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Related ARContent: Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

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Call for papers
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

Special issue on
Branding in Asia

Guest Editors:

T. C. Melewar, Brunel Business School, Brunel University, West London, UK; and
Sharifah Faridah Syed Alwi, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Strong brands are essential for the survival and success of a company. A strong brand, once valued by its stakeholders, will help companies achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. This, in turn, will contribute and foster a higher propensity to purchase from a particular source, thereby leading to higher levels of profitability. In Asia, however, many brand strategists suggest the existence of various misconceptions about branding. Historically, brand building was viewed as a luxury and an expense rather than a necessity and an asset. Consequently, concentrating on “products” rather than brands has resulted in a reluctance on the part of most Asian companies to invest in branding. Despite a number of Asian-based companies producing excellent and world-class products and services, the question remains – Why does Asia have so many large companies with insignificant brands? Another intriguing issue concerning branding in Asia is that of understanding the consumers. With diverse ethnic backgrounds possibly resulting in diverse cultures, simply managing the brands may not be adequate for a marketing strategy. Some scholars suggest that Asian companies should engage more with brands to ensure that they have addressed and understood them correctly and that they are acceptable to Asian culture. However, this understanding has been hampered, as branding in Asia remains relatively under-researched. These pressing managerial problems raise questions in terms of the academic understanding of the perception of consumers and companies about brands in Asia. In recognition of these needs the Guest Editors welcome submissions offering innovative insights into issues surrounding this subject. Thought-provoking conceptual papers, literature reviews, case studies, empirical studies and practice papers using a wide range of methodologies and covering a wide variety of topics are encouraged and deemed suitable for this special issue. Topics might include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Cultural issues in branding in Asia, cross-cultural research with Asian consumers.Emotional versus functional elements in branding – which element is most important when targeting Asian consumers?
• Corporate name, logo, symbol – how relevant and important are they in the Asian context?
• Development of measurement and methodologies in Asia.
• Theoretical brand development in Asia.
• The importance of internal branding in Asian companies.
• Gaps between internal corporate brands and external stakeholders in Asia.
• Corporate character of leaders – how important is the influence in Asian brands?
• Conceptualising corporate responsibility, corporate brands, corporate image, corporate reputation and behavioural response among internal and external stakeholders in Asia.
• The role of the nation or country branding/country of origin effect in branding in the global market.

The deadline for submission of papers: 30 June 2010

All papers will be subject to double blind peer review.

For submission details prospective contributors should consult the journal’s author guidelines, which are available at:

www.emeraldinsight.com/apjml.htm

Prospective contributors with questions concerning the potential suitability of topics, Guest Editors’ expectations or additional requirements about this special issue are invited to contact the Guest Editors directly at:

T. C. Melewar
E-mail: t.c.melewar@brunel.ac.uk

Sharifah Faridah Syed Alwi
E-mail: faridah23@um.edu.my

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