Browsing by Author "Irwin, Ronald"

Now showing 1 - 19 of 19
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    A Hypothetical Exploration of Survival, Colonisation and Interplanetary Relations Around the planet Mars
    (2019) Reid, Caroline; Irwin, Ronald
    Three novellas exploring the short and long-term implications of Martian colonisation and an explication. The first part examines the necessity of a robust and mentally-fit crew along with the relationships between corporatism. The second, which happens a century later, explores the health effects of long-term living on Mars along with the Earth disconnect by Martian-born humans. In the third part, another century later, the long-term strains of sustaining such a project are examined on Earth and how Martians are used as scapegoats. The explication describes the scientific motivations behind some aspects of the novel, including how the conditions of Mars necessitates certain survival protocols.
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    Art, outrage, dialogue: a McLuhan reading of three visual communicative practices in Cape Town public space
    (2015) Brown, Storm Jade; Irwin, Ronald
    This mini-dissertation places a specific focus on the City of Cape Town and considers the space between aesthetics, commercial interest and social relevance in public visual communication practices. Instead of making a general statement or providing a value judgement, this research examines the nature of the debate surrounding public artistic practices by referring to three main artists; namely Michael Elion, The Tokolos Stencil Collective and Freddy Sam. The basis of the discussion is centred around the recent controversy surrounding Michael Elion's Sea Point public art sculpture, Perceiving Freedom (2014) and the respective questions it raised about what public space means, who has the right to represent themselves, and what that looks like. By drawing a comparison with Perceiving Freedom (2014) to the visual communicative practices of Freddy Sam and The Tokolos Stencil Collective, this research examines the progression of the debate. This encompasses the ways in which each artist and their work serve to illuminate the different visual modes of engagement in Cape Town's public spaces. Due to the contemporary nature of the subject matter, this debate is engaged with on three different levels. The first level examines the context of this debate and each artist, whereas the second level considers the points where their respective visual communicative practices intersect and engage in dialogue with each other as well as the general public. The last level considers an alternative way of reading the content, context and form of visual communicative practices so that their resulting effect can be better understood. This is done with the use of Marshall McLuhan's (1964) total effect media theory. Although several other prominent South African artists are mentioned in the scope of this research, it is important to note that the focus still pertains to the aforementioned themes of aesthetics, commercial interest and social relevance in public visual representative practices. Therefore Michael Elion, The Tokolos Stencil Collective and Freddy Sam remain the specific focus of discussion, as their respective works are used to illustrate these three themes. The first level of engagement offers a theoretical background to the reader by briefly familiarising them with international street art and graffiti practices. This brief yet concise background allows for a better understanding of the history and politics surrounding unsanctioned public visual practices and how they differ to formal sanctioned and funded ones.
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    Challenging Universality: gender portrayals in television commercials in South Africa and Germany
    (2024) Hoess, Johanna; Irwin, Ronald
    This study explored gender portrayals in television commercials in South Africa and Germany. Quantitative content analysis is commonly used in cross-cultural advertising research, often relying on codebooks developed in one cultural context and applied universally. Guided by a decolonial perspective, this research aimed to challenge these “methodological universalisms” (Mohanty, 2003) by developing and validating a culturally relevant quantitative instrument. Moreover, this study was the first to compare gender portrayals in television advertising between South Africa and Germany. Adopting a social constructionist viewpoint on gender, the analysis employed Ashmore's (1990) gender domains to examine gender constructions as dynamic and multifaceted phenomena. The research utilised a mixed-methods design, beginning with a qualitative phase followed by a quantitative phase. In the qualitative research phase, a small subsample of 30 South African and 30 German television commercials was analysed using thematic analysis. The qualitative results informed the development of the quantitative codebook during the interim phase of instrument development. This new codebook was then applied to a sample of 459 television commercials in the subsequent research phase, the quantitative content analysis. Key gender related themes from the thematic analysis included demographic characteristics, contexts, roles and activities, advertising-specific aspects, nonverbal expressions, and physical attributes. The final codebook consisted of 15 relevant variables to examine gender constructions in South African and German television commercials. By categorising variables according to Ashmore's (1990) framework within the codebook, the study aimed to capture all relevant aspects of gender as communicated in advertising. As suggested by the results, this context-specific quantitative instrument revealed different outcomes compared to previous research, with German commercials exhibiting more systematically gendered portrayals than South African advertisements. In Germany, nine of the fifteen variables, including product type, setting, age, body type, attire, passive vs. active behaviour, symbolic behaviour, interest, and company, were significant, indicating a focus on specific gender-related expectations, especially for female characters. In South Africa, four variables-product type, age, body type, and relationships status-were significant. The comparative analysis revealed that male characters in German ads tended to be more objectified, while female characters conformed to narrower and more conventional expectations compared to their South African counterparts. Subsequently, findings for select variables (gender, age, relationship status, and race) were contextualised with census statistics, which indicated a notable overrepresentation of young characters in German commercials compared to the population. These findings suggest the need to re-evaluate conventional quantitative codebooks, emphasising the importance of updating measurement tools and critically reviewing their relevance to the specific contexts under analysis.
