Branding Group

Branding is the assembling of various marketing mix components into a whole so as to give an organization or a product/service an identity. It is all about capturing the market for the product/service of the organization and about creating a confidence in the current and prospective customers’ minds that the organization or the product is the unique solution to their problem. The aim of branding is to convey brand message vividly, create customer loyalty, persuade the buyer for the product, establish an emotional connectivity with the customers, and finally create differentiation with the competition. In the context of dramatic changes in society and markets, namely, the trend to an active and critical society that is growingly concerned about sustainable goods and services while empowering customers and other stakeholders via social media and other ICT tools, brands and brand management become with no doubt even more important for firms’ survive and success.

The BRAND-RIC (B-RIC) aims to examine all brand related issues and their management in order to support firms in their effort to acquire new prospects and retain their existing customers. The B-RIC anticipates to bring together researchers and practitioners with an interest in the following topics: Brand Relationships and brand strategy; The role and effect of culture on consumer brand relationships; Positive brand relationship dimensions (e.g., brand love, brand passion, brand attachment, brand affection, brand devotion, brand loyalty, brand commitment); New brand relationship theories; Models, measurements and scales related to consumer brand relationships; Impact of consumer brand relationships on profitability, sales and share prices; Anthropological and psychological aspects in brand relationships; Social media and brand relationships; Consumer celebrity relationships (e.g., sports, entertainment, business celebrity); Consumer organization relationships (e.g., political party, sports club/teams, universities, non-profit organizations); and Consumer destination brand relationships

CHAIR: Apostolos Giovanis