Companies spend a considerable amount of money to develop their brand identities. It is not a cheap commercial endeavour. Given the importance of brand identities as intangible assets for organisations, the ability to strategically manage them is critical. Extant research is predominantly based on theoretical models and concepts of branding, yet no attempt has been made to develop an understanding of the consistent communication of brand identities. This paper provides background information on brand guidelines, the benefit, content and user of brand guidelines. Researchers and students in brand management will find this relevant for brand identity, brand integration and brand architecture studies and research. Ideas for future research studies have also been presented. Likewise, brand managers may also find these relevant, especially those working with smaller brands which do not have a guideline and those with established brands looking at properly documenting their brand architecture and identities.

Marketing higher education in Africa is a growing research domain, and there is a shortage of knowledge about how higher education in Africa are marketing themselves towards prospective students. Despite inadequate funding for the existing tertiary institutions, there are growing numbers of Universities to meet the quest of students for higher education. Understanding the size and key stakeholders in this market is for both administrative and research purposes. Likewise, it is essential for strategic planning and developing effective marketing communications strategies. The paper presents an overview of Universities structure in Nigeria, recognising the different classification of the public and private Universities. The number of Universities across different states and geo-political zones are presented. The analysis offers both theoretical and practical implications for researchers, University managers and policymakers.

Music in advertisement is influential and can be emotionally appealing, and it has become a common element and a crucial feature. The choice of which type of music used is a conscious and creative decision that needs to be strategic. While previous studies on music in advertisements have focused on popular songs, this study attempts to extend this research with a focus on the originality of the music and the level of interaction. A content analysis of UK Christmas advertisement and US Super Bowl advertisements was carried. The study introduced a new typology of music in advertisements, making a theoretical contribution by extending previous works on music in advertising. It further offers insight for current practices of the use of music, creative strategies with regards to the selection and integration of music.

Despite an increased level of females’ participation in sports, the media coverage is still very low and inadvertently the use of female athletes as product endorsers has received limited attention. The purpose of this study is to provide an empirical insight into the frequency and nature of portrayals of female athlete endorsers in UK Sports Magazine by replicating Grau et al (2007)’s earlier study carried out in USA over ten years ago. Results of the content analysis indicate that females are seldomly featured as brand endorsers, female in team sports and from black ethnic minority group are less likely to be featured as brand endorsers. The study offers theoretical knowledge and practical implication for managers to ensure female athletes are well positioned and given the opportunity to be commercially viable.

Australia was the only developed country to avoid a technical recession during the 2008 global financial crisis, but ten years later, Australian banks now must deal with allegations of misconduct which warrants establishing a royal commission into the financial sector. This conceptual paper offers a theoretical and managerial exploration of the implications of the commission's findings on the Australian banks, their marketing and brand crisis management. This paper reviews the literature on trust repair, brand reputation and financial services marketing management to identify relevant research agenda and managerial implications. A series of propositions are put forward towards academic researchers -- to theoretically explore these emerging issues as presented in the research agenda and offer actionable insights and Managers -- to consider the identified managerial agenda as they deal with consequences of the commission's findings which includes trust repair, brand reputation and marketing management. This study had made an initial effort to chart the course for the scholarly understanding of the consequences of the Royal Commission on Australian banks marketing. By this, the academic research community can assist managers in developing effective marketing strategies. Researchers seeking to work on the agendas put forward in this paper would be able to gain links with and possibly attract funding from, banks to conduct their research. There is a shortage of knowledge around this subject, as it is an evolving situation within the Australian financial sector. These conceptual paper raises an agenda to fill the gap in knowledge and provide empirical insight for academic researchers and practitioners.

Buying a home is considered one of the most expensive purchases an individual can ever make and a lot of effort is required in making the right choice. This study aims to explore marketing communication of off-plan homes -- these are homes under construction and being sold in advance of its completion, highlighting an implication for informed choice-making and trust in marketing communication. Content of off-plan advertisements in two countries were thematically analysed. Computer-generated images are often used, showing the development superimposed into the skyline of the city. Developments have their brand identities as an effort to highlight distinct personalities, however there were differences in the use price and location as an appeal. Disclaimers were absent in some advertisements. Taking into consideration the nature of those properties which may not be ready until years, information to convey trust and assurance is important, and information should be true and not misleading.