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    Close to home.
    (2012) Bright, Cayleigh; Irwin, Ronald
    Located in the college novel tradition, Close to Home explores a number of the themes common to the sub-genre, specifically the ennui of university students from a wealthy background. The story's characters have an excess of money, privilege and leisure time, which leads to boredom and ultimate tragedy. The protagonist, Faye, epitomises the stereotype of a spoiled Cape Town girl- a personality that turns out to have a lot in common with the magnetic but ultimately dangerous characters of some of the best-known college novels.
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    Constructing brand loyalty via social networks
    (2014) Struben, Sarah-Annique; Irwin, Ronald
    Identifying the construction of brand loyalty via social networks requires an analysis of the information sharing of a product or brand amongst a social network, therefore indicating the strength of the brand loyalty members of a social network not only have towards a brand, but also promote to other members of the same social network. This exchange of information amongst social network members is called ‘homophily’, where “similarity breeds connection” (McPherson, 2001, p.415). In order to determine the strength of brand loyalty amongst a social network, a qualitative study was performed on a sample of consumers from the ‘digital age’ generation (Castells, 2010, p.xviii), examining the extent of information exchange via social media as well as via the social networks. In addition to this a minor case study was conducted where participants were asked a serious of questions that pertained to a specific brand, that of Woolworths. This was done in order to determine the strength of the brand loyalty they had for a particular brand that may then be theoretically applied on a general scale. As a result the strength of their brand loyalty was determined, indicating whether or not brand loyalty can be constructed via social networks. On the whole it can be determined that social networks play a strong role in the development of brand loyalty, particularly as it pertains to the current digital generation. Keywords: Social Network, Habitus, Purchase Behaviour, Networked Society, Brand Loyalty, Consumer satisfaction, Homophily, Brand Trustworthiness
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    Crisis management at South African universities: A case of the University of Cape Town crisis management strategies
    (2024) Makubalo, Siyavuya; Irwin, Ronald
    In recent years, crises have become frequent in society, affecting individuals, organisations, and institutions. Traditionally, higher education institutions were regarded as protected spaces. However, with the rising cost of tuition that significantly affects students from less privileged backgrounds, higher education institutions have been facing increasing crises in the form of student protests. When these crises have emerged, higher education institutions have resorted to implementing crisis response plans rather than developing crisis prevention strategies. The former can be distinguished from the latter by its focus on short-term resolution, which allows for crisis dormancy. This study examines whether higher education institutions' failure to distinguish between dormant and resolved crises has contributed to a culture of crisis management rather than crisis prevention.
