Brändin vahvistaminen ja uudistaminen kiinteistönvälitysalalla

Tutkimus keskittyy brändin luomiseen ja brändin kokonaisvaltaisen hallinnan keinoihin kiinteistönvälitysalalla. Tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää miten yritykset hyödyntävät brändipääomiaan brändiä vahvistettaessa ja uudistettaessa. Tätä kysymystä pyritään tarkastelemaan erityisesti kahden case-yhtiön näkökulmasta, jotka molemmat toimivat kiinteistönvälitysalalla. Tutkimuksen pääongelmaksi muodostui kysymys: ”Mitä tekijöitä tulisi huomioida brändipääoman vahvistamisessa ja uudistamisessa kiinteistönvälitysalalla toimivissa yrityksissä?”. Tutkimus on luonteeltaan laadullinen eli kvalitatiivinen tutkimus. Laadullinen tutkimus pohjaa läheisesti teorian ja empirian väliseen vuorovaikutukseen ja sen lähtökohtana on pyrkiä kuvaamaan tutkimuskysymystä kokonaisvaltaisesti. Laadullisen tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on myös löytää tai tuoda esille tosiasioita sen sijaan, että todennettaisiin jo olemassa olevia väittämiä (Hirsijärvi, Remes & Sajavaara 2000, 152). Tutkimusmetodina aineiston keräämisessä käytettiin tutkimushaastattelua, joka toteutettiin tapaustutkimuksena. Tapaustutkimukselle tyypillisesti haastattelu oli puolistrukturoitu, joten haastateltavat vastasivat tutkijan esittämiin kysymyksiin, jotka olivat samat molemmille haastateltaville, mutta keskustelua ei rajoitettu. Huoneistokeskuksen edustajan mukaan brändejä pitää tarpeen tullen uudistaa, mutta se ei saa olla itsetarkoituksena. Mikäli brändi on brändijohtaja alallaan, ei suuria muutoksia kannata lähteä tekemään vain tekemisen vuoksi, vaan niille pitää olla jokin selvä tarkoitus. Brändin viestin vahvistaminen onkin brändijohtajana toimivalle yritykselle usein parempi ratkaisu, kuin toimivan konseptin uudistaminen. Huoneistokeskus pyrkiikin varmistamaan sen, että brändin viesti ei pääse unohtumaan asiakkailta. Huom!:in liiketoimintajohtajan mukaan brändiä uudistettaessa on tärkeää, että brändiä konkreettisesti muutetaan. Huom! onkin tästä syystä positioinut itsensä aikaisemmasta poiketen edelläkävijäksi pitkäikäisyyden painottamisen sijaan. Huom! on myös painottanut entistä enemmän laadukkuuttaan ja avoimuuttaan ja nämä pyritään osoittamaan verkkosivujen asiakasarvosteluilla. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta, että molemmat yritykset pitävät kaikkia brändipääomatekijöitä tärkeinä kiinteistönvälitysalalla. Tästä huolimatta brändiä vahvistettaessa Huoneistokeskuksen edustaja oli sitä mieltä, että tärkeintä on keskittyä brändin tunnettuuteen. Huom!:in edustaja sen sijaan oli sitä mieltä, että brändiä uudistettaessa tärkeintä on keskittyä laadun tuottamiseen ja yhdistämään tämä myös mielleyhtymäksi. Haastateltavia oli kuitenkin vain kaksi, joten tutkimuksen johtopäätöksiä ei voida yleistää koskemaan koko toimialaa.

