Volume 10 (2021-22)

Each volume of Journal of Brand Strategy consists of four 100-page issues, published in print and online.

Volume 10 Number 4

Editorial
Simon Beckett, Publisher
Harnessing editorial storytelling for social media marketing: The ‘secret’ to success in the new digital world has deep roots in old media
Kirstin Benson, VP of Global Entertainment, Getty Images

The very same strategies that newsrooms and primary schools have used to tell stories can help brands tell stories, too — and engage with the audiences with whom they are seeking to do business with. The ‘secret’ lies in a series of six questions — why, who, what, where, when and how — that can help you thoughtfully map out your social media marketing. Answer those with intention and in alignment with your brand purpose, and you will not be so concerned with demands to ‘go viral’ or with suggestions to ‘be everywhere’. Instead, you will create content and content strategies with community in mind.
Keywords: social media, marketing, digital marketing, storytelling, brand purpose, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
Brand equity trend analysis for top auto brands on Interbrand’s 20-year longitudinal data
Kamran Ahmed Siddiqui, Associate Professor, College of Business Administration and Shabir Ahmad, Faculty member, College of Business Administration, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University

This study aims to explore the brand equity trends among the top 100 global automobile brands during the last two decades. Using 20 years of longitudinal data published by Interbrand on brand equity ranking of 100 Best Global Brands (2001–2020), a trend analysis was performed on 18 global automobile brands that appeared on this list. The trend analysis was conducted based on the aggregated annual brand equity of all brands, the number of brands by region and country, growth patterns in brand equity and per-unit brand equity (UBE) for six countries and three regions. Major trends presented in the article include the relegation of American brands, the resilience of Asian brands, the dominance of European brands, the deleterious impact of the global financial crisis of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic on the automobile industry, four clusters within the best automobile brands and per UBE. The clusters include leaders, challengers, starlets and intermittent. The ‘Leader’ cluster includes top brands like Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda, Ford and Volkswagen and appeared 20 times in 20 years on Interbrand’s global brand list with minimum brand equity of US$12bn in 2020. The ‘Challengers’ cluster includes brands like Hyundai, Audi, Porsche and Nissan, which have a higher brand equity growth rate than other clusters. The ‘Starlet’ cluster includes Ferrari, Land Rover, Kia and Mini Cooper, all of which are operating in niche markets, except for Kia. The fourth cluster, named ‘Intermittent’, includes auto brands like Chevrolet, Subaru, Lexus and Tesla. The analysis of per UBE presented in this article for the first time has shown a novel way of looking at automobile brand equity. It explains why Ferrari and Porsche have exceptionally high per UBE, which is reflected by high prices and a low number of units produced. The managerial and academic implications of the research and limitations are presented in the end.
Keywords: brand equity, automobile industry, automotive industry, trend analysis, 100 Best Global Brands
The deep brand: Designs for a new chapter in marketing?
Angus Jenkinson, Lead Partner, Thinking; Research Fellow, CLEA Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Secretary of the Cybernetics Society

No brand model has been generally accepted across the industry as adequate, nor is there a comprehensive, theoretically grounded solution to its design, population and use. While creativity and innovation are desirable, this gap diminishes company and marketing coordination, strategies and customer-focused alignment. It has adverse effects on leadership decisions, employee and team morale, projects and processes, corporate health and investor wealth, communication and customer experience. A proper solution will meet real needs, including a full set of identity dimensions, in accord with how companies conserve organisational unity of identity while enabling due diversity of practice.1 A suggested approach to both theory and practice are outlined with their supporting scientific and business logic. ‘Deep brand’ is not confined to ‘marketing’, but includes all identity aspects, including culture and business model. It connotes a way to coherent unity in action. There is special potential for marketers to play an instrumental role in orchestrating and leveraging its management. A case study of application as the IBM Brand System concludes a critical examination of brand practice and presentation of a deeply researched and tested alternative transdisciplinary methodology and its brand laws. Proposed logic and methods draw on insights that transformed and underpin the design industry. The open source novel but proven toolset is called Virtuoso.
Keywords: brand model, design, leadership, praxis, IBM, integration, cybernetics, self-organization
The Indian Premier League: The creation and management of a global sports branding phenomenon
Jay I. Sinha, Associate Professor, Fox School of Business, Temple University, Ravindra Chitturi, Associate Professor of Marketing, Lehigh University and Sunil H. Contractor, Visiting Assistant Professor of Marketing, The University of Tampa