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    Entanglements of media and space: an exploratory case study of two public arts projects in Johannesburg and Cape Town
    (2024) Brown, Storm Brown; Irwin, Ronald; Wasserman, Hermanus
    This research presents a spatially and media sensitive analysis of the layers of discourse created by two South African public art case studies between 2017 and 2019. Public art is selected as the research object as it “necessarily explores the very meaning of public space” (Wacławek, 2011:65) and it “can become the central focus for a range of competing discourses related to that domain” (Clements, 2008:19). Furthermore, the concept of public space has changed since the “internet and related technologies have created a new public space for politically oriented conversation…” (Papacharisi, 2002:9). When public art is photographed and re-presented in an online space, its surrounding audience and public sphere also extends. This results in a collapse of physical spaces into online ones, and has transformed contemporary understandings of what it means to be public and what it means to be visible. The emplaced yet fragmented nature of public art could not be more relevant for a South African context where public spaces are increasingly contested in a post-apartheid context. Therefore two specific public art case studies were chosen for this research. These projects first appeared in physical locations before moving into online and mediated spaces. The first project, #ArtMyJozi by The Trinity Sessions, features community public art projects created in and around the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit Terminals on Louis Botha Avenue in Johannesburg. #ArtMyJozi was commissioned by the City of Johannesburg and the Johannesburg Development Agency. It used a placemaking approach to guide the artwork creation process and community engagement. The second case study looks at three iterations of BAZ-ART's International Public Art Festival (IPAF) from its inaugural year in 2017. The IPAF started off as a South African iteration of a global public art festival, and was a commercially sponsored three-day long event where various murals were created in and around Salt River and the surrounding Central Business District of Cape Town. Although both projects are loosely branded as ‘public art', each project underwent a very different project delivery and community inclusion process. Furthermore, there was no shared meaning about the term public space. These differences in approach and process resulted in vastly different public responses and discourse themes for each case study. This discourse emerged in both online news media and Social Network Sites, as well as within the physical spaces that the works occupied. Therefore, in order to study both sites of discourse for each public art case study, this research uses an exploratory case study approach. The approach triangulates various data collection sources including field visits, social media posts, press releases, government policies and interviews. After this, a Critical Discourse Analysis and a Content Analysis are used to discern key interrelated discourse themes. This layered and triangulated approach is informed by Couldry and McCarthy's (2004) conceptual framework of MediaSpace. MediaSpace presents a spatially sensitive approach to examining media objects and the discourse that they create over five distinct levels. Importantly, it highlights how each level is interconnected with all other levels. It also considers the cumulative scale of effects between media and space. This study is a necessary one, as it explores how discourse is created in public art projects in South Africa, and by extension, how discourse around public spaces is amplified, maintained or negated in various spaces including online ones. There has not yet been a localised and digitally inclusive study of this phenomenon in South Africa.
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    #EvenMore than just a brand of soap: a case study analysing LUX soap's use of Instagram
    (2020) Venter, L'André; Irwin, Ronald
    This research investigates the ways in which Unilever's LUX soap has repositioned their brand away from their historical association with beauty pageants. This research aims to unpack the ways in which Instagram is utilised by LUX soap to effectively communicate a distinct brand personality. This research identifies that the repositioning of the brand on Instagram was achieved through a strategy that integrated social media influencers and brand events, whilst incorporating social marketing. Not only does this research focus on LUX's branding on Instagram, it critically engages with the content from a postfeminist perspective. This is the secondary theoretical engagement of this work. The paper highlights the ways in which the content is postfeminist in nature and how this was incorporated into the branding messages. The main focus of this dissertation is the #MoreThanYouCanSee and #EvenMore LUX soap campaigns. Through a mixed methodology of interviews, content analysis, and survey the paper focuses on the ways in which LUX created a relationship with their customers on Instagram and effectively repositioned the brand. The research suggests that three key techniques were repeated on Instagram to effectively create new associations with the LUX brand during the #MoreThanYouCanSee and #EvenMore extension campaign. The paper, furthermore, suggests that the LUX soap campaign employs postfeminist rhetoric in their Instagram strategy. This dissertation argues that the development of a strategy consisting of branded events, social media influencers, and social marketing content allowed LUX soap to reposition their brand.
