Re-Examining the Meaning of Corporate Branding: Does Corporate Advertising Give Useful Insights?

--Ana Roncha and Matteo Montecch

The paper re-examines the meaning of corporate branding from a conceptual and an interpretive methodological perspective through a two-stage process. The first phase is dominated by a semiotic deconstruction of corporate advertisements of four of the largest banks in Nigeria. The second engages customers of these banks in an interpretive interview process. A framework of narrow and broad discourses on the meaning of corporate branding is evolved. The discourses contend that the meaning of corporate branding, which is commonly conceived as an embodiment of promise, could also be understood as an expression of corporate personality—with the propensity to create meanings. This paper makes a departure from the usual positivistic approach to corporate branding by examining the meaning of this concept from an interpretive point of view. This gives an opportunity to examine what corporations, the custodians and owners of corporate branding, have to say about the meaning of the concept.

© 2017 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Determinants of Brand Equity from the Consumer’s Perspective: A Literature Review

--Dhruv Brahmbhatt and Juhi Shah

Brand equity as a theoretical concept was born in the 1980s. Many authors have given their valuable opinion and views on this term, which differ from one another. As brand equity is closely related with brand loyalty and brand extension, it arouses intense interest among those in the branding business from a wide variety of industries. While there is no common viewpoint on the measurement and dimensions of brand equity, this paper makes an effort to identify the most common determinants and approaches to measurement of brand equity from literature. Majorly, there are two perspectives of brand equity: consumer’s perspective and financial perspective. This paper reviews only Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE), which relates to consumer response to a brand name. It reviews the determinants of CBBE by drawing together strands from various conceptual and empirical studies made in this field.

© 2017 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Challenges of Selling Luxury Motorcycle Brands in India

--Rekha Attri and Rahul Bairagi

The luxury bike market in India is still in its introductory stage. Since the first luxury bike was introduced by Harley Davidson in 2010, there have been a number of challenges being faced by the companies in establishing their foothold in the Indian market. This paper aims at studying the challenges faced by the manufacturers and dealers while marketing luxury bikes in India. The study was carried out by conducting in-depth interviews of 24 dealers and 15 company officials of different luxury bike brands in Tier I and Tier II cities. Various issues and business challenges faced by the manufacturers and dealers of luxury motorcycles in the Indian market have been highlighted. The findings of the study would help multinational companies identify the challenges of selling luxury bikes in the Indian market and devise marketing plans to reach out to potential customers and also work on those factors which enhance dealers’ satisfaction.

© 2017 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Growth of Patanjali Brand from Local to Global Market: A Study

--Namrata Maheshwari and R P Sharma

Philanthropist Baba Ramdev is a renowned Yoga and Ayurveda guru and is a successful entrepreneur who has built his image through Yoga and later on captured the FMCG market through its young brand ‘Patanjali’. The unique selling proposition of the Patanjali brand achieved popularity from local to global market in a strategic manner. The purpose of this study is to understand the growth process of Patanjali Brand in India and in the international market. The study highlights the strategies of Baba Ramdev and Patanjali’s journey from local to global market through its distinct brand building approaches.

© 2017 IUP. All Rights Reserved.