This case study examines the factors contributing to the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) becoming the leading professional T20 cricket league in the world. From its inception, in 2008, IPL has been a spectacular success — its popularity and profitability are now on par with such established sports leagues as the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and English Premier League. While IPL was a late entrant among professional T20 competitions, it quickly captured the imagination of cricket lovers worldwide and has managed to sustain the excitement even during pandemic times. IPL’s present brand value is in excess of US$6bn, and its unconventional and innovative branding tactics have helped it break into non-traditional market segments and expanded the reach of cricket. From attracting top international cricketers to incorporating Bollywood glamour, partnering with major Indian business houses and displaying extravagant spectacles involving DJs and cheerleaders, IPL has pushed the envelope of a sport that was known for its conservatism and stodginess. Brand IPL has become a prized cash cow for its parent, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), propelling it to the status of the richest cricket board in the world. While there have been plenty of critics and naysayers, IPL continues to be the gold standard that other national cricket boards benchmark against and emulate. The paper offers a set of managerial precepts and guidelines for use by brand executives even in disparate industries and sectors.
Keywords: sports marketing, sports branding, IPL, T20 cricket, professional sports league, brand strategy
Authenticity attracts authenticity: The impact of brand authenticity and self-authenticity on brand loyalty
Ryall Carroll, Associate Professor, St. John’s University, New York, Fabienne T. Cadet, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Nova Southeastern University and Luke Kachersky, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University

Consumers today seek authenticity, making brand authenticity an important component in marketing strategy. Despite the importance of brand authenticity, there is still very little research on how to effectively build it and what behavioural outcomes such an impact might produce. Building on prior work, this study demonstrates that consumers’ self-authenticity is an important driver of their perceptions of brand authenticity and in turn brand loyalty. Two field studies in the retail sector were conducted, each with a different brand and different consumer segment. The data revealed that greater self-authenticity was associated with greater brand loyalty. Similarly, brand authenticity was positively associated with brand loyalty. In fact, findings show that the impact of self-authenticity on brand loyalty is mediated by brand authenticity. In other words, self-authentic consumers tend to perceive greater brand authenticity and, in turn, exhibit greater loyalty towards the brand — a finding that both enhances the external validity of previous research and extends it in important new ways. Specific ways for managers to target self-authentic consumers are discussed.
Keywords: authenticity, brand authenticity, self-authenticity, loyalty, Millennials, Generation Z

Volume 10 Number 3

Editorial
Simon Beckett, Publisher
People-led digital transformation: Future-proofing a legacy brand with purpose
J.C. Lapierre, U.S. Chief Communications Officer, PwC

After deciding to invest significantly in digital upskilling, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) used integrated communications strategies to achieve a digital-led brand transformation centred on employee empowerment. As a result, the firm was able to bring high-value digital products and a mindset for innovation into the market at a critical time, while positioning this legacy brand to secure its future in a new era driven by trust and technology. Here is a look at how PwC in the USA approached its digital transformation with a ‘people first’ mindset.
Keywords: digital transformation, communications strategy, trust, brand purpose, technology, digital skills
Brands on the picket line: How close should companies get to their consumers’ crusades?
Jules Hall, CEO and Tim Mottau, Head of Strategy, The Hallway