Social media has been described as a platform for discussing ideas, communicating experiences and exchanging knowledge. It has changed the way individuals interact, providing massive amount of data and rich market insight as customers and brands engage and build relationships. This public declaration is of great concern for any organisation as it transfers the power to shape brand images from the hands of advertisers to the words of consumers' online connections. This chapter sets an agenda proposing the possibilities of qualitatively analysing user-generated content on social media platforms to provide insight into attitudes towards advertisements and their brands. Unlike participants being interviewed in a focus group, filling in questionnaires or neuroscience providing insight into how the mind perceives advertisements which typically requires expensive, bulky equipment and lab-type settings that limit and influence the experience, this is readily available public data which can be thematically analysed to add to existing knowledge. Presenting the idea, publicly declared responses to the advertisements of UK banks on Facebook were analysed in order to gain insight into their perceptions and attitudes towards the advertisements and their brands. An outline of how to perform an analysis of user-generated content was provided to buttress the research method. Challenges and limitations of this research method were also considered.

Forbes Magazine compiles Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the world; the list contains ten female athletes with the highest earning which includes all prize money, salaries and bonuses earned. This present study analysed the content of these ranking over ten years period from 2009 to 2018 to understand the calibre of sportswomen who have achieved that much, the sports they play and perhaps an insight into their personality. Twenty-five female athletes appeared on the list, from 18 countries, playing six different sports. The study concludes that for a sportswoman to become one of the highest paid female athletes in the world, she must be an American citizen who plays Tennis, as American citizens and Tennis players dominated the list. This highlight implications for governing bodies, talent managers and even sportswomen, especially those in team sports as the list was dominated with athletes in non-team sports. The country of origin seems to be a contributing factor as well. This study adds to the existing literature on sports marketing and celebrity endorsements. Specifically shed more light on sportswomen as individuals, their sports and country of origin. Implications for researchers, policymakers and Managers are provided. Research agenda for future studies were also presented.

This paper aims to explore the absence of values and ideologies within the political parties and how it contributes towards party switching, using the Nigerian political scene as a focus point. The personal values and ideologies of individual politicians was questioned as well. This paper further postulated that the neither the Nigerian politicians nor the political parties have values and ideologies they stand for. Not surprising there cannot be any alignment and politicians able to switch their party at will. They are not principled to stand for something that does not exists. Moving on beyond the 2019 election in Nigeria, the paper offers practical insights into brand identity development for political parties, especially the new ones.

A working paper exploring the various logo change of the Leeds Becket University.

Universities are under intense pressure to set themselves apart from others, they are rebranding and creating new corporate visual identities, even though not all of them have been all that successful. For those who have successfully rebranded, they provide guidelines which give a broad overview of the brand and their various identities. These brand guidelines sometimes called brand style guide, or visual identity guide were thematically analysed to provide a different perspective to HEI branding - not from students or other stakeholders perspective but how the Universities sees their brand and wants it conveyed. Analysis indicated that Universities were rebranding to refresh their brand and be more appealing, they want to remain dynamic, contemporary, and relevant while some rebranded when they were awarded the awarded University status. Logo, colours, typeface and photography were identified as components of CVI, a distinct typology of logo and typeface were presented. Universities are using these graphics elements to communicate their brands and project a cohesive and harmonious look across all relevant media. Managerial implications with regards bespoke brand identities and ideas for further research were presented.

Advertising that pushes the boundaries can sometimes be negatively received, some of these advertisements were reported to the regulator of advertising in the UK while Companies has had to apologise for their advertisements. The systemic diversity problem within the advertising industry is also acknowledged wondering if the industry is diverse enough to produce an advertisement that can appeal to a diverse audience. With this background, this paper presents a teaching innovation with the aim of addressing students’ understanding of creative marketing campaign in a multicultural society through the integration of advertising practises codes, ASA rulings and secondary research into the public perception of advertisement. The project is divided into five main parts and takes place over a three-week period. Students are expected to work with advertisements that vert reported being offensive, research public’s attitude towards them and present their justifications for either agreeing or disagreeing with the rulings. This project allows a better understanding of the creative challenges in developing an ethical and socially responsible marketing campaign; finding a balance between creativity and freedom of expression, they can better internalise the integrative nature of the marketing concept, a valuable skill for the industry.