2006:61 DOCTORAL T H E SI S Towards a Methodological Design for Evaluating Online Brand Positioning Robert Ankomah Opoku Luleå University of Technology Department of Business Administration and Social Sciences Industrial Marketing & e-Commerce Research Group 2006:61|: 102-1544|: - -- 06 ⁄61 -- Abstract With the continued growth of the Web as a viable marketing channel and brand-building tool, traditional bricks and mortar organisations have increasingly been moving their branding efforts to this digital “clicks” medium. As a result of this movement, the trend towards online branding does not appear to be slowing down, and is becoming an essential form of marketing communication to convey the brand image. To make an impact in this medium it is argued that the ability of an organisation to use a comprehensive and integrated marketing communications website strategy to differentiate itself from its competitors is becoming a necessity as more and more organizations use websites while trying to foster relationships with customers. However, as the language, the mode of expression and the words selected to communicate in this medium is crucial for online branding efforts, several studies have pointed to the fact that continued progress in content analysis research requires researchers to confront several challenges to developing reliable and valid analyses of World Wide Web based content. In line with the above, the core objective of this thesis is to develop and illustrate a relatively simple but powerful tool to examine the intended online brand personality positioning of organisational websites. In order to accomplish this set objective, the thesis is divided into two sections – Study A and B. On the basis of a multistage research methodology, the first section otherwise known as Study A consists of the summary of a study (the author’s Licentiate thesis conducted in 2005) which was aimed at developing a method to evaluate the intended online brand personality positioning of websites of some 30 top business schools’ full-time global MBA programmes. This aim was accomplished by using a combination of computerized content and correspondence analyses. The content analysis was structured using Aaker’s five-dimensional framework whilst the positioning maps were produced by examining the data using correspondence analysis. Study B is made up of journal articles. The common character that runs through all the papers in Study B is that they are all in a way designed to explore the issue of branding in Africa – a much under-researched phenomenon. Of the four papers in Study B, three were designed to fill some gaps in some neglected but interesting areas of research by demonstrating the application of the earlier developed methodological design in different contexts: African countries and South African business schools. International SME restaurants were also selected as samples in one of our studies because of the important role SMEs play in every economy. A fourth study attempts to reinforce the importance of what we have been doing by looking at relationship between effective brand management practices and business performance among South African businesses. Whilst logically providing a step by step procedure to be followed in evaluating online brand personality positioning, our findings also suggest that all the five brand personality dimensions (competence, sincerity, excitement, sophistication and ruggedness) put forward by Aaker (1997) could be identified in the intended online communications of the selected samples. Limitations of the studies and suggestions as to how further research would be essential for making the method of evaluating online brand personality to be increasingly valid, reliable, and practical are also provided. All in all, it is expected that the understanding of brand personality and brand management in all the chosen contexts in this thesis will provide a new insight into brand personality in particular and brand management research in general. Keywords: African Countries, Business Schools, Brand, Brand Personality, Content Analysis, Correspondence Analysis, Food SMEs, Internet, Online Communication, Online Branding, South Africa Acknowledgements “A journey is easier when you travel together,” so goes an adage. Interdependence they also say, is certainly more valuable than independence. In this academic enterprise, I have had the opportunity to be accompanied, nurtured and supported by many people. It is therefore pleasing that I have this opportunity to express my gratitude to some of them. First and foremost, I would like to thank Prof. Esmail Saheli-Sangari, the Chairman of the Industrial Marketing & e-Commerce Research Group, Luleå University of Technology who also doubles up as my co-supervisor. This Professor seems to have seen a ‘burning light’ in me and defied all odds to open this academic door for me. He did not rest there but cultivated my potential and armed me with the requisite tools. The result is all that we are witnessing in this thesis. His support throughout my graduate studies has been phenomenal. In fact, to him I must attribute a sizeable chunk of any success I have chalked up in academia. I salute him. I also would especially like to acknowledge the guidance and encouragement of my lead research supervisor, Prof. Leyland F. Pitt, Segal Graduate School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. His influence on me has had a pro-found effect on my learning experience. Throughout my doctoral studies, he has provided encouragement, sound advice, good teaching and lots of good ideas. Besides, he has not been economical with his ideas and support. His overly enthusiasm and the quest for providing ‘only little but high- quality work’ has made a deep impression on me. I owe him lots of gratitude. I do not think he can imagine how much I have learned from him. As part from being an excellent supervisor, Prof. Leyland was as close as a relative and a good friend to me. I am really glad that I have come to know Leyland in my life. The chain of my gratitude would be definitely incomplete if I forget to thank my co-authors: Magnus Hultman and Jean–Paul Berthon (both PhD Students and members of Industrial Marketing and e-Commerce Research Group, Luleå University of Technology); Prof. Leyland Pitt; Russell Abratt, Associate Dean and Professor of Marketing, H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University, USA; Stavroula Spyropoulou, Leeds University Business School, UK; Mike Bendixen, Professor of Research Methodology, Nova Southeastern University, USA; Albert Caruana, Professor of Marketing, Centre for Communication Technology, University of Malta; Prof. Deon Nel, Former Head of Marketing Department, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and Pierre Berthon, Professor and Clifford F. Youse Chair of Marketing, MacCallum School of Business, Bentley College, USA. In fact, the strict and extensive comments and the many discussions and the interactions we made together have had a direct impact on the final form and quality of this thesis. Professors Abratt and Pitt further engineered many ways where they seem not to exist. I feel proud to be associated with them. It is also difficult to overstate my gratitude to Magnus. With his enthusiasm, brotherly advice, inspiration, and above all his great efforts to explaining things clearly and simply, also helped me to develop the brand personality dictionary and to make statistics fun for me. I could not have imagined having a better colleague and friend without his common-sense, knowledge and world-view. This research has been supported and funded by various organizations and they need to be lauded. They include Längmanska Företagarfonden; Nordbankens Norrlandsstiftelse; Luleå University of Technology; Norrbottens Forskningsråd; Mål 1 Norra Norrland; Sparbanks- stiftelsen Norrbotten and Innovationsbron Luleå AB. Many people have the zeal to embark on this journey I have travelled but are constrained by finance. However, they came to my rescue when some of us were in dire need of research grant funding. I must acknowledge that, without their financial support, this challenging journey would not have been made possible. I thank them all for reposing their confidence in me. A very special thanks is made to Associate Prof. Manucher Farhang; Lars Bäckström, Ted Karlsson, Lars-Ole Forsberg, Tim Foster, Assistant Professors Åsa Wallström, Lennart Persson, Håkan Perzon and Rikard Wahlberg, Affiliate Professor Abili Khodayar of IMI, Iran and all other Lecturers in the Industrial Marketing e-Commerce Research Group for the support that they have provided throughout my years at the Luleå University of Technology. I am also indebted to my many PhD student colleagues for providing a stimulating and fun environment in which to learn and grow. I am especially grateful to Atanu, Thong, Marie- Louise (a co-author in other papers), Maria, Jinhui, Parmita, Ilena, Lena, Anne, Karla, Rana, Abolhassan and Pejvak. I thank you all for the many hours of stimulating discussions and interactions. When it comes to friends, I am indebted to many, both home and abroad. However, I cannot bring my acknowledgements to an end without mentioning Dr. Mohammed-Aminu Sanda; Dr. Christopher Okpoti and his wife, Auntie Mina; Emmanuel Essel, a PhD student in the Department of Mathematics; Patrick Amofah and his wife Lea (a PhD Student at Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, LTU); Raymond Boadi of Ordinance Survey, UK and