Store Stories – Analysis of a retailer’s store personality in consumer stories

This study aims at identifying and analysing the construct of a retailer’s store personality in consumer stories and how these stories relate to the retailer’s brand story on a global level. To fulfil the purpose and analyse a retailer’s store personality, a qualitative approach was chosen to analyse the empirical data provided by a case study of H&M through narrative analysis. The main theories that the study is based upon include retail branding and brand personality. Moreover, theories of narrative analysis have been used. In particular, special attention has been paid to Yannis Gabriel’s classification of stories into four generic poetic modes. The empirical data, on which this study is based on, consist of various global consumer blog stories that deal with experiences made in stores of the Swedish clothing retailer H&M. The analysis of consumer blog stories revealed that consumers tell stories about their experiences made in a store for sense-making. Moreover, the assumption that consumers personate stores/retail brands in their stories was supported. People assign roles to the store in accordance with either the epic, romantic, comic or tragic genre on which conclusions on the store personality can be drawn. Overlapping personality traits between brand and consumer stories were identified and presented the common ground which might indicate a certain control of managers over consumer stories. The study contributes by showing how retailer, personality and stories are connected, how consumers construct store personality in stories and points to the importance of understanding consumer stories for brand management

Analysing digital genres: function and functionality in corporate websites of computer hardware

The aim of this paper is to characterize corporate websites by describing some linguistic, semiotic and pragmatic properties regarding function and functionality. We also try to define the current prevailing set of functionality features of hardware corporate websites. For the purposes of our research we have analysed an English corpus of corporate websites of computer hardware from the United States. This research has been carried out as a part of the DIGALTT (Digital Genre Analysis for Language Teaching and Translation) Project, currently funded by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Conclusions are intended to be applied to the teaching of English for Specific Purposes and Web Site Translation

Exploring brand associations: an innovative methodological approach

Purpose The objective of this exploratory study is to propose a new methodological approach to investigate brand associations. More specifically, the study aims to show how brand associations can be identified and analysed in an online community of international consumers of fashion in order to determine the degree of matching with company-defined brand associations. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is two-pronged, integrating qualitative market research techniques with quantitative text mining. It was applied to determine types and perceptions of brand associations among fashion bloggers with reference to three leading Italian fashion houses. These were then compared to brand associations found in company-generated texts to measure the degree of matching. Findings The results showed consistent brand associations across the three brands, as well as substantial matching with company-defined brand associations. In addition, the analysis revealed the presence of distinctive brand association themes that shed further light on how brand attributes were perceived by blog participants. Practical implications The methods described can be used by managers to identify and reinforce favourable brand associations among consumers. This knowledge can then be applied towards developing and implementing effective brand strategies. Originality/Value The authors propose an interdisciplinary approach to investigate brand associations in online communities. It incorporates text mining and computer-assisted textual analysis as techniques borrowed from the field of linguistics which have thus far seen little application in marketing studies, but can nonetheless provide important insights for strategic brand management

Iconic architecture through the lens of Instagram: the case studies of the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul

Architecture has played an enormous role in the branding of cities, initially through cultural institutions such as museums, which have become the preferred platform for the expression of iconic architecture to boost the image of a city’s modernity and economic prosperity, and to express its civic pride. In recent years the seemingly endless potential of social media has allowed the consumption of architecture to surpass the boundaries of space and time. The instant image sharing and dissemination of Instagrammably photogenic iconic architecture has made the notion of ‘iconicity’ more questionable than it might have been before the social media era. This research aims to explore the manner in which contemporary iconic architecture is represented in social media, with a specific focus on the manner in which such architectural imagery moulds ‘iconicity’ in architecture; in doing so, it investigates the ways in which city image is incorporated into the social imagery of architecture. Using the two case studies of Frank Ghery’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park in Seoul, the thesis scrutinises user-generated photographic images and accompanying textual descriptions, which were downloaded from Instagram. The empirical work involves a two-part multi-method approach combining visual content analysis and discourse analysis, using an adaptation of Panofsky’s Iconology, which was borrowed from art history. A general picture of the representational practices of Instagram images was gained through content analysis; this is followed by qualitative readings of individual images using Panofsky’s iconographic-iconological method. The results demonstrate that there are key elements that convey architectural iconicity in Instagram images. These include: (a) the heightened aesthetics of image-taking through the maximisation of aesthetic value in the portrayal of a building; (b) verbal texts alongside an image, which deliver information on the building; and (c) geographic associations through geo-tagging and hashtagging, and textual components, such as a caption and comments. The findings further indicate that, given that a majority of images are depicted in relation to architectural context, this context, in other words, the place in which a building is situated, is essential for the reception and perception of iconicity in the building. The present study is cross-disciplinary in nature, which serves as an important contribution to academic research into place branding by bringing together architecture, city branding, and social media. This is the first time that the Panofsky model of iconology has been applied to the field of place branding

