1,720,969 research outputs found
Alter-Globalization as a Riot of the (Alter) Everyday-Man
No full textThis paper is a short review on the appearance and development of the Globalization and the more recent Alter-Globalization movement and the influence of the two on the life of the ordinary people, and questions the adequacy of "global-local" dichotomy as well
Trademark in the Context of Competitive Environment – Between Regulations and Reality
No full textA combination of principles influencing trademark law can lead to paradoxical situations of conflicts of interest and conflicting interpretations of the regulations. This article provides a brief overview of real market cases from the Common European Market, illustrating as cleanly as possible the tension between the right to property and the right to choose within a fair competitive environment. Two key phenomena shaping the meaning of the existence of the TM are covered also - similarity and dilution, the risk of which, and at the same time openness to interpretation, lead to discussions and to more questions than answers
Chasing the myth: A Harley-Davidson Story(telling)
No full textThe dialogue between semiotics and branding is already old news, yet recently it has made a sporadic but steady appearance. This article is an attempt to show a socio-semiotic problem – whether and, if so, to what extent, brand identity could replace, substitute or supplement personal and group identity. It describes the postmodern situation in which the traditional meta-narratives need to be reinforced or replaced by other, more adequate and resonating stories and it points out the place of “legendary” brands in it. The main argument is that this sort of brands (which do not count on the fashion and fads), is based on cultural preconditions and that their power should be reinforced predominantly by advertising. Cultural preconditions also contribute to filling slots not only in the material world, but also in the spiritual and social world of the human individual in a given cultural environment. The historical and cultural background of the Harley-Davidson brand and its communication gives us a chance to take a deeper look at its storytelling process which attracts so many consumers and makes this brand so special. A couple of analyses and illustrations will help us to clarify the “DNA structure” of the Harley brand.
Keywords: identity, myth, brand, sub/culture, advertising, text
Design incorporated : IKEA as personal experience
Full text linkProviding deep and memorable experience to the consumers—in various manners and
through all channels possible—is undoubtedly amongst the key factors for success in contemporary
markets. Moreover, companies need to consider the trends of gamification, personalization,
eco-living as well as the extremely short life-cycle of their products. In this context,
design is getting more and more important in branding and consumer’ perceptions about
the quality and benefits of the product available. It serves as a tool of communication not
only for what the product is, but how it works and how exactly it will become part of the
everyday life of the consumers as well. As such, design, in branding perspectives, has an active
role and engages consumers in new kind of relationships that go beyond pure aesthetics. This
article is an effort for a socio-semiotic analysis of the set of practices that IKEA implements
regarding the use of design as a main basis on which it tries to create, deliver and maintain
value of its huge global audience. What makes the company unique is its multimodal approach
in terms of design-based brand management, point-of-sale design, furniture design,
entire home interior solutions, catalogue design, and last but not least, lifestyle design. We
can easily point out that it has built its own brand meaning by forming a recognizable and
self-centered semiosphere, that highly influences the whole category it operates in, and sets
the rules in people’s self-expression, on the one hand, and their attitude towards the notion
of ‘home’, on the other-home as constantly moving ‘immobility’ similar to fashion trends and
practices. IKEA is a very good example of design semiotics, applied in marketing activities
and real life as successfully mixing its own production with customers’ desire for designing
their own unique world of objects
Challenges and opportunities in the transformation to transformative marketing
Full text linkBy definition, the primary function of marketing is to transform demand into supply; it also identifies the needs for change within organizations and implements them to ensure the next steps towards growth through new models of value creation. Following this principle, as well as summarizing the current processes in the marketing environment, the paper examines the concept of "transformational marketing", defined by V. Kumar. It emphasizes key points, problems, and activities related to the transformation of business organizations, as well as the framework and important factors for the concept, which include the generation and application of knowledge within organizations
Chapter 15: The Brand as an Economic Value and a Sign: Positioning as an Instrument for Creating Market Distinctions