We are an empowered population. We live in democratic nations, safe havens of free speech. And lately, we have not been afraid to show it, with protests, petitions and picket lines flooding the front pages. Increasingly, brands are getting involved in some of these important social conversations, but do consumers really want brands standing side by side with them in their moments of personal defiance? Or are there alternative expectations on how companies must behave? Taking acceptable ethical standards as a given, this paper challenges some of the accepted definitions around brand purpose to create a better construct that more authentically links to the brand’s soul and the role it plays in the lives of its consumers. Armed with this renewed definition of brand purpose, the authors contend that brands will be able to navigate their role in support of critical social causes more effectively.
Keywords: brand strategy, brand purpose, consumer crusades
Brands on TikTok: strategic first steps and successful execution
Anton Perreau, Senior Vice President, Battenhall

TikTok has fast become the world’s most talked-about social network — in the news and popular culture, the relatively new player in the fray presents an opportunity to reach consumers in a new, relatable way and, most importantly, appeals to the holy grail of demographics. While any major brand with the right marketing budget can reserve one of TikTok’s many (and growing) media products, implementing a solid organic channel strategy for TikTok is essential for smaller brands, individuals and agencies. This paper provides a practical guide to being successful on TikTok as well as clear initial guidance to consider whether the platform fits into your wider social strategy. It also provides advice on execution, brand examples and pragmatic starters to help you and your team feel educated on the platform.
Keywords: TikTok, mobile, social media, video, apps, music, audio
Operation brand story: How to fix a broken brand when customer beliefs shift and brands do not
Mark Jones, Co-CEO, ImpactInstitute

Customer insights underpin effective brand strategies and help organisations differentiate. However, research and data gathering takes precious time, money and resources. In many cases, brands facing disruptive pressures such as healthy competition, emerging technologies or rapidly changing customer needs are unable or unwilling to give brand strategy the time and space required. This paper outlines a unique, practical approach that helps leaders address these issues. It specifically addresses brands that consumers regard as broken, irrelevant or of no value.
Keywords: brand strategy, customer insights, marketing, storytelling
Royal Enfield: Preserving and leveraging legacy appeal while revamping brand imagery
Prashant Chaudhary, Assistant Professor, School of Retail Management, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University

By the turn of the 21st century, Siddhartha Lal won the opportunity to revive Royal Enfield (RE), the fading iconic motorcycle brand of Eicher Motors. The challenge was to turn around the motorcycle division of Eicher Motors and achieve sustainable growth in sales and market share, while maintaining profitability. Eicher Motors worked on improving the brand performance and perception by modernising the RE bikes, in terms of technological advancements, superior functionality and overall driving experience and feel. With this RE re-emerged as a major player in the mid-size motorcycle segment. Post 2019, however, RE was grappling with decreasing sales and stagnating market share, owing to changing customer expectations and increasing competition in this product category. RE now had to work towards extending and enhancing the customer base by wooing the new-generation customers. But this would entail certain modifications in terms of its exceptionally unique brand imagery and association of RE. Although the revamp of RE’s brand imagery and association can appeal to and resonate well with new-generation customers, it might also compromise the cult emotional appeal, established over the decades. Above all, the probability of gaining major headway in new-generation customer base — at the cost of adulterating the legacy ‘cult emotional appeal’ — could be uncertain because of rising competition in this segment and product category. This scenario created a catch-22 situation and RE had to employ strategic options to deal with it. This paper discusses the challenge of infusing freshness into the brand’s image without losing the essence of its legacy.
Keywords: Brand equity framework, brand positioning, brand turnaround, strategic brand management and heritage brand management
Brands, sustainability and citizenship: Navigating a world demanding change
Tim Riches, Group Strategy Director, Principals