Importance of Social Media in the Image Formation of Tourist Destinations from the Stakeholders’ Perspective

This research aimed to provide a more informed and systematic basis on which to develop the positioning strategy in social media due to the interactive capacity and influence that social media has in the success of tourist destinations. In particular, we investigated the role of stakeholders. We carried out an exploratory study using a mixed method which included interviews and an analysis of the activity conducted on the official social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) of the Spanish regions of Andalusia, Catalonia, and Valencia. The findings provide insight into how tourist destinations promote their image through the use of social media. Social media was found to be a strategic platform for enhancing brand image and achieving tourist engagement. Additionally, the role of stakeholders in supporting and facilitating the image destination strategy is worth highlighting. This study shows that the results achieved by social media can be improved by identifying all stakeholders and defining a content generation strategy by integrating and adding value.FEDER Andalusia Operational Program 2014-2020. Code: UMA18-FEDERJA-14

“I exploit my children for millions and millions of dollars on my mommyblog” How Heather B. Armstrong’s personal blog became a successful business

This study interrogates strategies to convert a personal blog into a brand and a business by analysing the narrative and aesthetic techniques involved in generating audience engagement, trust and affection, and the branding and monetisation approaches involved in developing a blog into a revenue-generating enterprise. The strategies presented in this study have been extrapolated from an in-depth analysis of the extremely successful personal blog: www.dooce.com, the website of Heather B. Armstrong. The research questions this study aims to address are grounded in distinct fields of enquiry, examining the narrative and aesthetic features underpinning the conversion of a personal blog into a brand; the representation of the everyday and its role in the construction of the blogger avatar as a human brand; the interplay between writing motivations and brand core values; and the influence that stereotypes about stay-at-home mothers, pregnancy and motherhood exert on the brand creation process of a female author. The interdisciplinary nature of this study is mirrored in its multi-faceted analytical approach which draws on theories pertaining to diverse fields of enquiry such as narratology, aesthetics, digital media, marketing communications and branding. The study aims to present strategies to construct a personal brand in the context of co-created online forums, with an emphasis on attaining authenticity, followership and audience loyalty through careful framing and strategic use of second person narration, and aesthetic categories such as zany, cute, interesting and abject. The study transposes a narrative approach to branding and online marketing studies with the aim of proposing a model of personal branding whereby blogger identity is simultaneously the product of authorial control and consumer-driven cultural work, with the blogger negotiating her personal brand in relation to personal values, everyday life circumstances, commercial pressures and audience feedback. The key propositions of this study are, firstly, that the use of second person narration as interpellation into active readerhood and of the cute, interesting, zany and abject as aesthetic categories that create novel reading experiences can generate high audience engagement, the abject being also directly related to fostering trust and authenticity. Secondly, bloggers can become human brands by strategically exhibiting and then reinforcing personality traits related to sophistication, competence, sincerity, excitement, ruggedness and non-conformism. Thirdly, consistency in writing style and self-disclosure can foster audience attachment and trust in the integrity and authenticity of the human brand. Fourthly, consumer attachment can be strategically cultivated through audience autonomy, competence and relatedness to the human brand and the development of an online brand community

