City branding:can goods and services branding models be used to brand cities?

A city's branding is investigated using generic product and services branding models. Two generic branding models and tourism segmentation models guide an investigation into city branding 'as it should be' and 'as it is' using Birmingham, England as a case study. The unique characteristics of city brands are identified and Keller's Brand Report Card provides a theoretical framework for building a picture of the brand-building activity taking place in the city. Four themes emerge and are discussed: 1) the impact of a network on brand models developed for organisations; 2) segmentation of brand elements; 3) corporate branding; and 4) the political dimension. A conclusion is that city branding would be more effective if the systems and structures of generic branding models were adopted.

Internal branding to influence employees' brand promise delivery:a case study in Thailand

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the internal branding process from the perspective of service providers in Thailand. It will reveal the key internal branding mechanisms and empirically assess the relationship between internal branding and employees' brand attitudes and performance. Design/methodology/approach – A case study representing the Thai hotel industry is adopted with mixed methodologies. In-depth interviews are first carried out with 30 customer-interface employees in six major hotels in Thailand. On a census basis, a quantitative survey with 699 respondents from five major hotels in Thailand follows. Findings – Internal branding coordinating marketing with human resource management has a statistically significant impact on attitudinal and behavioural aspects of employees in their delivery of the brand promise. As employees' brand commitment do not have a statistically significant relationship with employees' brand performance, it is not regarded as a mediator in the link between internal branding and employees' brand performance. Practical implications – A number of significant managerial implications are drawn from this study, for example using both internal communication and training to influence employees' brand-supporting attitudes and behaviours. Still, it should be noted that the effect of internal branding on employee behaviours could be dependent on the extent to which it influences their brand attitudes. Originality/value – The paper provides valuable insights, from the key internal audience's perspectives, into an internal branding process. It has empirically shown the relationship between internal branding and the behavioural outcome as well as the partial meditating effects of employees' brand identification, commitment and loyalty.

Internal branding: an enabler of employees' brand-supporting behaviours

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the internal branding process from the employees' perspective; it will empirically assess the relationship between internal branding and employees' delivery of the brand promise as well as the relationships among their brand identification, brand commitment and brand loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – On a census basis, a quantitative survey is carried out with 699 customer-interface employees from five major hotels. Findings – Internal branding is found to have a positive impact on attitudinal and behavioural aspects of employees in their delivery of the brand promise. As employees' brand commitment does not have a statistically significant relationship with employees' brand performance, it is not regarded as a mediator in the link between internal branding and employees' brand performance. Furthermore, the study shows that brand identification is a driver of brand commitment, which precedes brand loyalty of employees. Practical implications – A number of significant managerial implications are drawn from this study, for example using both internal communication and training to influence employees' brand-supporting attitudes and behaviours. Still, it should be noted that the effect of internal branding on the behaviours could be dependent on the extent to which it could effectively influence their brand attitudes. Originality/value – The results provide valuable insights from the key internal audience's perspectives into an internal branding process to ensure the delivery of the brand promise. It empirically shows the relationship between internal branding and the behavioural outcome as well as the meditational effects of employees' brand identification, commitment and loyalty.

Exploring the influences of internal branding on employees' brand promise delivery

Internal branding is increasingly seen as a doctrine to ensure employees’ delivery of the brand promise by shaping employees’ brand attitudes and behaviours. However, few studies, if any, have been conducted to understand the internal branding process from the viewpoint of employees who are the end receivers. Therefore, this study aims at exploring employees’ perceptions toward the internal branding process. It identifies the relevant mechanisms and describes how internal branding affected service employees. The challenges of its success are uncovered and discussed. Finally, managerial implications and future research directions are provided.

Co-branding:the stat of the art

The use of co-branded products as a form of brand management has gained increasing attention from managers and scientists, as evidenced by the practitioner-oriented articles and empirical studies published since the mid-1990s. However, there is no description that contrasts co-branding with other branding strategies, nor is there a structured overview of the main findings of co-branding studies. We classify different branding strategies, discuss branding literature, and develop a theoretical model for co-branding based on research findings. In addition to managerial implications, we provide a critical assessment of research, identify research questions, and offer a research agenda for cobranding.

The promotion of children's health and wellbeing:the contributions of England's charity sector

Background. Sports and arts based services for children have positive impacts on their mental and physical health. The charity sector provides such services, often set up in response to local communities expressing a need. The present study maps resilience promoting services provided by children's charities in England. Specifically, the prominence of sports and arts activities, and types of mental health provisions including telephone help-lines, are investigated. Findings. The study was a cross-sectional web-based survey of chief executives, senior mangers, directors and chairs of charities providing services for children under the age of 16. The aims, objectives and activities of participating children's charities and those providing mental health services were described overall. In total 167 chief executives, senior managers, directors and chairs of charities in England agreed to complete the survey. From our sample of charities, arts activities were the most frequently provided services (58/167, 35%), followed by counselling (55/167, 33%) and sports activities (36/167, 22%). Only 13% (22/167) of charities expected their work to contribute to the health legacy of the 2012 London Olympics. Telephone help lines were provided by 16% of the charities that promote mental health. Conclusions. Counselling and arts activities were relatively common. Sports activities were limited despite the evidence base that sport and physical activity are effective interventions for well-being and health gain. Few of the charities we surveyed expected a health legacy from the 2012 London Olympics. © 2010 Bhui et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

