This paper aims to explore how traditional industries revert the trend of decline in sales through rebranding by analyzing the extended case study of the fountain pen industry.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how traditional industries revert the trend of decline in sales through rebranding by analyzing the extended case study of the fountain pen industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzes the marketing in case study of the fountain pen industry through two coordinates – symbolizing status and branding nostalgia. The division of analyses in these categories is supplanted by data, such as linear regression to analyze changes in product characteristics.
Findings
This study finds that the rebranding of the fountain pen in multiple fitting images – status symbol, object of nostalgia and something scarce and unique – is successful in capturing consumer demand, shaping consumer perceptions and help the mature industry locate as well as enter a niche market.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to explore the business development of traditional industry as a case study of fountain pens from the perspective of marketing and consumer behavior.
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Keywords
A report commissioned by Parker in the USA into student note‐taking points to bad note‐taking as a prime cause of failure to achieve the level of academic success of which a…
Abstract
A report commissioned by Parker in the USA into student note‐taking points to bad note‐taking as a prime cause of failure to achieve the level of academic success of which a student is capable. The report surveyed a wide selection of university teachers across the country, and their observations can be summed up as follows:
This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Journal of Product & Brand Management is split into ten sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing strategy;…
Abstract
This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Journal of Product & Brand Management is split into ten sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing strategy; Customer service; Pricing; Promotion; Marketing research; Product management; Channel management; Logistics and distribution; New product development; Purchasing.
This research aims to examine a number of legal sources for evidence that US marketers were interested in protecting their brand identities in the 1800s.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to examine a number of legal sources for evidence that US marketers were interested in protecting their brand identities in the 1800s.
Design/methodology/approach
The research examines historical legal records including registrations for commercial prints and labels, design patents and trademarks as well as other legal records. The work discusses the evolution of the concept of brand identity by examining various legal methods that were used to try to protect brand identity from imitation.
Findings
The research suggests that marketer interest in the development and protection of brand identity preceded the US Civil War and confirms that this interest was led by marketers of patent medicines, tobacco and liquor. However, the study also demonstrates strong interest by marketers of many other types of products from disposable products to durable manufactured items.
Research limitations/implications
Many original records were lost in the 1836 Patent Office fire or have been simply lost. Some of the databases examined are too large to be comprehensively examined.
Originality/value
The examination of legal records from this period of uncertainty shows how the practice of brand identification led to the concept of brand identity: the legal data examined offer a wealth of information for marketing historians.
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Joseph O. Eastlack and Roberta Lucker
President Richard M. Nixon's historic trip to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1972 established a relationship between the United States and the PRC which was formalized…
Abstract
President Richard M. Nixon's historic trip to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1972 established a relationship between the United States and the PRC which was formalized when President Nixon signed the Shanghai Communique. This treaty proclaimed China's willingness to accept foreign investment and its movement toward becoming a more “open door” nation. With the normalization of full diplomatic relations between the United States and the PRC in 1978, U.S. investments in the PRC and the interest of world marketers has gained momentum. Today there is intense interest in the potential of the PRC market among U.S. consumer goods manufacturers, of both consumer durables and nondurables. U.S. consumer goods companies are starting to produce their products for and in China.
This paper aims to examine the entrepreneurial Fred Harvey Company's early public relations and publicity efforts to determine what they add to our knowledge of the development of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the entrepreneurial Fred Harvey Company's early public relations and publicity efforts to determine what they add to our knowledge of the development of public relations in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
This historical analysis uses mainly data gleaned from an in‐depth examination of the two archival sources available: the Fred Harvey Company photographs and papers at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ (at about ten linear feet, the most complete collection of Harvey materials), and the Fred Harvey Collection at the University of Arizona (photographs, correspondence, and miscellaneous records).
Findings
Although the dominant historical perspective has labeled this era the “Seedbed Years” and characterized them as “a day of business arrogance toward employee and citizen alike”, this case suggests that other models of practice were in use that developed out of differing cultural milieux. To the dominant view of public relations developing in the USA as a result of business pressures, then, should be added the perspective of organizational culture and the role it played in the development and professionalism of the field.
Research limitations/implications
This one case study cannot be generalized to the whole field; however, the findings support those of a growing number of other scholars (Sullivan, Piasecki), suggesting that the dominant evolutionary paradigm of US public relations history artificially constricts our understanding of the field.
Practical implications
The insider's perspective gained through this study has implications for professionalism, integrated communications, and ethical practice.
Originality/value
This paper examines a previously unknown case in US public relations history and sheds light on early public relations and publicity methods that challenge the dominant paradigm in US scholarship. The notion of press agentry as the dominant practice is explored and challenged.
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D.C. Band, Gerald Scanlan and Charles M. Tustin
Examines the organizational implications of innovative rewardstructures, with particular reference to gainsharing. Focuses onexploring beyond the impact of compensation on…
Abstract
Examines the organizational implications of innovative reward structures, with particular reference to gainsharing. Focuses on exploring beyond the impact of compensation on productivity and profitability, which are essential considerations in designing a compensation scheme. Explores the connection between compensation and organizational development – the ways in which incentives and rewards contribute to improved utilization of human resources and capabilities within organizations. Assesses the relationship between gainsharing and organizational development, with particular attention to features such as work design, employment relationships, structure, culture and workplace attitudes and behaviour. Rounds off the discussion with a look at several examples of firms which have introduced innovative compensation schemes, to determine what lessons can be drawn from their experiences. Concludes with an assessment of the strategic calculations that should inform decisions about introducing innovative compensation schemes, especially gainsharing.
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Heraeus is a name synonymous with testing, particularly sunlight and weather exposure testing. Light testing equipment was a logical development for the smelting and engineering…
Abstract
Heraeus is a name synonymous with testing, particularly sunlight and weather exposure testing. Light testing equipment was a logical development for the smelting and engineering firm founded in Hanau, Germany, in 1851, which produced the first high purity quartz glass at the turn of the century. The development of quartz lamps led, at first, to the production of artificial sunlight lamps for medical purposes.
This section contains a range of topics from diverse, international, primary journals, including: an evaluation of PR effectiveness; a look at total quality management at…
Abstract
This section contains a range of topics from diverse, international, primary journals, including: an evaluation of PR effectiveness; a look at total quality management at Girobank, which was the first bank to win a British Quality Award; an examination of the principles of competitive marketing based on a case study; a discussion of how companies can sustain competitive advantage; and a report on retail‐oriented risk for bank branch operations.
The Great Benchmarking Scam? Time was, in management circles, that the term “benchmarking” would induce none‐too‐disguised yawns in recognition of it “being something to do with…
Abstract
The Great Benchmarking Scam? Time was, in management circles, that the term “benchmarking” would induce none‐too‐disguised yawns in recognition of it “being something to do with computers or job evaluation”. Not today; those yawns have been replaced with the excited management‐blabber of a new fad. You can benchmark anything these days; I encountered recently a guide to benchmarking employee attitudes.