Organisational and strategic communication research: European perspectives II

(Excerto) This e-book presents a selection of the research papers presented at the 5th European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) Conference in Lisbon, November, 2015. The book reflects the work of researchers within the Organisational and Strategic Communication (OSC) Section of ECREA from different backgrounds and higher education institutions in Europe and highlights the diverse professional and scientific interests of the Section. At the 5th ECREA Conference, the OSC Section selected almost 50 papers from the 90 submitted abstracts, which were organized into two specialist panels (“Government Public Relations in Europe: Critical Perspectives” and “Inconsistences Organizational Communication”), eight parallel sessions and one poster session. Those papers selected for Lisbon 2015 made a valuable contribution to key contemporary communications debates and issues. The peer reviewed papers presented in this volume share findings and “state of the art” critical reflections, which address the core objective of the Organisational and Strategic Communication Section of ECREA. They also continue the tradition of the promoting scientific knowledge in our broad and diverse field of research, which has been central to Section’s raison d’être since its creation in 2006

Mapping the travel blog : a study of the online travel narrative

This thesis examines the discursive tension between travel and tourism and analyses how narrative techniques negotiate this in travel blogs. This discursive analysis uses various theories of narrative and self-presentation, particularly Bakhtin’s heteroglossia, polyphony, and speech genres, Goffman’s theories of self-presentation, and Graham Dann’s framework for tourist discourse. It finds that the underlying discursive tensions in travel blogs indicate a need for a more flexible approach to defining and analysing this form of communication

Organisational and Strategic Communication Research: European Perspectives II

This e-book presents a selection of the research papers presented at the 5th European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) Conference in Lisbon, November, 2015. The book reflects the work of researchers within the Organisational and Strategic Communication (OSC) Section of ECREA from different backgrounds and higher education institutions in Europe and highlights the diverse professional and scientific interests of the Section

Brand archives: the rescuing of locally specific brand imagery as a graphic design response to the globalization of visual identity

Visual identity can be understood as the result of the application of graphic design methods aimed at inter-brand differentiation, which paradoxically is leading to “homogenizing identities” (Bell, 2004). The globalization of visual identity is a phenomenon that can be observed not only among global brands competing with each other, but also in locally specific heritage brands that relinquish distinctive elements of their identity to resemble the global. In many cases, their specificities end up being distorted, blurred, or lost, and the richness of what is historically and culturally unique about them is often misinterpreted, neglected, or even discarded. By showing what can be lost with regards to historical and cultural memory within a brand’s imagery, this thesis questions the significance of archives to locally specific brands claiming symbolic and cultural relevance. It shows how can graphic designers can contribute to the preservation of cultural diversity through visual identity. To address the loss of cultural memory as well as the globalization of visual identity, this study draws on visual design heritage to achieve an understanding of the past as a source and a means to feed future cultural development. By adapting visual methodologies and case-study methods to assess brand identity, the study presents a methodological approach for the rescuing, interpretative analysis, and exploration of historical memory in brand imagery. It applies ethnographic research methods for data collection and graphic design methods for recovering visual materials, combined with timelines and grids for contextual and visual analysis. A main case-study is presented to demonstrate how the methods originated, how they enable the observation of identity transformations over time, and of how visual identity dissolves with global influence. This case addresses the historical context and today’s cultural relevance of an archive of the Portuguese iconic Sanjo sports shoes brand, which emerged with the rise of the ‘Estado Novo’ authoritarian regime in Portugal (1933–1974). Through the interpretation of how brand designs evolved in relation to contextual history it is possible to see the various social, cultural, political and economical transformations that occurred in their life spans. The thesis presents parallel examples of brands that were heavily influenced or even controlled by government in the past and now operate independently. As with the case of Sanjo, the comparative study investigates, and further draws attention to the relationship between the loss of historical memory and the globalization of visual identity. By examining the relevance of archives for addressing identity issues, the thesis shows that current graphic design practices can avoid failing to address historical contextualisation and cultural relevance if, firstly, a great deal of historical and cultural memory is retrieved, secondly, if there is substantial visual and contextual analysis, and thirdly, if the visual elements and histories uncovered are put together in the right context. By considering the possibilities that brand archives present for exploring the symbolic values of objects and generating meaning, this study fills a gap between archival practices and the way many designers and companies are dealing with locally specific brands. It argues that brand archives are key instruments for designers to derive meaning and convey cultural memory into the future, and that visual identity is a channel through which these can be acknowledged, displayed and experienced. The study concludes by suggesting possible approaches graphic designers might pursue to address the issues identified, and it broadens the scope of the directions in which brand archives can be explored through the re-contextualisation of cultural objects