Marketing Communications and Brand Development in Emerging Economies Volume I: Contemporary and Future Perspectives

Chapter 1. Marketing Communications and Brand Development - An Introduction (Ogechi Adeola, Robert E. Hinson & A. M. Sakthivel)
Contemporary Perspectives on Marketing Communications and Brand Development - Destination Brand Management and Bran Avoidance
Chapter 2. The Progress of Destination Brand Marketing in Emerging Economies: The Case of ASEAN (Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin, Mohd Hafiz Mohd Hanafiah & Daryl Ace V. Cornell)The growth of the travel and tourism industry has outpaced that of the global economy for the ninth consecutive year since 2010. Destination competitiveness using travel and tourism indicators is a subject that has been studied for over 30 years in academia. This chapter explores various destination marketing concepts introduced by previous scholars that sparked discussion on the progress of destination marketing especially presenting several popular frameworks that were adopted by the previous scholars. The unpredictable and uncertain nature of the tourism industry makes it challenging for destination marketers to prepare for inevitable changes and allocations that would benefit both demand and supply. Sustainable marketing is one of the popular topics in recent years due to the unpredictability situation. The travel industry is adapting to changes in the tourism ecosystem, and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Digital marketing is becoming increasingly critical for Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and is being used extensively in their marketing campaigns. Due to the unpredictability generated by different economic and health issues, globalisation and digitisation will become a priority for destination management and marketing in the future. In the post-COVID-19 era, the ability of the DMO to communicate a unique selling proposition effectively will determine its success.

Chapter 3. Nation Branding as a Strategic Approach for Emerging Economies: The Case of UAE (Gouher Ahmed, Ana Abudaqa, C. Jayachandran, Yam Limbu & Rasheed Alzahmi)

A nation can be accepted as a brand and can be viewed as a compound of both historical and contemporary associations with a set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and various economic dynamics. Although there is a growing interest by the researchers and policymakers regarding nation brand (NB), the concept remains complex and challenging to define and achieve. This chapter provides a theoretical contribution to the field of NB, covering a general perspective through Anholt-GfK nation brand's hexagon and its implication, with some examples of nation brand character in different economies. Additionally, the chapter discusses the relevance, scope, and evolution of nation branding in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) while observing the title of Vision 2021 and its core components. Finally, practical insight is provided for emerging economies interested in enhancing their country image, like UAE.

Chapter 4. Bank Brand Avoidance - Perspectives from Nigeria and Ghana (Henry Boateng, Uchenna Uzo & Robert E. Hinson)

Brand avoidance is an everyday phenomenon in the lives of consumers. However, existing studies have not adequately investigated service brand avoidance from a phenomenology perspective. Thus, we employed a phenomenological approach to understanding service experiences that inform bank customers' decisions to avoid bank brands. We interviewed 30 participants from Ghana and Nigeria who confirmed that they actively choose not to use certain bank brands even though they could afford their service charges. We used thematic analysis techniques to analyse the data. The findings show that the participants avoid some bank brands due to service failure issues which relate to lack of empathy, delays and complex procedures, and technology. The implications of these findings are discussed at the end of th