Abstract
The paper briefly examines the importance of studying and understanding branding in today's business environment.

From the Paper
"Branding establishes a specific image or specific characteristics for a particular product or line of products. Marlboro was at one time one of the most recognizable brands in the world and Coca-Cola remains a highly valuable brand today. (Macrae) The owners of these brands have worked hard to establish a specific image-the rugged outdoorsman in the case of Marlboro-that consumers then associate with the brand. Companies will seek to protect their brands against infringement in order to protect the brand's value."

Tags:branding, marketing

Abstract
This paper answers two questions on the major stages of the product life cycle, and branding and why it is important for companies.

From the Paper
"The product life cycle goes through four primary stages-introduction, growth, maturity and decline. (Gorchels) During introduction, the public is introduced to the brand and its level of quality and pricing is generally either low so that greater penetration can be achieved, or high so that developers can recover their initial costs. Distribution is usually channeled toward a target market until consumers demonstrate that they have accepted the product. During growth..."

Tags:product life cycle, branding, introduction, growth, maturity, decline

Abstract
The paper looks at the research on business strategies to achieve global branding. The paper then outlines research methods to explore the additional concept of green branding within global branding strategies. The paper explains that this research hopes to provide information about the future of marketing, not only in a globalized world, but in an environmentally friendly one as well.

Outline:
Introduction
Literature Review
Proposed Research Methods
Indications of Potential Findings

From the Paper
"Along with targeting the appeal of the brand image, a unique representation of that brand is also a necessity to play with the big boys of global marketing. The uniqueness of the brand image will help distinguish it from competitors. Even the name used within the branding should be customized to allow for a smooth transition into an aesthetic appeal in visual marketing, such as the case again with Nike (Delaney 2002). When thinking of the basics of branding, budding companies should always keep these aesthetic issues in mind, constantly questioning "Can it readily morph into a work of art?" (Delaney 2002). Once this unique image has been tested and accepted, its about blasting it world wide."

Tags:brand, positioning, image, environment, global, warming

Abstract
The paper explains that co-branding began as "product placement" in movies, and has moved into every medium as a major form of advertising. The paper reviews the process whereby a co-branding campaign is developed, and explains how co-branding delivers a message to consumers, noting critics' objections over exactly this point. The paper provides numerous examples of how co-branding is used on the internet by ISPs, and on the world wide web through various web sites. The paper analyzes Tribal Voice's product, Pow Wow, as an example showing how software can modify the appearance of a web site to match another brand's appearance. The paper identifies potential problems with co-branding. In conclusion, the paper finds that co-branding is like any other advertising technique in that it should only be used with a great deal of forethought. Table of Contents Introduction: What is Co-Branding How Does Co-Branding Work Co-Branding on the Internet and World Wide Web The Bad Side of Co-Branding

From the Paper
"Co-branding has been around as an advertising technique for many years under another title, that of product placement. The most familiar use of it is in the movies and on television where it's not at all uncommon to see several products co-branded. Many critics of co-branding also call this technique subliminal advertising. "For example, one is watching a movie, which of course become the platform upon which the co-branding is built. The characters are engaged in some ordinary activity but at the same time they are using as "props" branded merchandise of some company or in many cases, several companies. For the sake of discussion say they are eating lunch at a McDonald's or a Wendy's. "Automatically the restaurant becomes a co-brand with not only the movie title but the production studio as well. If they happen to be consuming for example, a Coke, this becomes yet another co-brand in the mix. Suppose there is a cell phone with its product name viewable this prop too becomes a co-brand. And on and on the list can go to the point that there can be almost any number of co-brand products seen in the scene."