For company brands the lines between business function silos are not clearly drawn, and the formerly compliance-oriented domain of environmental, social and governance (ESG) has become part of the brand in many sectors, whether we like it or not. Whenever an organisation seeks to stand apart on the basis of its citizenship or reputation in any of its competitive realms — for customers, talent, influence or capital — its brand strategy must connect all communications functions to the business strategy in a simple, coherent way. While always desirable, enabling clarity across the organisation is especially critical in these turbulent times. As COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of change and shifted risk appetites, big decisions are being made about corporate futures. This is an opportunity for brand people to tackle some of the barriers to collaboration and influence across functions. This paper outlines the challenge of aligning business functions to define and deliver coherent company positioning and makes a case for taking on that challenge as a matter of urgency to support businesses adapting to rapid changes in social expectations. Engaging executive leadership teams and boards of directors in this exercise is critical, and this paper outlines two practical ways to do so. First, framework thinking, which can accommodate different functions and communications disciplines into a single narrative. Second, and arguably more importantly, board-friendly ways to achieve a project mandate and frame the need to collaborate effectively at the most senior level to align brand and business strategy.
Keywords: social licence, trust, corporate citizenship, stakeholder engagement
The winning formula: How to build lasting and valuable customer relationships via a paid, owned and earned strategy
Matt Allison, Managing Director, Ubiquity Lab and Holly Jones, Senior Manager of Editorial Content Strategy, AustralianSuper

How can a brand go from being the most recognised in its category to winning consumers’ hearts? That was the challenge faced by AustralianSuper, Australia’s largest superannuation (pension) fund. While the Fund was clearly outperforming the market, its ‘voice of customer insights’ revealed Emotional connection to the brand was not increasing at the same rate as rational drivers. For Ubiquity Lab, this posed an opportunity, particularly in light of Binet and Field’s findings that emotional campaigns yield stronger long-term effects. Paramount to the project’s success was a focus on consumer intent and market orientation that would leverage AustralianSuper’s existing work and meld current and new inputs. This meant designing a customer-led paid, owned and earned (POE) strategy that would monetise emotion to reach more people within the target market, while differentiating, building salience and, ultimately, increasing sales and profit. A ‘brand experience map’ methodology was used to correlate data against the digital consumer journey and sales funnel, ultimately unlocking insights to optimise POE tactics. The goal was to arrive at a set of emotional territories that AustralianSuper could begin to ‘own’, winning hearts and minds and deepening the relationship between accumulating super and its purpose — to enable people to live their best retirement.
Keywords: brand, content marketing, emotional connection, customer intent, marketing ecosystem
Happiest place(s) on Earth? Investigating the differences (and impact) of fandom and rivalry among fans of sport and Disney’s Theme Parks
Cody T. Havard, Professor, The University of Memphis, et al.

The present study investigated differences in the way fans experience rivalry in sport and popular culture, specifically, Disney Theme Park fandom. The results showed that fans of a sport team identified more with their favourite team and were more negative towards their rival team than were fans of Disney’s Theme Parks towards Disney and Universal (rival theme park of interest). Further, analysis showed that being a fan of both a sport team and Disney’s Theme Parks resulted in more positive perceptions and behaviours towards the rival in both the sport and theme park setting. Implications for practitioners are discussed, along with future areas of inquiry.
Keywords: rivalry, group behaviour, theme parks, themed entertainment, sport, in-group bias, consumer behaviour

Volume 10 Number 2

Editorial
Simon Beckett, Publisher
Branding COVID vaccines: A nightmarish journey for branding practitioners?
David Davidovic, President, pathForward

Branding practitioners must be having bad dreams after watching products that are experiencing the highest demand ever, selling billions of units for billions of dollars and that are used by the majority of the world’s population, carry brand identities that were not conceived, researched, tested or, apparently, given even two minutes of consideration. COVID vaccines that have been authorised or approved do not carry anything close to unique, creative, constructed trademarks or brand images. They are known — and very boringly so — for the names of the companies that developed them or are commercialising them or sometimes for the underlying technology, eg ‘mRNA’. This paper reviews some of the dynamics that got us here and discusses possible implications moving forward.
Keywords: branding, brand architecture, marketing, commercialisation, vaccines, COVID, pharmaceuticals
Ethical Online Advertising: Choosing the right tools for online brand safety
Mike Hemmings, Director of Customer Insights, Oracle Advertising