Evaluación de la Efectividad del Restaurante-Bar El Molino en el Campo de Percepción de Marca Usando un Sistema de Simulación Basado en Agentes

El siguiente trabajo, a partir de la identificación de los diferentes sujetos que participan en el medio ambiente donde se desenvuelve el restaurante El Molino, busca determinar cuáles podrían ser las estrategias de mercadeo más efectivas para que la imagen, concepto y servicio del restaurante, la marca en general, resulte lo más atractivas posibles para los segmentos objetivo de la empresa. Dadas las circunstancias de que es un negocio reciente, no existen datos históricos de la imagen que proyecta la marca hacia sus clientes, por lo tanto la información a partir de la cual se pretenden generar alternativas para que la marca influencie a los clientes de la manera deseada será conseguida a partir de una simulación que será obtenida de un modelo basado en agentes. Con esto lo que se busca es poder parametrizar en qué aspectos y de qué forma la empresa debe invertir para que la forma en que los clientes perciben la marca sea la deseada por el restaurante.

Desarrollo y posicionamiento de productos mediante la relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing

En este proyecto se determinara cómo se realiza el desarrollo y el posicionamiento de productos mediante la relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing. A lo largo del tiempo se han venido observando diferentes cambios en el marketing. Anteriormente este era visto como un vínculo entre los procesos sociales y económicos más que como un conjunto de actividades que buscan satisfacer las necesidades del cliente. Por medio del marketing, las organizaciones se enfocaron en la importancia de ofrecer productos altamente competitivos los cuales satisficieran las necesidades de cada uno de los clientes con el fin de generar productos únicos, con una buena posición en el mercado y que no fueran remplazados por su competencia. Es por esto que ofrecían productos con estándares de alta calidad, disminuyendo costos de producción y tiempo para implementarlos en el mercado y satisfacer la demanda de los clientes. Hoy en día, los mercados están saturados es por esto que es de suma importancia que el cliente se encuentre satisfecho con el producto para que vuelva a comprarlo y se cree una relación perdurable y satisfactoria tanto para la compañía como para el cliente. Por este motivo las organizaciones que tengan la capacidad de innovar ya sea mejorando uno ya existente o creando uno totalmente nuevo serán más reconocidas por los consumidores, y así podrán desarrollar productos con precios elevados incrementando su rentabilidad. El marketing relacional tiene una visión un poco más amplia, la cual explica que así como la fidelización de los clientes es importante para una compañía, se debe tener en cuenta a todo el personal que trabaja en esta para mantenerlo satisfecho y crear confianza entre el vendedor y el cliente. En este proyecto utilizamos un enfoque cuantitativo siendo un estudio de tipo teórico-conceptual, seleccionando las bases de datos, las fuentes de información y los documentos más representativos o que proporcionen la máxima información. El proyecto se sitúa dentro del grupo de investigación en perdurabilidad empresarial, en la línea de gerencia, para lograr identificar oportunidades que privilegien a las organizaciones, y en el proyecto de relación de las organizaciones con el medio y marketing.

Integración de las técnicas de mercadeo y la relación estratégica comunitaria

Con el siguiente proyecto se pretende explicar cómo se realiza la integración de las técnicas de mercadeo y la relación estratégica comunitaria, debido a que las organizaciones utilizan conceptos comunitarios. Se analizan las principales estrategias de mercadeo como marketing mix, geomarketing, mercadeo de servicios, mercadeo relacional y mercadeo social. Se explican las técnicas de mercadeo como mercadeo directo, diferenciación de productos, segmentación de mercado, investigación de mercados, inteligencia de mercados, optimización de canales de distribución y comercio electrónico. Adicionalmente, se exponen las estrategias comunitarias como coaliciones comunitarias, organizaciones de base, liderazgo comunitario y empoderamiento. La metodología implementada para este proyecto es de tipo teórico-conceptual y reúne los aportes de varios documentos científicos de diversas áreas del conocimiento. Las fuentes de información, conceptos y teorías se seleccionan según el criterio del investigador en función de las posibilidades descriptivas de la integración propuesta. En esta investigación se concluye que las técnicas y las estrategias de mercadeo permiten la comunicación entre las organizaciones y las comunidades. Esto posibilita que exista participación entre ambas partes y es un factor clave para el surgimiento de la relación estratégica comunitaria. Se recomienda realizar investigaciones posteriores sobre la relación estratégica comunitaria, aplicadas a organizaciones y comunidades.

