Branding Literature Review

2 LITERATURE REVIEW
Several studies have been made on the branding of Institution especially, higher Institutions which includes Universities, Colleges and Business Schools. The importance of branding is well recognised in the branding literature. This chapter starts with a definition of key words in order to understand the terms of discussion and theoretical concepts relevant the research topic. The key words includes strategic positioning, brands, branding, business school, corporate branding, brand image and reputation and brand strategy, stakeholders. The sources of this literature review are EBSCO discovery service, Emerald insight, sample dissertation on the topic, google websites. There are various definition to describe a Business

Brands are complex offerings that are conceived by organisations but ultimately resides in the consumers mind (De Chernatony, 2010). A brand thus signals to the customers the source of the products and services and protects both the competitor who would attempt to provide products and services that appear similar or identical (Aaker, 2004). Brands provides the basis upon which consumer can identify and bond with a product or service or group of products and services (Weilbacher, 1995). A brand is a specific uniqueness associated with a product or services that enables the consumers connect with it by easy identification through the name, slogan, design, logo, symbols, etc. of the organisation that produces the products or

Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers (Business dictionary.com). Branding precede and underlie any marketing effort, it is not push but pull. Branding is the essential true value of an organization, product, or service. It communicates the characteristics, values, and attributes that clear view of what this particular brand. Kapfere (2001), describe branding can be a subjective term where no one is talking about precisely the same thing. Other reviews by (De Chernatony and Mc William 1990; Caldwell and Freire, 2004; De Chernatony, 2010) suggest brand definitions based on emotional and rational factors, indeed most definitions embrace this approach in some ways (Hart and Murphy, 1998). A brand is multidimensional constructs whereby managers augment products or services with values and this facilitates the process by which consumers confidently recognise and appreciate these values (De Chanatony et al