No brand owner wants their ad turning up next to unsavoury online content. With the automated daily delivery of trillions of ad impressions across the open web, brands and agencies rely on systems and tools to ensure their ad is being placed in the most appropriate contexts. Unfortunately, in the last 25 years of programmatic advertising, the tools that we rely on to protect brands have not always kept up with our desire and ability to safely spread our brand message far and wide. Tools such as keyword blocklists were once the de facto method for managing correct placement. Recently, however, media coverage on the blocking of COVID-19, progressive content and even small-scale scandals have shown how inefficient these antiquated tools can be. Blocklists use single terms to define suitability, which in turn generates broad-brushstroke stereotyping, impacting scale and accuracy of ad placement. As well as missed opportunities and poor ad placement decisioning, this type of binary approach to safety disproportionately impacts progressive content. By featuring them and the tools that act on them, brands can limit consumer exposure to valued content by defunding the publishers giving voice to these potentially progressive topics. Thankfully, there are now better ways to manage brand safety online. Contextual brand suitability tools disregard single terms and instead ascertain relevance on the basis of an understanding and appreciation of more nuanced contexts. There are several steps any brand or agency can take to begin to evolve their brand safety strategy. These steps are an important part of the journey to increase online safety while also ensuring we are not our own blocker to safer, smarter and progressive approaches to online ad placement decisions.
Keywords: brand safety, brand suitability, blocking, contextual, advertising, programmatic
Right now. For tomorrow: Launching a purpose-driven sustainability brand
Howard Breindel, Co-CEO, DeSantis Breindel

Although corporate sustainability campaigns are common, rarely do brands begin with ecological concerns, rooting their identity in a pre-existing commitment to protecting our planet. ENGIE, a multinational energy and services company, sets such a project in motion in 2019, establishing a one-of-its-kind company that combined existing data and execution capabilities with consulting and analytics in order to facilitate a quicker transition to a carbon-neutral economy. Translating this driving purpose into a full brand positioning, messaging, company name, visual identity, website and launch strategy, the resulting brand, ENGIE Impact, quickly established the business as a thought leader and trusted partner in a new and vital space. As such, a comprehensive ENGIE Impact case study provides marketers and strategists with a blueprint for launching purpose-driven business-to-business (B2B) brands.
Keywords: corporate social responsibility, sustainability transformation, brand naming, brand launch, energy & utilities, B2B branding
Suspense and a sports league’s brand revitalisation: Initiatives of the PGA Tour
John Fortunato, Professor, Fordham University

Suspense when witnessing sports games is predicated and enhanced by outcome uncertainty, a rooting interest and awareness of the consequences that result from the competition. Having these suspense dimensions present produces an emotional experience that heightens audience interest and motivates the behaviour that leads to economic opportunities for a sports league. At times, brands need to reposition and revitalise themselves to construct new relevance that can affect consumers’ knowledge, interest and appreciation of the brand. This essay argues that a sports league’s brand revitalisation needs to be driven by creating the conditions for the audience to experience suspense. A sports league can create suspense through its competitive system, its brand availability and its approach to gambling. The actual initiatives of one sports league are examined to demonstrate how suspense is being created. The Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour is profiled because it introduced several initiatives to create the conditions for the audience to experience suspense.
Keywords: suspense theory, outcome uncertainty, brand repositioning, storylines, PGA Tour
Giving flight to an authentic purpose: How Aflac transformed its mascot into an icon for childhood cancer patients
Carol Cone, CEO and Kristin Kenney, Senior Associate, Carol Cone ON PURPOSE