Tags:advertising, consumer, awareness, subliminal, appearance

Abstract
This paper first asserts that assessing the influence of branding on consumer purchase behavior begins with an analysis of how the accumulated effects of marketing strategies contribute to the permanency of branding and their accumulative effects on consumers. Next, the author presents an extensive literature review and an explanation of the research methodology. The paper relates the findings of the study such as the importance of the trusted adviser role and the premier effect of selling value.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Literature Review
Executive Summary
Creating and Sustaining Trustworthy Brands with Web 2.0
Internal Collaboration Critical for Branding Consistency
Nordstrom's Moments of Truth and Branding Consistency
Summary
Exploring the Interrelationship of Trusted Advisers and Branding
Differentiating and Segmenting on Trust
Branding Contributes to Values-Based Segmentation Strategies
Organizational and Customer Value Alignment and Brand Relationships
Brand ROI Analysis Literature Review
Branding's Changing Role in Enterprises
Research Methodology
Methodology
Phase I
Follow-up Qualitative Interviews
Subject Population
Conclusion
Findings
Emergence of the Branding Maturity Model
Preliminary Conclusions and Recommendations
Key Findings
Discussion
Recommendations

From the Paper
"A brand is by definition the identity of a company, regardless if the company is producing products or selling services. Advertising and marketing strategies on the part of companies have as their catalyst the association of emotional and imagery-based attributes to a brand. A case in point are the many efforts of financial services firms including Fidelity Investments to link their brand with being a trusted adviser to others looking for guidance in managing their investments. The breakdown in trust within many financial services industries was precipitated by Enron, Tyco and many other scandals that also impacted the value of investor's portfolios."

Tags:transparency, nordstrom, segmentation, blog, adviser

Abstract
The paper discusses branding today and shows how branding strategies and techniques are responding to changing internal and external organizational constraints. The paper then focuses on how to create and sustain trustworthy brands. The paper demonstrates how this involves the generation of a high level of trust and collaboration from both employees and consumers as illustrated by the Nordstrom branding strategy. The paper includes a table of Web 2.0 applications as an appendix to the paper.

Outline:
Executive Summary
Branding's Revolution: Collaborating & Participating with Consumers
Creating and Sustaining Trustworthy Brands with Web 2.0
Internal Collaboration Critical for Branding Consistency
Using Branding to Reinforce Segmentation Strategies
Nordstrom's Moments of Truth and Branding Consistency
Summary

From the Paper
"There is a reciprocal relationship emerging between brandings' critical success factors globally and the increasing reliance on user-generated media including blogs, Wikis, and in the past, bulletin board systems. The growth of Web 2.0 technologies defined by O'Reilly (2005) is re-ordering the dynamics of branding globally. Table 1 in the Appendix of this report provides an overview of the collection of technologies that comprise Web 2.0. Figure 1 is the map O'Reilly and Battelle created showing how both market and user dynamics are defining social networking (O'Reilly, 2005. et.al.)"

Tags:trust, collaboration, social, networking, Nordstrom

Abstract
This paper examines the influence that the Internet has exerted on market and branding. The paper asserts that the use of the Internet has added a dimension to marketing and branding that is clearly expressing itself in numbers that cannot be ignored, with the online presence of service mediums such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The paper notes that the next level in marketing branding is now quick, global and inexpensive; the Internet is part of the process of marketing not only products, but also individuals and companies. The paper concludes that online social networking is networking, branding, and connecting with a humanness that is missing from most online services. This paper contains an illustrative figure.

Outline:
Background
Online Social Network Marketing
Impact of Successful Branding
Branding Limitations
Conclusion
References

From the Paper
"Marketing went from word-of-mouth, to radio, newspapers, to television; and now it has gone to the internet. The brick and mortar companies still exist, but are slowly becoming obsolete. This digital level has changed the way marketing to consumers and marketing to businesses and has become cost effective to do, but not necessarily easier. Through all these changes, the bottom line objective is brand recognition, and that has not changed. For example, when you see the Coke Cola logo, anywhere in the world, you know what it is, without hesitation. Coke has branded not only the name, but also the shape of the bottle. Coke is now recognized in more than 200 countries and that is the value of branding a product. In 2008, President Obama took branding to another level and used it as part of his campaign coupled with the use of Facebook and Twitter (Fraser & Dutta, 2008). The presidential election of 2008 will go down in history labeled the Facebook election and will inspire future generations. Obama's presidential election success for the highest position was a powerful techno-demographic marketing campaign that was executed online with style and grace. From his tweets to his YouTube usage, Obama was often seen utilizing his Blackberry during his campaign (Fraser & Dutta 2009). His leveraging of the web with the use of the networking sites has shifted the political campaigning as Obama pulled nearly 70% of the American vote of those under the age of 25 (Fraser & Dutta, 2008)."

