Products as arrays of cues : how do consumers evaluate competing brands?

School of Managemen

Services brands' values: internal and external corporate communication

As services brands are a cluster of values, we explore the way in which values are communicated to both customers and staff. This work is based upon a literature review and themes highlighted from depth interviews with leading edge services branding consultants. Values tend to be communicated to consumers via their experience of the brand as a whole, including their interactions with employees, external brand communications and the tangible elements of the service offering. For employees, values are communicated via HR practices and polices, internal and external brand communications and the example set by senior managers

Collective frames of reference, recognition, and managers' mental models of competition: a test in two industries

This work was supported by ESRC grant no. R000232883.Managers draw upon sources of collective knowledge to cognitively represent strategic issues. It has also be argued that cognition is embedded in social interaction, enabling managers to recognize of others’ cognitions. In two separate industries, this study found that the influences upon managers’ mental models of their competitive environment include industry membership, organizational membership, and management level. The results indicate further that recognition of others’ mental models may be more pronounced than cognitive similarity.School of Managemen

Barriers to Brand Building in UK Universities

Branding in universities has become an increasingly topical issue with practitioners, with some institutions committing substantial financial resources to branding activities. It has, however, received only limited academic investigation, and as the particular characteristics of the sector present challenges for those seeking to build brands, it seems to be timely and appropriate to investigate potential barriers to branding. This exploratory study investigates the opinions of the ‘brand guardians’ of UK universities – Vice Chancellors, Principals and Rectors – on the barriers to successfully building brands and draws conclusions on their views of the key challenges facing successful branding activity in the sector. Implications for practitioners are also explored

External perceptions of successful university brands

Branding in universities has become an increasingly topical issue, with some institutions committing substantial financial resources to branding activities. The particular characteristics of the sector present challenges for those seeking to build brands and it therefore seems to be timely and appropriate to investigate the common approaches of those institutions perceived as having successful brands. This study is exploratory in nature, seeking to investigate how successfully UK universities brand themselves, whether they are distinct and if the sector overall communicates effectively. This is approached through examining the perspective of opinion formers external to universities but closely involved with the sector – a key stakeholder group in UK higher education Overall, the research’s exploratory nature aims to further the debate on effective branding in UK higher education. The findings and conclusions identify some issues surrounding university branding activity; most UK universities were considered to be distinct from one another, but few were seen to have real fully formed brands. Although a number of institutions that were seen as having more ‘successful’ brands were identified, it was argued that whilst many UK universities communicate their brand well enough to key stakeholders, they fail to consistently do this across all audiences. It was also suggested that UK universities may concentrate on areas of perceived immediate strategic importance (in terms of branding) to an extent where others are neglected

Consumer engagement with self-expressive brands: Brand love and WOM outcomes

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore attitudes of consumers who engage with brands through Facebook “likes”. It explores the extent to which these brands are self-expressive and examines the relationship between brand “liking” and brand outcomes. Brand outcomes include brand love and advocacy, where advocacy incorporates WOM and brand acceptance. Design/methodology/approach: Findings are presented from a survey of Facebook users who engage with a brand by “liking” it. Findings: Brands “liked” are expressive of the inner or social self. The study identifies a positive relationship between the self-expressive nature of brands “liked” and brand love. Consumers who engage with inner self-expressive brands are more likely to offer WOM for that brand. By contrast, consumers who engage with socially self-expressive brands are more likely to accept wrongdoing from a brand. Research limitations/implications: The research is exploratory and is limited to consumers who are engaged with a brand through “liking” it on the Facebook social network. Practical implications: The study offers suggestions for managers seeking to enhance brand engagement through Facebook “liking”, and to encourage positive brand outcomes (such as WOM) among consumers already engaged with a brand on Facebook. Originality/value: This paper provides new insights into consumer brand engagement evidenced through Facebook “liking”. It charts the relationship between “liked” self-expressive brands and brand love. Distinctions are drawn between brand outcomes among consumers who “like” for socially self-expressive reasons, and consumers who are brand engaged by “liking” to express their inner selves

‘Consuming Good’ on Social Media:What Can Conspicuous Virtue Signalling on Facebook Tell Us About Prosocial and Unethical Intentions?

