Consumer Behavior Research Paper - Marketing

“While marketers do their best to imbue brands with positive, motivating values and associations, marketers do not decide a brand's ultimate meaning. Consumers do – and sometimes they find relevance, purpose and significance that the brand's creators may not have seen or intended. DISCUSS”. – Dorothy Fitch, global analyst, Millward Brown This is an essay based on scholarly journal article research, theory and critical evaluation/synthesis (not mere description). You must support your answer with a minimum of 7 journal articles (can be peer reviewed or otherwise but must be from sources classified as Journals). In this essay, THREE themes need to be focussed on, and linked back to the topic. Basic level analysis of concepts will NOT work, we need to show depth of analysis, and understanding of the literature. Broad textbook like analysis and colloquial/informal language will NOT work. Everything that you write needs to be written from the evidence from the specific research paper that you read with quality understanding, not speculation or personal opinion, and the language needs to be post graduate level, similar to the journal articles. This essay isn't about examples, it is purely theoretical, and the lecturer requires us to demonstrate our knowledge of the scholarly research that you've read. The essay needs to have a clear structure, and you should select out some selective areas and focus on them, ie. brand identity. You need to create a tightly connected interwoven arguments that addresses not only the themes that can relate to the essay topic, but the essay topic as well, throughout the essay. You need to create a story, a narrative, and you need to tell the reader everything that you know, all you know, about the area that you have been researching. (Notes: The theme of this essay should include: self brand connection, self concept, attitudes, brand identity. How brand meanings are formed, and how does a consumer perceive the ultimate brand meaning and how do they form relationship with the brand (brand communities) could also be incorporated in the essay relating it back to the quote. (definition - link to topic - define concept) . The essays upper word limit is 2,500 words. Minimum word limit is 2,000 words. The upper word limit is strict. NB. The word limit does not include; title page/cover page, sub-headings, reference list (it does include in-text citations), appendix. Notes: • A minimum of 7 journal articles. Penalty of 20/100 marks applied if this criteria is not met. • Full Harvard author-date referencing is required (in-text citations, and reference list). • Exceeding the upper word limit will lead to a deduction of 10/100 marks. • No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task. Extra info: • Will have to submit softcopy to the plagiarism detection system ‘Turnitin’ before the deadline Please note the following: • Essay should be formatted as follows; size 12 times new roman font, 1.5 line spacing, regular margins, headings in capitals and bold, sub-headings in upper and lower case and bold italics. • Essays will be marked electronically on Turnitin.