Conceptualising and measuring the equity of online brands

Although brand equity is an important source of competitive advantage online, previous conceptualisations and measures overlook the unique characteristics of the internet that render consumers co-creators of brand value. In view of this, a threephased research programme was undertaken to identify the facets of online retail/service (ORS) brand equity and then develop and validate a scale for its measurement. ORS brand equity was found to be a second order construct with five correlated yet distinct dimensions: emotional connection, online experience, responsive service nature, trust, and fulfilment. A series of tests showed that the ensuing 12-item scale has strong psychometric properties. The implications of this research for marketing researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Dimensionalising on- and off-line brands' composite equity

This paper approaches the subject of brand equity measurement on and offline. The existing body of research knowledge on brand equity measurement has derived from classical contexts; however, the majority of today's brands prosper simultaneously online and offline. Since branding on the Web needs to address the unique characteristics of computer-mediated environments, it was posited that classical measures of brand equity were inadequate for this category of brands. Aaker's guidelines for building a brand equity measurement system were thus followed and his brand equity ten was employed as a point of departure. The main challenge was complementing traditional measures of brand equity with new measures pertinent to the Web. Following 16 semi-structured interviews with experts, ten additional measures were identified.

Developing a brand performance measure for financial services brands

With no universal approach for measuring brand performance, we show how a consumer-based brand measure was developed for corporate financial services brands. Churchill's paradigm was adopted. A literature review and 20 depth interviews with experts suggested that brand loyalty, consumer satisfaction and reputation constitute the brand performance measure. Ten financial services organisations provided access to their consumers. Following a postal survey, 600 questionnaires were analysed through principal components analysis to identify the consumer-based measure. Further testing revealed this to be a valid and reliable brand performance measure.

A framework of brand value in B2B markets: the contributing role of functional and emotional components

The creation of value is admittedly a critical task for marketers regardless of industry. This paper focuses on a type of value that has traditionally been perceived as irrelevant to industrial markets and argues that brand value facilitates the progression from goods and services value to relationship value. To address the limited amount of research on B2B branding from the suppliers' point of view, we complement insights gained from a literature review with ten exploratory interviews with B2B supplier managers, and develop a framework of brand value applicable to industrial markets. This identifies both the functional (i.e., quality, technology, capacity, infrastructure, after sales service, capabilities, reliability, innovation) and emotional qualities (i.e., risk reduction, reassurance, trust) important for the development of industrial brand equity. Situational (e.g. nature of the purchase) and environmental factors (e.g. the economic situation) affecting suppliers' perceptions of the importance of brand in a B2B context and the role of functional versus emotional brand qualities are discussed. The value of the brand as a driver for the development of business to business relationships is also highlighted. The framework provides a basis for B2B practitioners to build their brands in such a way as to make a functional as well as an emotional connection with buyers that is more likely to lead to a supplier–buyer relationship.

Brand Awareness among Customers : A case study of ICA-Kvantum

This research paper has been prepared by Bachelor students from Dalarna University in Borlänge. The project is centered on a case study of ICA – Kvantum and its brand awareness among customers. The purpose of this study is to find out that which measures can help ICA-Kvantum to create brand awareness among its current and potential customers by looking in to the importance of information of its offerings and use of effective communication tools to convey this information. Further, to recommend them what they need to do, to increase brand awareness among their customers with the help of managerial implications. The research question was formulated as what actions could be seen effective for ICA-Kvantum to maintain or improve brand awareness among its current and potential customers.The project was created with the help of theoretical concepts of brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality, consumer decision model, integrated marketing communication approach and strategic planning process. These theories were applied in this thesis in order to find out the most effective communication measures to maintain or improve brand awareness among current and potential customers of ICA-Kvantum.The primary and secondary data was collected. Primary data was gathered through the survey among ICA-Kvantum customers in the front of the store in Borlänge. The personal interview with manager was conducted in the office of ICA-Kvantum store located in Borlänge. Secondary data was gathered from textbooks, academic journals, theses and websites.The empirical findings have been presented in detail and then analyzed with the help of theoretical concepts. The analysis and further results from survey and interview focused on importance of information, marketing communication tools, brand awareness and loyalty, perceived quality and implementation of strategic planning process. Moreover, the main weaknesses and strengths of ICA-Kvantun have been evaluated. The conclusion including short summary of analysis and its results have been provided at the end. Each weakness of issues related to brand awareness i.e. importance of information, effectiveness of marketing communication tools and strengths and weaknesses of ICA-Kvantum discussed in the paper, has been pointed out along with solutions and managerial implications.