Tags:technology, sales, web

Abstract
This paper compares the background and marketing programs of two companies operating in Israel: the Neviot mineral water company, an Israeli company, which is an aggressive marketer; and the Buiron homeopathy company, a Belgian company, which is a more traditional marketer. The author points out that Neviot was one of the first companies to adopt the advertising-on-building media by showing a huge bottle of mineral water painted on the wall of a thirty-six-story tower building located next to a freeway. This paper states that advertising on buildings is a form of urban decoration.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Branding and Space - Theoretical Background
The Meaning of Branding
Branding and its Ramifications
Consumer's Perspective
The Firm's Perspective
Branding Approaches
Individual Product Brand
Family or Blanket Brand
Company Brand
Distributor Brand
Licensing
Brand Image and Perception
Marketing
Penetration
Market Development
Product Development
Diversification
The Art of Brand Construction
The Myth of Brand Loyalty
The "Neviot" Company
The "Boiron" Company
Background
Main Groups
The Products Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
The End Consumer
The Market Characteristics
The Development of the Market and Estimate of the Market Size
Marketing Strategy
General Strategy
Entering the Market General
Activity When Entering the Market
Survey
The Salesmen Force
Sales Promotion
Medical Reliability
Professional Advertisement
Summary and Conclusions

From the Paper
"A brand is a name, concept, sign, symbol, example, decoration or combination of the aforementioned designed to identify the goods, products or services of an individual seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate between these products and those of the competition. Brands shape the image and "personality" of the product, lending it features perceived as having overall quality by the consumer when they evaluate it against another product. Coca Cola is the name brand of a soft drink. There are several parameters used to assess soft drinks (taste, color, texture) but the manufacturer brands the name Coca Cola so that consumers can classify the drink in a certain category that provides it with perceived features beyond the regular ones. When consumers purchase Reebok sneakers, they are not only purchasing shoes but shoes along with the added value derived from the name. As a result, consumers are prepared to pay much more for Reeboks than for regular shoes."

Tags:urban, art, symbol, wall, perceptions

Abstract
The paper reviews the flow chart in product development branding, each step that is required in this process and the questions that the product developers must ask to ensure that value is added to the product during the development process. The paper discovers how the importance of branding considerations during the product development phase cannot be ignored by the company that hopes for successful marketing of its product. The paper concludes that branding a product in the development phase is considered by all experts to be crucial in the success of a product.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Purpose
Questions of the Research
Methodology
Review of the Literature
Findings
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The findings of this research show that branding during the product development phase is key in successful marketing of a product as demonstrated by the companies Nike and Harley Davidson. (Briggs, 2006) It is important to differentiate the product from others with similar products as well as to provide protection for consumers from other products that might appear identical. Additionally this work has related the specific questions that should be asked in the product development and branding process specifically the questions of: (1) What extra value does the product bring to the marketplace? (2) How does the product create value for the customer? (3) How is the product different from what is offered in the marketplace now? (4) Will customers be interested in and willing to buy your product?; and (5) How many customers will buy your product? Will they buy more than one?"

Tags:marketing, value, customers

Abstract
This paper explains that service branding, more difficult than product branding, requires identifying the uniqueness and expertise of the service that is provided. The author points out that, in the training service industry, which is becoming a mainstay for almost all industries, especially in the technology and special skills arena, the effectiveness of the trainer plays a critical role in the branding process. The paper relates that identifying internal variables using performance-appraisal reviews, surveys, feedback, and management information system (MIS) tools can help organizations develop and implement quality service programs.

From the Paper
"To make the service more effective, the product should deliver what the service initially promises to the customers. The key components that result in the success or failure of an organization are the organizational goals and objectives. Any service agency should realize their strengths and weaknesses. The ability to do this can help the organization create service products that are better known and accepted in the market. Market share does not necessarily translate to higher profits or greater value for owners unless it substantially reduces market rivalry. Branding of services can help any training organization get recognition in the market for the various products that they may market. Sometimes a service company can get recognition in the market for one particular service and then may decide to diversify into other products that may be closely related to the most successful brand. Initial aggressive marketing and research and development costs are some of the major reasons for poor performance (where profits are concerned) for organizations that are still developing a brand service product."

Tags:trainer, equipment, product, information, appraisal