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    Exploring the relationship between organisational culture, brand, and word-of-mouth referral
    (2019) Farmer-Brent, Garret; Irwin, Ronald
    The culture within an organisation affects organisational performance in a myriad of ways, but the existing research was found by this paper to only examine organisational culture’s effect on profitability. This narrow view creates a gap between culture as a starting point for performance, and profitability as an ultimate endpoint. What about everything in between that culture has an effect on? Rather than examining organisational culture in terms of how it influences profitability, this study looks at how organisational culture influences an aspect organisational performance, specifically: its effect on brand image or on word-of-mouth referral. To do so, this paper unpacks a causal chain of influences in four chapters. The research here shows how that employees situated within the culture influences customers to promise to refer the organisation to their social connections. The literature shows that organisational culture is a context that influences most facets of business, and this context is used as a filter by employees to understand how they should behave and what they should value. This paper proposes that employees receive internal brand communications within the context of the culture. Then, they conduct their service actions according to what is expected of them within this context. Customers who interact with these employees are then coming into contact with the organisational by the proxy of customer-facing employees. These interactions between customers and employees are what causes the customer to enjoy the service experience or not. The theory shows that when a service experience is enjoyed, there is likelihood of positive word-of-mouth referral. This paper correlates that and proposes that when there is a strong degree of alignment in organisational culture, employees receive internal brand communications and conduct their service actions in strong alignment of what is expected of them. This leads to customers perceiving the organisation in a way that is favourable and causes a significant number of customers to promise to recommend the organisation.
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    Exploring the Use of Digital Communication Channels as a Means of Employee Communication and Internal Brand Strategy Within South African Corporate Companies
    (2023) Johnson, Michaela; Irwin, Ronald
    This research paper aims to understand how the digital acceleration, engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic, affected employee communication in the remote workplace. For brevity, focus is maintained on South African companies only. Particular emphasis is placed on digital communication channels' use to engage employees. With these two design principles, this study develops to sparse literature of South African companies' use of digital communication. Six medium to large companies that represent the key industries of South Africa have been sampled; mining, logistics, tourism, insurance and finance. The companies interviewed are the top South African businesses within in their respective industries. These companies include insurance companies Sanlam and Old Mutual, gold mining company Sibanye Stillwater, logistics company Imperial Logistics, tourism company Cape Town Tourism, and retail banking company Capitec Bank. The representatives selected in each company were based on the role they played in the implementation and operation of the digital communication channel within the organization. These roles ranged from heads of brand, heads of group strategy, and heads of communication. Qualitative interviews were preferred for data gathering and a grounded theory and thematic analysis approaches were used to analyse the data. The full sample of six companies were found to blend company-owned mobile communication and third party-owned software platforms to communicate in online spaces. Research additionally found remote communication strengthening organizational identity in most cases. This was arguably due to synchronous communication emphasizing employee wellness. Resistance to adoption of remote communication channels was offset with relevant training. Further study of this emergence of resistance led to identifying employees need to negotiate work- and home-identity in remote work environments. Studying this work/ home balance further led to a study of employee comfort. Findings in this area point to a proportional relationship between employee comfort and clear, direct and personalised communication. As a consequence of these findings, focus was then shifted to the nature of personalisation in internal branding, which again adds to a limited literature currently available. These shifting areas of focus are used to puzzle out how South African companies are attempting digital transformation. All of which builds to the conclusion that while South African companies might currently prefer enhancing their numerous platforms, conversion to a single protocol is likely, given these companies' openness to digital transformation.
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    Interpersonal communication and brand interaction on mobile social media: South African adolescents' use of MXit, Facebook Twitter
    (2012) Griffiths, Samantha; Irwin, Ronald
    This paper explores the mobile social networking patterns of a sample of Black, White and Coloured adolescents attending three different schools in Cape Town, South Africa. The researcher utilises the Uses and Gratifications theory and qualitative research methodology in the form of focus groups and one-on-one semi-structured interviews to explore what gratifications this sample of students, aged 14-7 years, derive from three mobile social networking brands - MXit, Facebook and Twitter.
