key informants from multiple stakeholder groups. These interviews are supported by secondary material and field observations.FindingsThe findings evidence a “tale of two cities”. When sustainability is used as a positioning device, tensions are identified across three elements of brand co-creation: brand meanings; extraordinary versus mundane brand performances; and empowerment and disempowerment in branding governance. These tensions create stakeholder experiences of both engagement and estrangement.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is based on one case study and evaluates face-to-face stakeholder interactions. Future research could access further stakeholders, across multiple cities and also examine their digital engagement.Practical implicationsPositioning a brand as sustainable (i.e. green) requires strong commitment to other ethical principles in practice. Brand practitioners and marketers may benefit from advancing stakeholders’ everyday brand performances to reduce disillusionment.Originality/valueRallying around virtuous associations, i.e. sustainability, does not in itself facilitate the generation of value for stakeholders and the brand, but instead can illuminate power imbalances and tensions in stakeholder interactions that result in a co-destruction of value.