Fatores relevantes na geração de valor da marca PETROBRAS - um estudo com consumidores do segmento de combustíveis

The main purpose of this study is identify and select the assessment indicators for Brand Equity (BE), in the fuels segment. Within this perspective, we have chosen to assess the influences based on the following attributes: Brand Loyalty (Lealdade à Marca ( LM), Brand Recognition (Conhecimento da Marca ( CM), Perceived Quality (Qualidade Percebida ( QP) and Brand Associations (Associações à Marca ( AM), through perception of consumers in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo States. Based on deep interviews in the qualitative phase and in surveys, in the quantitative phase, we began the data analysis through Multiple Linear Regression, according to Atilgan et al. (2005) model and Ha (1996). In the first model, the (CM) was considered non-explanatory to (BE¿, and we¿ve chosen to remove it from the following study model. In the final model, besides remaining variables, demographic variables were included, such as: Family Income (Renda Familiar ( RF) and Federation State (Estado da Federação ( EF), as independent variables. The main relevant findings, through perception of consumers, indicated that the (BE) of company analyzed was better ranked in Rio de Janeiro than in São Paulo and, as for the income, higher level classes tend to have less understanding on the value of (BE) of Petrobras BR. The study finish with mentions the contribution of the research and management implication, as well as limitations and suggestions to further researchers.

Line extension influence on brand image: a study on the alcoholic beverage market in Brazil

The present study has the objective of understanding the influence of line extensions on the image of vodka brands. The research was performed by organizing various focus groups with vodka consumers in São Paulo. These focus groups allowed exploring and analyzing how the last line extensions of vodka brands have modified the image the consumers had of the brand. Three hypotheses were distinguished as an outcome of the research: (1) The influence of a line extension on brand image depends heavily on the initial image the consumers have of the brand. For a vodka brand with an average or bad image, launching a line extension with a perceived average or bad quality does not modify the brand image. On the contrary, for a vodka brand with a positive initial brand image, launching a line extension with perceived high quality led to a positive change in the brand image. (2) For vodka brands, a vertical line extension recognized as having high authenticity provokes a transfer of attributes from the extended product to the brand. (3) Among Keller’s (1993) dimensions of brand image, non-product related attributes and especially packaging are the one that are the most influenced by line extensions of vodka brands.

COMMUNITY OF ORIGIN EFFECTS ON VIRTUAL BRAND COMMUNITIES PARTICIPANT

The question about the effectiveness of companies in maintaining their own communities versus benefiting from the ones owned by consumers remains open. We examine differences between firm-managed and customer-managed brand communities regarding the impact of perceived psychographic homogeneity, availability of virtual avenues and relationship with the brand on the community's influence on members and the assessments and intentions of community participants. Data were obtained from 555 respondents in two leading Microsoft XBOX brand communities in Brazil. Results indicate that management of the community of origin is the moderator of all considered relationships. Also, the most favorable effects for the company occur in the community that is not directly controlled and managed by the company itself. Brand loyalty, however, is higher for members of the official brand community. Guidelines on how companies can benefit from consumer-managed communities are discussed.