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    Prehensile: an explication of this is Africa, a travel memoir by Jack Rathmell
    (2024) Rathmell, John; Irwin, Ronald
    “Prehensile” is a 10,000 word explication analyzing T.I.A, a travel memoir by Jack Rathmell (the candidate). Prehensile examines the various philosophical themes running throughout the book, as well as addressing the ethical dilemmas and other problems the Western world faces as regards the outside world. The explication will also attempt a degree of meta-analysis, discussing the process by which art and self-expression takes place in the modern world; the process by which,in this case, a book goes from a mere idea to a physical product, and what it takes to market such an idea in today's world, in which the lines between “individual” and “brand” have blurred; to this end, both a website and a physical, hand-bound copy of the book have been designed and created for this project, and will be provided for examination. (The pdf of the book has also been appended to the thesis.) Here is the introduction of Prehensile: 1. Introduction Primarily, TIA is a book about struggling to find a place in the modern world. It is a book about the status quo, and our navigation of its systems it uses to maintain social, political, and economic control. The story is told with South Africa as a backdrop; my three visits (totaling two years) to the country are covered, taking place over roughly five years. The first stint took place as a 19-year-old volunteer, which situates many of the issues discussed below. These topics include the malaise, the paralysis by (white) guilt that so many visitors feel. Nevertheless, the memoir being set in South Africa is largely incidental. The emotional connection and sentimentality I developed with and for South Africa is presented as a chance byproduct; it could, I suggest, just as likely have been Thailand or Guatemala that catalyzed my reflections and personal growth. This realization comes as a result of reflecting on how we relay our stories, what mobilizes us to act, and just how influential luck is in shaping our existence. There are also more existential questions at play. In a world where, increasingly, day to day existence is being commodified, and our privacy and personal sovereignty are being encroached upon, we (in the West) are forced non-consenting into a perpetual state of performance and spectacle (Adorno & Bernstein, 2015). At all times we are at once being surveilled and surveilling others (Zuboff, 2020). The way we perceive ourselves and the outside world has been co-opted, and is thus constantly in flux at both the individual and societal level. As a result of these forces (the deluge of targeted marketing, cynical media, and corporate propaganda), reality, truth, and perception are more subjective than ever before. A pertinent example of this is the potential for TIA's publishing, and the modern day requirements for this process, including creating an online presence and offering a curated version of myself for public inspection. Even art and self expression requires conformity and participation in these norms; I am forced to design and construct a curated version of myself through the lens of how I would like to be perceived by the outside world. The lines between individual and brand have become blurred. Subjective Realism is another recurring topic. Our warped perceptions can be especially problematic regarding places that have been victims of colonialism and imperialism; traveling Westerners now “inflict” our subjective realities on these other places and peoples. At the same time, travel - even “non-traditional” travel - has been commodified, thus homogenized and controlled. To travel requires an arduous navigation of various bureaucratic minutiae and lethargy; a signing-away of one's privacy and agency to these actors, at least for a time. Even if you are able to pass these hurdles, these “exotic” places have also been tampered with. Therefore, the commodification of adventure is another topic of interest: can there be genuine discovery, exploration, or “Wanderlust” today? The theme of “prehensility” also appears repeatedly. Much of the memoir is a personal struggle: reaching for meaning in culture, experience, social interaction, and memory. These attempts are often futile, but prove fruitful - or at least thought-provoking - on occasion. The book mostly takes place in South Africa, but the tonality of the writing and the nature of the content suggests that the setting is largely immaterial as it relates to my perceptions, neuroses, and insecurities. Chiefly, the location serves only to provide me with various latching on points onto which I can briefly reflect on whatever issues are at hand. I use the locale as a foil against which I can relativize the sociocultural and political observations I have made at home in the US. Social hierarchies - explicit or otherwise - are another theme. One of the more memorable examples relates to my interactions with a group of French exchange students I met during my second trip to South Africa. They came to South Africa under the guise of hoping to improve their English, as well as to connect with a foreign country. Neither of these objectives were fulfilled, and the social ecosystem devolves into a series of increasingly bizarre interactions. Their biases, insecurities, and misconceptions ensure that their perception of both me and the country we are visiting will be obfuscated. Further instances of insularity are discussed in the memoir, leading the author (and reader) into a deeper examination of what travel, charity, and guilt are able to achieve, especially in terms of our biases shaping our experiences and interactions with those whom we believe to be below us on our imaginary social ranking. By inserting ourselves into these complex situations armed only with our saviour complexes, we become caricatures. By focusing too much on cultural differences and negative emotion we risk driving the wedge of division further. Indeed, our appetite to right historical wrongs can be patronizing and can serve to perpetuate unhelpful norms and beliefs. These ethical dilemmas are repeatedly referenced; Westerners' inability to find the proper lens through which we can view our experiences in these exotic locales. The thin line between cultural appreciation and appropriation is one that has been barreled through by countless well-meaning actors; the memoir reflects on this ongoing debate.