No full textThe chapter is dedicated to the brand subject and particularly to the communication function each brand actually has. After the necessary definition the connection between branding and semiotics is set in order to point out that value and signification (e.g. differentiation and identity making) interact in the contemporary highly competitive markets. A large part of the text concerns the positioning theory and practice accompanied by figures and prominent authors perspectives and comments on the topic
The Start-Up Concept and the Economic Future of the EU after M. Draghi's Report
Full text linkRecently, the former ECBank president M. Draghi loudly recalled Europe's lagging economic power, but without giving an original approach to reversing the trend, other than increased funding. Therefore, the article is an attempt to critically review the state, but also the unused potential of the EU start-up culture, which can provide a more reasonable and faster response at least to the part of the challenges. Following this direction, a brief comparison between the European and US start-up ecosystems is provided regarding the position and function of the HEIs in them. The data reveals that, in addition to their distance from the success of start-ups in the US and Asia, EU economies are also lagging behind the UK, which is no longer part of it. The pattern repeats when it comes to entrepreneurship education in Europe. Therefore, a direction is outlined for reflection on how to structurally change and improve the quality of the participation of HEIs in ecosystems across the continent, incl. with the introduction of a new look at training and collaboration with external organizations
Cognitive Process in Advertising
No full textАdvertising is a kind of communication which proceeds between two sides in unequal positions. One side (the sender of the message) is tangible and evident while the other (the recipient) is a mass of different minds which is usually named “target-audience” by the marketers. The successful transfer process is based on two factors – definition and differentiation.
The brand as initiator of the communication-act faces the problem of constructing the most appropriate code by means of which to transfer its message in such a way that allows it to reach the customer`s mind in the way intended by the initiator. This code simultaneously combines three functions: it defines the brand as such (indicating its existence), differentiates it from the competition (from the noise of the environment) and proposes a concrete reason for purchase to be done (i.e. makes the Unique Selling Proposition). Implementing these three functions in this particular order is a necessary condition for advertising to trigger a change in the consumer’s behaviour. Without this implementation, advertising does not fulfill it’s main goal of triggering a change in the customer’s behaviour but becomes a piece of visual art and/or entertainment.
In addition, by means of a detailed segmentation of the market, the brand predetermines to a maximum degree the chances for the audience to take up the message. In this way it lays the foundations of the decoding process (focusing attention on and understanding the information encoded) and defines the set of verbal and visual signs which a given segment is “open” for
Marketing of Food and Taste
Full text linkMarketing is one of the words that we here often at for various reasons, but even the professionals who use it will often give different definitions for it, if we ask them about it. Their opinion depends on their understanding of the term, based on education, profession, and even the sphere they work in – cosmetics, automotive, apparel, leisure, travel, etc. Very often, this word is used as a synonym for advertising, sales or even unethical practices (such as selling unhealthy drinks to children or selling ice to Eskimos), for creating hassle around new products in the store (a new collection, or a new model that must be noticed), for promoting an event (a Madonna concert) or a company (Google, Nestle, Bella Bulgaria, Happy or McDonalds restaurants). In fact, marketing is the way companies think and act when they must realize on the market a given product that the buyers are looking for. It is at the base of any business, while at the base of every successful business there is at least one defining marketing decision – an innovative product; the right place and time for offering a certain good; an attractive combination of menu presentation, service, good food and agreeable prices
From Artifacts to Experiences: Brands in the Era of Prosumeration
No full textConsumer behavior is a complex and dynamic phenomenon as it embraces cultural and social aspects, previous experience and mass media influence. This paper proposes that in order to study how brands frame consumers’ perception and preferences an interdisciplinary perspective is fruitful. It uses a socio-semiotic perspective to define and analyze some contemporary marketing practices in brand building and consumer relationship management that demonstrate the relativity of the notion of “product” and underline the active communicative interaction between a brand and its consumers regarding the experience provided. Some of the most prominent analytical models of the product value building are presented, along with a discussion of the cultural typology of experience production. Finally, it is argued that multimodality has a special place as an actual and useful tool for improving the communication management via sensorial and cognitive stimulation
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