Investigating what digital brand strategies academic books use to position their brands in the online learning context to create brand resonance

Abstract

The study’s focus was to investigate what digital brand strategies academic books used to position their brands in the online learning context to create brand resonance. This study is needed because most of the digital academic book’s brands' functionalities can be very similar or identical which can then confuse the consumer and make it hard for the consumer to differentiate differences between different brands which can make it difficult for these brands to create a competitive advantage in the market (Business knowledge, 2020). Therefore, the researcher aims to understand knowledge around this phenomenon and for the researcher to investigate the different strategies academic book brands use to position themselves which make them stand out from their competitors. Keller model of Brand Equity (1994) guided the study’s theoretical framework. This study used qualitative techniques as this assisted the researcher in gaining in-depth understanding of the phenomenon through participants, thoughts, opinions, and feelings of the participants (in sight,2017). The research was anchored in the interpretivism paradigm, because interpretivism can be described as a reality being fluid, and therefore how the online books will be experienced can be seen as subjective (Du Plooy-Cilliers,2017). The data collection method was field research as in-depth interviews with academics and Van Schaik Brand manager were conducted by the researcher. The key finding identified by the researcher was that Van Schaik does not use different strategies to position their online academic books, strategies used for their hardcover books will be the same strategy used for their digital academic book. They create brand resonance not through their strategies but through creating relationships with academics through personal visits, cold calling, and emails. they do not market to students or institutions but only to academics who then would recommend their material to their institutions and students.