My Special Aflac Duck is an award-winning social robot for children with cancers. Modelled after Aflac Incorporated’s iconic duck mascot, My Special Aflac Duck was developed by social impact agency Carol Cone ON PURPOSE and R&D shop Sproutel to meet the social-emotional needs of paediatric cancer patients during their average 1,000 days of treatment. The initiative, which is part of the broader Aflac Childhood Cancer Campaign, was created to support Aflac’s reputational and brand goals, building on more than two decades of commitment to paediatric cancer research and treatment. Additionally, Aflac sought to make a direct patient impact through technology and innovation, moving beyond traditional corporate citizenship to align purpose, values, brand and product in a never-before-seen execution. Readers will learn how Carol Cone ON PURPOSE developed crisp criteria around Aflac’s objectives, partnered with Sproutel to develop the duck based on the specific needs of children, launched the initiative to media in an unexpected way, supported roll-out in hospitals across the United States and helped Aflac achieve significant brand and business lifts.
Keywords: corporate social responsibility, corporate reputation, purpose, authenticity
Positioning a brand as an internet meme: The case study of Supreme
Jay I. Sinha, Associate Professor, Fox School of Business, Temple University

This paper develops the idea of how brands can be positioned as internet memes and why the strategy is even more timely and relevant in the current marketing landscape. A meme is defined as a unit of cultural transmission that evolves and mutates as it replicates from person to person. An internet meme is of great relevance today owing to the shareable aspect of social media and from the latter’s dominance among the youth. Companies that manage to position their brands as successful memes stand to gain positive externalities. Instead of engaging in expensive push marketing, they can co-opt the volition and creativity of the brand followers themselves to adapt and transmit the brand’s symbols and beliefs to their peers in the online space and further popularise the brand. The strategy can also backfire since the company perforce has to relinquish control over the brand’s interpretations and symbolism to the online users. The example of the youth fashion brand Supreme is offered as a case study to highlight online memetic positioning tactics and their resulting benefits and challenges. The paper concludes by providing implications for marketing managers from this contemporaneous approach to brand positioning.
Keywords: brand, internet meme, positioning, Supreme, online brand community, social media
Towards a better application of brand values
Francisco J. Conejo, PhD, Senior Marketing Instructor and Researcher, University of Colorado — Denver

Despite the copious literature, the nature of values remains conceptually vague, being understood in different ways. Values are misconstrued by both academics and laypeople alike as whatever they choose them to mean. The former is no small issue as without knowing what exactly is meant readers understand the literature only partially. This misunderstanding may then lead to suboptimal applications of what authors pieces advocate for. At a broader level, specifying the values construct is essential for research and theory to develop in correct and coherent directions. Without getting too technical, this paper serves as a brief introduction (or refresher) to what values are, which ones are most common and how they might be better applied. By clarifying the values construct, the paper aims to improve practice. A better understanding of values stands to enhance segmentation, positioning and differentiation, rendering tactical branding efforts more effective.
Keywords: brand, meaning, values, Schwartz, marketing, psychology
Brand iconisation in the social media era
Brian Whelan, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Western Carolina University

Branding is the method by which companies create an identity for their products or services, with the aim of forming a deep emotional connection with their consumers, and iconic brands enjoy intensely loyal consumer bases with high emotional attachment levels; however, the rapid proliferation of social media and user-generated content is shifting the way in which consumers, particularly younger consumers, interact with brands. If companies fail to manage this changing paradigm properly, today’s iconic brands may find themselves relegated to the historical archive of failed brand icons — a cautionary tale to those brands seeking to rise to iconic status in the social media era. The goal of this paper is to illuminate the changing paradigm of iconic brand creation in an increasingly socially connected world, and stimulate discussion around understanding the influence of consumer-driven social media activity on iconic brand creation.
Keywords: branding, user-generated social media content, iconic brands, social media, consumer perceptions, emotional brand attachment
Tales from Cinderella Castle: Examining fandom and rivalry within Disney
Cody T. Havard, Associate Professor, The University of Memphis, et al.