Customer response to media in marketing promotion: print versus online

Il lavoro di tesi, che si compone di tre articoli di ricerca, analizza, nel contesto della marketing promotion, la risposta del consumatore ai media in termini di ricordo, intenzione di acquisto, comportamento di acquisto e preferenza per il medium. Il lavoro, in particolare, mette a confronto due tipologie di media, carta e online, nell’ambito della price e loyalty promotion, utilizzando due disegni di ricerca sperimentali ed uno correlazionale. I risultati del lavoro mostrano che la risposta del consumatore alla comunicazione promozionale e ai media è eterogenea: segmenti di clienti diversi rispondono in maniera differente sia alla comunicazione promozionale che a carta e digitale. Online e carta hanno in media la stessa efficacia sui comportamenti di acquisto dei clienti, ma differiscono rispetto all’effetto su ricordo e atteggiamento e rispetto alla preferenza per il medium espressa dalla clientela. Lo spostamento delle risorse di marketing dalla carta al digitale permetterebbe quindi di ridurre i costi mantenendo lo stesso livello di efficacia. Inoltre, il presente lavoro mostra come sia possibile aumentare la risposta dei consumatori ai media attraverso un approccio di segmentazione della clientela.

Valor de marca-país: uma investigação empírica em diferentes modelos operacionais e relações com imagem de país e percepção de cultura

Atualmente, os valores intangíveis são cada vez mais importantes no processo gerencial de empresas e governos, implicando a necessidade de informações mais precisas. Dentre os ativos intangíveis mais importantes encontram-se as marcas. É por meio das marcas que os consumidores escolhem e memorizam suas compras, e assim destinam seu dinheiro para algo que possa solucionar problemas em suas vidas. Marcas são formas de empresas e países conseguirem se diferenciar no mercado competitivo globalizado, e estas últimas são denominadas marca-país. A marca-país é fonte de conhecimento e associações no mercado, e torna o país mais ou menos atraente para os estrangeiros. Para se medir o valor de uma marca-país (country brand equity) utilizamse métodos específicos. Essa métrica perceptual é uma construção de valores baseados na marca-país, como conhecimento, associações, imagem, qualidade percebida e lealdade. Este trabalho visa compor um modelo de mensuração de country brand equity aplicável à realidade brasileira. Para tanto foram apresentados diversos modelos de avaliação de marcas e marca-país, por serem complementares, e testados empiricamente. Os dois principais modelos utilizados neste trabalho foram o modelo de valor de marca de Yoo, Donthu e Lee (2000), e o modelo de valor de marca-país de Pappu e Quester (2010). Como o construto de valor de marca-país é derivado de dimensões formativas que o compõem, foram somadas nessa equação as dimensões de imagem baseada na personalidade (AAKER, 1997) e percepção de cultura (NEWMAN; NOLLEN, 1996; HOFSTEDE; BOND, 1984). Todas as variáveis e composições de dimensões foram avaliadas quanto à sua confiabilidade, linearidade, normalidade, heterocedasticidade, multicolinearidade, correlações, formação de fatores e, por fim, avaliadas em regressões e modelos de equações estruturais. Foram criados dezesseis (16) modelos iniciais, nos quais se avaliou o poder de explicação dos construtos com a variável dependente proposta por Zeugner-Roth, Diamantopoulos e Montesinos (2008). Verificou-se pouca variabilidade entre os modelos. Em seguida, foram elaborados mais oito (8) modelos com a proxy de valor de marca-país pela reputação de marca-país, proposta por Kang e Yang (2010), na qual se pôde observar que os modelos com maior número de dimensões se mostraram melhores para explicar a variável dependente. Além disso, verificou-se a importância das dimensões de imagem e percepção de cultura nesses construtos. Por fim, esta tese apresenta modelos mais consistentes de avaliação de marca-país.

Brand personality perception - regional or country specific

Brand personality is a key determinant of brand equity. Consumers seek brands with congruent personalities and use brands’ personality to define their sense of self. However, far from being universal, previous researches found that European (Spanish) brand personality dimensions differ from those in America and Asia (Japan). Are these typical of the region or do they reflect national variations? This study examines brand personality dimensions among Chinese consumers with consumers responding to 10 different commercial brands. This shows perceptions of brand personality are country specific, due to the differences found between Japanese’ and Chinese’. Implications of these findings are discussed.