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    The rise of the 'Instagram economy' phenomenon in a South African context : An exploration of how conspicuous consumption on Instagram contributes to brand value creation
    (2017) Kleintjes, Alyssa; Irwin, Ronald
    The number of brands using Instagram as a branding tool is steadily rising and so too is the rate of brand related consumer Interactions on social media. The sociocultural shifts in behavioural norms on Instagram have facilitated an increase in social word-of mouth that is surpassing traditional media advertising as the primary influence on consumers' purchase decisions. This revolution in Instagram marketing has facilitated the development of the Instagram Economy. This research aims to draw actionable insights into the South African Instagram Economy, which brand managers can use to inform their Instagram marketing strategies in order to leverage the economic capabilities of this platform. In order to draw actionable insights the study focused on each of the three main role players of the Instagram Economy: brands, Instagram influencers and consumers. The method of research for each of these three components of study was: a case study of a brand Instagram account, a quantitative content analysis of Instagram influencers' brand sponsored posts and lastly a closed, fixed response consumer questionnaire which prospective respondents could voluntarily participate in. This research identified that in order to develop successful brand presence on Instagram and increase the rate of brand related Instagram interactions that influence consumer purchase decisions, brands need to develop the right content for their target audience, partner with influencers that match the brand's values and know their audience's Instagram usage habits in order to reach them effectively.
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    The Crack in the Mountain
    (2020) Abrahams, Ayesha; Irwin, Ronald
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    The Online Communication of Corporate Social Investment: How is the intricate task approached by South African companies?
    (2022) Dyssell, Emily; Irwin, Ronald
    Corporate Social Investment in South Africa has come to mean more than abiding by the B-BBEE regulatory requirements. It is a way for companies to showcase that their priorities move beyond profit-making, and stem into community upliftment. While actual contributions to CSI are of the most importance, CSI communication is a field that requires more strategy and focus than it did before. However, with no templates for the best online communication methods available, there is a wide range of types of message content and communication strategies. Utilising a mixed-method analysis, this paper explores the webpage communication of CSI in South Africa by conducting a content analysis of the CSI webpages of highly regarded South African companies, an in-depth semiotic and discourse analysis of two award-wining company webpages (Pick n Pay and Investec), and lastly a practical case study wherein a communications strategy was designed for national company, Ultra Liquors. This dissertation aims to explore the question: How is CSI webpage communication approached by South African companies? The research was approached through three sub questions: What are the common themes, methods of communication, and types of content on the Corporate Social Investment webpages of highly regarded South African companies? How do Pick n Pay and Investec, both award winning companies in the CSI field, successfully communicate their altruistic values through their CSI webpages? Utilising Ultra Liquors as a case study, how does one approach creating a CSI communications strategy, and what are the essential factors that should be considered? While there is significant academic research within the overall field of CSI, research into the communication of it is limited. However, companies and their stakeholders are beginning to pay more attention to it. This research aims to contribute to the limited research available in South Africa regarding CSI communication and highlight the importance of CSI communication and strategy – both practically and within the realm of academic research.