Mentioning products or brands on Facebook enables individuals to display an ideal self to others through a form of virtual conspicuous consumption. Drawing on conspicuous donation behaviour literature, we investigate ‘conspicuous virtue signalling’ (CVS), as conspicuous consumption on Facebook. CVS occurs when an individual mentions a charity on their Facebook profile. We investigate need for uniqueness (NFU) and attention to social comparison information (ATSCI) as antecedents of two types of CVS–self-oriented (to gain intrinsic benefits) and other-oriented (to impress others). We also explore the relationship between CVS and self-esteem, and offline prosocial (donation to the charity) and unethical (counterfeit purchase) behaviour intentions. Data from two studies, a college survey (N = 234) and an adult survey via MTurk (N = 296), were analysed using structural equation modelling. Results indicate that NFU predicts both forms of CVS, while ATSCI influences both forms of CVS for adults and other-oriented CVS for students. Self-esteem is enhanced by self-oriented CVS. Self-oriented CVS predicts donation intention whereas other-oriented CVS significantly reduces donation intention for both samples. Furthermore, a significant relationship between CVS and purchase intention of counterfeit luxury goods is revealed. Findings provide insights into conspicuous virtue signalling and the relationship between CVS on Facebook and offline behavioural intentions

An exploration of Branding approaches in UK Universities

This exploratory paper considers the current state of UK HE branding; in particular, conceptualisations and approaches. It is driven by calls in the literature for clearer understanding and application of branding in Higher Education (HE). Objectives of the research, drawn from literature, were to explore conceptualisations of branding in the UK HE sector, as well as current challenges to branding concepts/ practice in UK HE. The methodology was based upon depth interviews with fifteen opinion leaders and opinion formers, specifically Heads of Marketing or External Relations in UK HE. Findings suggest that branding is a key issue for UK universities but an overall conceptual model for brands in the HE sector remains challenging, although parallels with corporate branding are drawn. However, simplistic adoption of corporate branding does not offer a clear solution and the requirement for a conceptual framework particular to the sector is evident. In exploring conceptual frameworks, experiential branding and internal branding are discussed as possible approaches that may offer a route for differentiation that universities seek. Whilst developing a clear conceptual model is the key challenge identified, limited and variable understanding of the branding concept, and limited genuine differentiation around which to build a brand were also notable challenges. Overall, significant branding opportunities and challenges in a changing sector are discussed. Conclusions argue that corporate branding, experiential branding and internal branding literature all have a degree of applicability but clearly further empirical work is needed to advance this important field

Entrepreneurship and the development of global brands

Over the course of the twentieth century, entrepreneurs developed a number of successful global brands in consumer-goods industries. However, few independent brands survived the merger waves of the 1980s. To address the question of why so few independent brands survived, this paper examines successful brands in industries that rely principally on advertising for competitive success. Successful consumer-goods brands in several industries and countries are compared in order to highlight innovative strategies pursued by brand managers. The analyzed brands are mainly owned by Europeans, although a few examples of American and Japanese brands are covered as well

Brand identity management and corporate social responsibility: an analysis from employees’ perspective in the banking sector

Brand identity management and corporate social responsibility have increased importance in both managerial practice and academic research. However, only a small number of studies have examined how these strategic tools influence employees’ attitudes and behaviours. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to analyse how employees’ perceptions of brand identity management and corporate social responsibility affect their attitudes and behaviours. An empirical study was undertaken among a sample of 297 front line employees working in the UK banking sector. Hypotheses were tested using partial least square regression. The results show that employees’ perceptions of brand identity management and corporate social responsibility determine their commitment towards their organisations, both directly and indirectly through perceived external prestige. Organisational commitment explains employees’ brand performance and brand citizenship behaviour. Age differences indicate higher impact of brand identity management on older employees, and higher effects of perceived corporate social responsibility in younger employees. The results extend existing knowledge and are informative for bank managers