Impact of internal branding on student engagement : insights from a South African university

This study explores how internal branding affects the levels of engagement with the brand by HEI students. The research setting for this study was the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, (Wits) a leading Commonwealth University in South Africa. Most studies on internal brand focus on employees and have been conducted in the developed word. This study focuses on students as the stakeholder and takes place in an emerging market. Assembling internal branding and student engagement from a theoretical perspective, the findings run counter to the known theory by showing that students can be engaged and loyal to the institution without the University having a formal internal branding program. The lack of internal branding had no impact on academic commitment but has a negative impact on brand engagement. Some reasons for this are suggested.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wsmq202021-10-07hj2021Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

Corporate Identity, Strategy and Change

This commentary aims to broaden our understanding of corporate identity, in particular its relationships to strategy and change. It highlights the evolving nature of corporate identity and strategy, outlines the triggers for corporate identity change, examines earlier managerial models and reports on some existing case examples. Drawing on the field of management studies, in particular the Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, we propose a model to successfully manage the corporate identity change process. We call for more research in the corporate identity area

Ad Scepticism and Retouch-Free Disclaimers: are They Worth it?

The present study analyses the impact of ad scepticism on the way consumers perceive advertising and process its effects, and considers the influence of ad disclaimers. We conduct an experiment that explores three different contexts, namely (1) the total absence of ad disclaimers, (2) the presence of a retouch-free disclaimer and (3) the presence of a retouched disclaimer. By showing how ad scepticism fits in the advertising attitudinal approach, and how new digital developments affect consumers’ processing of advertisements, the results of this experiment can contribute to the marketing literature and clarify relevant topics for practitioners. This paper shows the significant influence played by ad believability and attitude towards the ad on behavioural intentions. This underlines, particularly for marketing practitioners, the importance of an ad’s believability and the credibility of its claims in the sales outcome. Most importantly, the framework offered by this paper shifts the attention towards the believability of advertising disclaimers aimed at clarifying the use of digitally enhanced images

Producers’ Views on Digital Era Brand Authenticity in a Traditional Winery

Branding in the Digital Age: Innovation and Responsibility The 13th Global Brand Conference will focus on the dual challenge for brands in the digital age: In what innovative ways can brands (and their identities) be managed in a digital world, where the conversation surrounding them is mainly not created, or indeed controlled, by the brand-owner? What particular responsibilities does a successful brand face in the digital world, and how important are these for maintaining a good reputation