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    The ship in the sky
    (2019) Evans, Tracey Ellen; Irwin, Ronald
    The sky’s grumbling. Layers of gray grinding above me the way teeth grind, angry and wanting, all nap long. Two boom-clap bangs and my eyes snap open to clouds thick as clay, metal-sheet lightening and thunder thumping close and heavy as fists. I grab the stone floor and I’m watching and listening, listening and watching and I’m hearing yelling and it’s my own heart yelling, and I realize this ain’t dreaming. This ain’t dreaming. I ease myself near the rock ledge, hanging there like a loose tooth when the ground rips apart, it clear splits thirty feet in front of me right through the Joneses' veggie patch. My gut leaps to my throat. Would be an awesome sight if it weren’t so terrifying. Air and water and fire and earth dancing into one, blasting the ground inches from the Joneses’ farmhouse splitting their flagpole, my eardrums just about splitting in the roar. I clasp on tight. Next thing, my legs are falling from my body, or my body’s falling from the rock and we’re sinking together, sliding down. Then silence. Earth shattering silence. A venomous pause. Nothing moves, not even my lungs. I grab at the ledge hanging, waiting, watching. Come on Bill. Get out of the house. Get the Missus and get the fuck out. The elements are hovering, brewing a soup so thick and dark a rich thick and dark soup. Triple decker boom and I’m rolling to the spine of the rock as it tilts and digs its feet in, crushing or protecting, as the sky breaks open with rain belting down. I crank my head towards the farmhouse and it’s sinking. Come on Bill and Betty. As the sky belts the earth belts my skull belts on the back of that blasted crushing protecting rock, the ground sinking further under the weight from above and rock falling, consciousness too, and then I’m dreaming of everything.
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    Values-driven marketing and IMC: How can emerging critical success factors from a values driven marketing approach bridge the divide between brand owners and brand implementers in the effective execution and application of IMC?
    (2023) Jacobsen, Anneleigh; Irwin, Ronald
    Much has been written about the widening rift between brand owners (“clients”) and external brand implementors (“agencies”) in the context of implementing Integrated Media Communications (IMC). In considering four long-term case studies we found four emerging critical success factors that seem to indicate that a values-driven marketing approach can help bridge the gap between brand owners and brand implementors and support effective IMC implementation. Where previous work has focused on the brand implementor side of the relationship, this research focuses on the brand owner side. Using semi-structured interviews with leadership as well as facilitated group workshops on values and the development of value propositions in order to understand (a) the impact of a valuesdriven approach to brands and marketing on the relationship with brand implementors, and (b) the success factors that were common across all four case studies. The four emerging key success factors found can be summarised as follows: 1. The process and values must be driven by the brand owner 2. The roles, responsibilities, measures and remuneration for each brand implementor must be absolutely clear to all involved, and decided by the brand owner 3. The business must have absolute clarity at all levels on the values and value proposition of the brand 4. The brand owner must prioritise finding the consulting services, advice or support of an experienced marketing expert if they do not have this skill set themselves These insights could form the basis for enabling brand owners to more effectively implement and benefit from the potential of IMC in their businesses, particularly in the SME context where marketing skill sets are less prevalent.
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    The white man's numbers
    (2012) Shah, Sunil; Irwin, Ronald
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    Writing for mobile media: The influences of text, digital design and psychological characteristics on the cognitive load of the mobile user
    (2019) Speechly, Amanda Karen; Irwin, Ronald
    Text elements on the mobile smartphone interface make a significant contribution to the user’s interaction experience. In combination with other visual design features, these words curate the path of the mobile user on a journey through the information to satisfy a specific task. This study analyses the elements that influence the interpretation process and optimum presentation of information on mobile media. I argue that effective digital writing contributes to reducing the cognitive load experienced by the mobile user. The central discussion focuses on the writing of text for this medium, which I suggest forges an entirely unique narrative. The optimum writing approach is based on the multi-dimensional characteristics of hypertext, which allow the writer to facilitate the journey without the user losing control of the interpretation process. This study examines the relationship between the writer, the reader and the text, with a unique perspective on the mobile media writer, who is tasked with achieving balance between the functionality and humanity of digital interaction. To explore influences on the development of the relevant writing techniques, I present insights into the distinctive characteristics of the mobile smartphone device, with specific focus on the screen and keyboard. I also discuss the unique characteristics of the mobile user and show how the visual design of the interface is integral to the writing of text for this medium. Furthermore, this study explores the role, skills, and processes of the current and future digital writer, within the backdrop of incessant technological advancement and revolutionary changes in human-computer behaviour.