New product screening in fast moving consumer goods

Theory suggests that the dimensions that are incorporated in the new product screening decision will differ according to the stage of the development process. The outcome of the application of different screening dimensions would be quicker, realistic and more reliable screening decisions. This research project builds on existing new product development and screening literature by investigating new product screening in international fast moving consumer goods companies. It further builds on the existing literature by measuring decision-making relating to projects in 'real time', as managers' responses refer to projects they are currently working on. The introduction of branded consumer products allows us to evolve scales used in new product research by further developing variables relating to branding, promotion and retailer power. The project uncovers multiple dimensions of new product screening and evaluation within this branded product sector. These dimensions are found to differ in their ability to discriminate between two groups of accepted and rejected projects at each of four stages of the new product development process. This investigation provides the intelligence with which managers can determine the likelihood of project acceptance and rejection at different stages of the development process. It highlights the need for managers to apply stage-specific dimensions in the new product screening decision and advocates the redefinition of new product screening from both an academic and managerial perspective. The screening decision should not be viewed as a single, early decision in a product development process, but as a series of stage specific decisions regarding future project potential.

Managing brand portfolios:How strategies have changed

The stock market response to corporate scandals and the use of the internet by pressure groups have sensitized boards to the risk of reputation loss. Particularly at risk are companies using corporate brands whose fame and spread makes them particularly vulnerable. This study looks at these and other pressures on branding and investigates if and how leading companies have responded in the deployment of their brand portfolios. A repeat audit of the use of brand portfolios by leading companies using exactly the same method used over a decade ago reveals much change. Brand structures of the 20 companies investigated have indeed changed but not uniformly in extent or direction.

Go/no-go criteria during grocery brand development

Past research into new product screening criteria have largely centered on industrial new products. This study investigates the criteria that managers use for screening and evaluating new grocery products or brands. Theory suggests that the branding, promotional, and trade needs of grocery brands mean that screening criteria for grocery product development will differ from those applied to industrial goods. Our methodology departs from earlier research in gathering information on the accept/reject criteria during new product development rather than examining the reasons for success and failure after launch. The results endorse many findings from the extant literature on new product development. However, we highlight a set of factors that new product managers regard as important to the go/no-go decision in new grocery product or brand development that differs significantly from previous studies. From a research perspective, our study findings make an important contribution to the field by developing measurement scales for addressing NPD in the grocery sector.

How do older people with sight loss manage their general health? A qualitative study

Purpose: Older people with sight loss experience a number of barriers to managing their health. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how older people with sight loss manage their general health and explore the techniques used and strategies employed for health management. Methods: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 30 participants. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Health management challenges experienced included: managing multiple health conditions; accessing information; engaging in health behaviours and maintaining wellbeing. Positive strategies included: joining support groups, clubs and societies; using low vision aids; seeking support from family and friends and accessing support through health and social care services. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals need to be more aware of the challenges faced by older people with sight loss. Improved promotion of group support and charity services which are best placed to share information, provide fora to learn about coping techniques and strategies, and give older people social support to prevent isolation is needed. Rehabilitation and support services and equipment can only be beneficial if patients know what is available and how to access them. Over-reliance on self-advocacy in current healthcare systems is not conducive to patient-centred care. Implications for Rehabilitation Sight loss in older people can impact on many factors including health management. This study identifies challenges to health management and highlights strategies used by older people with sight loss to manage their health. Access to support often relies on patients seeking information for themselves. However, self-advocacy is challenging due to information accessibility barriers. Informal groups and charities play an important role in educating patients about their condition and advising on available support to facilitate health management.

Consumer evaluations of brand extensions in emerging economies : evidences from China

This project explored how consumers in emerging economies evaluate brand extension by using China as a case. Two separate but related studies were conducted, and university students were used as respondents in both the studies. Study one or replication study tested Aaker and Keller's brand extension model in China. Assuming similar methods to Aaker and Keller's, six well-recognised brands were chosen as parent brand and each was extended to three product categories. Totally, 469 respondents completed the survey questionnaire. As each was to evaluate six extensions, this made the cases 2814. The data was analysed using Optimal Least Square regression approach and "residual centred" approach respectively. The result confirmed most of the findings observed in developed countries. Specifically, consumer's attitude towards the extension is primarily driven by the brand affect, the fit between the two product categories, the difficulty of making the extension and moderated via the interactions between the brand affect and the fit variables. Study two refined and extended Aaker and Keller's model by adding new variables and making methodological adjustments. The same stimuli and data analysis techniques as those in the replication were employed. 252 respondents participated in the survey and each evaluated six extensions, making cases 1512. In addition to re-verifying the findings of the replication and providing cross validation to these findings, the extended study found that the image consistency between the parent brand and the extension, the competition intensity of the extension product market were important in determining the success of the extension. Further, consumer differed in evaluating durable extensions and non-durable extensions. The thesis detailed the two studies above, and discussed the findings and their implications by relating to branding literature, to the general situation of the emerging economies as well as the reality of China. It also presented the limitations of the research and the future research directions.