The current study investigated fandom and rivalry towards Disney’s and Universal’s theme parks. In particular, fans of Disney’s theme parks were asked to report their attitudes towards each brand, along with their perceptions and behaviours towards Universal’s theme parks. Results showed that participants reported higher attitudes towards Disney’s theme parks than towards Universal’s theme parks. Further, identification with Disney positively influenced attitudes towards Disney’s theme parks and more support for and likelihood of attending Universal’s theme parks. Identification with Disney, however, also led to more negative impressions of Universal’s fan behaviour and prestige, greater excitement when Disney compares favourably with Universal and a higher likelihood of celebrating a perceived failure by Universal. Finally, participants that reported being fans of both Disney and Universal were more positive with regard to rival perceptions and behaviours. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed, along with areas for future study.
Keywords: rivalry, consumer rivalry, brand communities, brand rivalry, in-group bias, intergroup relations

Volume 10 Number 1

Editorial
Simon Beckett, Publisher
Brand storytelling in the age of artificial intelligence
Manos Spanos, SVP Brand Marketing, Yogurt BU, Danone North America

Around 640 million unique items of branded content are posted every day, yet 87 per cent of branded content has no significant engagement. As many as 90 of the top 100 brands have lost market share since 2015 — and 62 per cent have declining revenues. To respond effectively, brands must combine human intelligence with artificial intelligence (AI) to tell better stories, with better targeting and better creative execution. Three case studies illustrate this: first, Danone North America’s (DNA’s) partnership with Public Good to raise awareness of DNA’s brand, Happy Family Organics, via AI-powered contextual targeting to encourage parents to take action promoting sustainability — which earned a 1.79 per cent participation rate. Next, a digital campaign by DNA’s Light + Fit built with iteratively optimised video content, which leveraged AI to perfect both the ad itself and its targeted deployment online, leading to a drastic increase in brand awareness. Finally, a Super Bowl commercial whose concept was hatched by one irreplaceably creative human. Only 6 weeks later, thanks to an AI-accelerated approach, the ad was ready for release — earning more than 40 million unique views across digital platforms — with zero television ad buy. This paper analyses how storytelling matters more than ever. It encourages brands to show up, stand out and deliver.
Keywords: training, trust, transparency, inspiring leadership, empathy, compassion, storytelling, artificial intelligence, AI, power of AI
Sonic branding: The value of intentional audio in the new normal
Audrey Arbeeny, Founder/Executive Producer, Audiobrain

Recently, there has been a surge in interest in sonic branding, this untapped, valuable communication tool, and its ability to enhance customer experiences. Why are brands such as KitchenAid, Toshiba, Kentucky Fried Chicken and others investing in sonic branding? What is driving this brand imperative to new heights? 2020 has been a game-changing year. Businesses have had to adopt new ways of operating, employees are working remotely and students are facing distanced learning. At the same time, technology has advanced to deliver exceptional sonic communications. We are in a voice-first/sound-first world. And that will not change, even when the pandemic is under control. This is the new normal and everyone must adapt. This paper shares insights on what sonic branding is and why creating your proprietary sound is a brand imperative. You will learn how to: create valuable brand equity using sonic branding; elevate your brand through music, sound and voice; make your brand more relevant by embracing today’s technology; bring empathy and emotion to your brand’s narrative; improve your ROI by creating a sonic system that is flexible, sustainable and authentic; and most importantly, understand this new shift and what can be done to build a successful future.
Keywords: sonic branding, voice-first/sound-first, emerging technologies, sonic DNA, audio ROI, audio touchpoints
We will not stop until the world dreams in cheese: Redefining the Wisconsin cheese brand
Suzanne Fanning, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin/Wisconsin Cheese

This paper analyses Wisconsin Cheese’s way out of the branding problem it had five years ago. It discusses how Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin decided to rebuild the brand from the ground up. Consumers’ perceptions used to revolve around big, boring blocks of factory cheddar instead of the reality of more than 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese that are made in Wisconsin. The hardest thing a brand can undertake is to go from mass to class. Wisconsin wins more awards for cheese than any other state or country. Needs were identified to build a strong and consistent brand, to be better storytellers to the world and to build authentic relationships with real cheese lovers. With a new logo, new websites, a more creative corporate culture, relationships with Food Fanatics who help drive the speciality cheese marketplace and increased media presence, Wisconsin announced itself, and proved itself, as the State of Cheese. Now, sales of Wisconsin speciality cheese outpace all others in that category, Wisconsin Cheese has more website visitors than ever before, they achieved over US$40m in national and local media mentions in the last year, they have brand ambassadors in all 50 states and are on page one for Google searches for ‘cheese’. This paper details how they did it.
Keywords: Wisconsin, cheese, brand, public relations, relationships, branding, marketing, community, word of mouth, social media
Using crisis and emergency risk communication theory to inform online communication during the COVID-19 pandemic
Cathy Whitlock, Associate Vice President of Online Communications, Parkinson’s Foundation and Amanda Hicken, National Director of Brand Strategy and Integrated Marketing, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

This paper serves as a case study showcasing how two health-focused non-profit organisations, the Parkinson’s Foundation (PF) and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF), applied the principles from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) theory across online channels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each organisation leveraged online communication strategies to help its vulnerable patient population navigate the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously working to ensure its organisation’s survival.
Keywords: crisis communication, non-profit, COVID-19, health communication
Brand audit: A case study of Lacasa in Spain
Phani Adidam, Executive Education Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Irene F. Shaker, Assistant Professor, Misr International University

Assessing a brand’s health is a critical task for any company and brand manager. Several approaches have been offered by various scholars and consultants; however, Keller’s approach to assessing brand health via conducting a formal brand audit remains one of the most robust methods. In this paper, we adopt the brand audit approach and investigate the Spanish chocolate brand Lacasa. In conclusion, we offer three concrete recommendations to Lacasa’s brand managers.
Keywords: brand audit, brand equity, brand resonance
Rebranding a corporate spin-off: Can a new brand name inherit global brand reputation?
Rian Beise-Zee, Professor of Marketing and Branding, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan and Beat Wäfler, Adjunct Faculty, Maastricht School of Management, The Netherlands

Corporate brand name changes are often involuntary as a result of mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs. In these cases the rebranding campaign aims at transferring the substantial brand equity of its established brand name to a new brand name. On the basis of the case of the spin-off of Holcim’s subsidiary in Vietnam, this paper identifies the success factors of collateral rebranding. After the cement maker Holcim left the Vietnam market, it spun off its subsidiary, which needed to change its brand name. The ensuing rebranding campaign showed that a trusted global brand can be substituted with a new brand name without loss of brand premium. This paper identifies three key drivers of successful collateral rebranding of a global brand: a total focus on the message of consistency of the branded entity, a consistent tangible representation of the brand entity and a global positioning of the new brand. It proposes that perception of consistency of the brand entity can be communicated through the visual similarity of the old and new brands, the maintenance of distributors and facilities and the continuation of management and sales staff.
Keywords: rebranding, brand name change, brand equity transfer, emerging markets
A consumer-centric framework to develop insights for effective integrated marketing communications campaigns
JoAnn Sciarrino, Isabella Cunningham Endowed Chair in Advertising and Director and John Prudente, Senior Research Associate, The University of Texas at Austin

While the idea behind insight creation for integrated marketing communications (IMC) in the advertising and marketing industry has been around for decades, there has always been a shroud of mystery behind the actual creation. Often described as ‘more art than science’, insights creation has long been thought of as an unteachable skill.1 Through the use of a consumer-centric framework, this paper examines whether advertising and marketing professionals are able to harness necessary facts to explore, understand and develop a meaningful consumer insight. Based on depth interviews and case studies, the results suggest that practitioners need to uncover important ‘learnable’ components related to business, brand, culture and audience, while also relying on internal mechanisms such as judgment, interpretation and creativity to guide decision-making. The proposed consumer-centric insight development tool enables a fresh look at the learnable components to develop insights for new IMC work.
Keywords: integrated marketing communications, advertising insights, consumer-centric marketing framework, brand strategy, insight development, marketing insight