AVL is the world's largest independent company for the development of powertrain systems with internal combustion engines as well as instrumentation and test systems. It is a notable supplier in the automotive industry and an important research partner, nationally as well as internationally. The success of the company is driven by numerous innovations and product developments of the AVL workforce. This pioneering spirit already goes back to the founder Prof. Dr. Hans List and is today conveyed by the CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Helmut List too. The company states corporate values - pioneering spirit, customer orientation, problem solving competence, responsibility and independence- to master daily challenges and to provide optimum solutions for customers. The AVL brand grew with the success and global expansion of the company, which entailed deficits in consistent global branding. Branding gains more and more importance among B2B companies in order to remain or become market leader, which is challenging under the current dynamic market conditions. An important key to success is the commitment to the brand by employees. Therefore, this master thesis deals with the development of a clearly stated brand identity for AVL and further the internal anchoring of brand identity values. The theoretical part, firstly, outlines definitions and fundamentals of identity based brand management in B2B and related challenges for globally operating companies. Further, a brand identity development chapter provides an overview of applicable brand identity approaches and the deduction process that is based on the brand steering wheel by Esch. Lastly, internal implementation of a target identity is covered with regard to ways of internal communication, implementation process steps, measures and the importance of the commitment by the board and executive managers of all levels. The practical part of the thesis, containing secondary and primary research, provides an overview of current market situation and actual perceptions of the AVL brand from internal and external perspective. Based on the research results and on the basis of the deduction process by Esch a target AVL brand identity is deduced. An internal implementation guideline for AVL, including recommended measures, a budget proposal and controlling measures complete the master thesis.

NXP is a globally operating semiconductor company. MIFARE is NXP‘s leading brand for contactless solutions, augmented by a service offering with MIFARE 2GO, and AppXplorer. In the transit sector, MIFARE is used in over 750 cities worldwide, serving the majority of the market. The market for fare ticketing sees disruptions and changes in customer behavior. While NXP has acted on these trends by bringing MIFARE 2GO, it has not (re)positioned it’s brand accordingly yet – at least, not purposefully. This thesis develops a variety of positioning concepts for MIFARE and presents one that will allow MIFARE to remain the leading brand for fare ticketing solutions.The first part of the master thesis focusses on the theory of international B2B marketing in high-tech markets, and that of brand repositioning and communication (of brand repositioning) in international B2B markets. In these chapters, the first followed definitions are provided, followed by the imperatives, aims, models, and strategies. The findings of this theoretical section provide the basis for the empirical implications.The secondary and primary market research follows. An in-depth market analysis is conducted and sixteen, of which eight internally at NXP, one-hour interviews are conducted and analyzed. Based on the findings from the literature in combination with the market analysis and expert interviews, five repositioning alternatives are developed, of which, via a scoring model, one is selected. The recommended repositioning alternative and concept is that of leading the market with the complete portfolio.The implementation of this repositioning alternative is done via integrated marketing communication. In the last part of this work, all the considerations, challenges, and other factors required for success – including an in-depth analysis of the communication tools – are provided. The entire communication plan is supported by event-specific activities, a proposed budget, and control measures.The entire work is further summarized in a ‘one-pager’ displaying the repositioning concept in a visually appealing way. Lastly, some further conclusions and recommendations are provided based on the completion of this work.

This master thesis deals with the highlighting of companies as employers through targeted Employer Branding measures. The recruitment of suitable employees has changed significantly in recent years.Whereas in the past the employees were the ones who applied to an employer, nowadays entrepreneurs have to actively look for qualified employees. This requires well thought-out strategies to be perceived as an Employer of Choice in times of shortage of skilled workers and to attract the best talents.Far too often, companies view Employer Branding only from a Personnel Marketing perspective and want to sell themselves well to the external market. The real essence, however, is to live the true values within the company and to build on this foundation of values. The activities have to fit the corporate culture and the employees should feel connected to the values so that they are loyal and motivated to work in a long-term manner. The Employer Branding strategy is needed to increase the awareness and attractiveness of the employer, to convey the values of the company both internally and externally and to attract the right applicants.The theoretical part of this work forms the basis for the successful practical development of an Employer Branding concept. The core of this work is the development of the Employer Value Proposition (EVP) - the unique selling point of an employer brand. The theoretical steps for the development of the employer brand are defined in such a way that they can be applied to any company.The practical part of this thesis deals primarily with the development of an Employer Branding concept for ALDI in Italy. The elaboration of the EVP is especially directed at potential candidates for the position of Area Manager. In the context of this concept development, the image of ALDI as an employer in Italy is discussed and analyzed by means of primary research, taking into account the target group. The results of this primary research together with a preceding secondary research serve as a foundation for the defined measures which support the perception of ALDI as an Employer of Choice.

The achievement and sustainable maintenance of a competitive advantage is one ofthe most important strategic objectives of companies. Especially, in the Software-as-a-Service industry where global becomes local, the internationalization of companies is indispensible in order to obtain a competitive advantage. The Intact GmbH is an Austrian based software company founded in 2001 by four friends with a shared vision to increase quality in the food safety industry. The offered software solution is a modular based Enterprise Resource Planning system with a full solution approach. Since the acquisition of its first customer outside of Europe in 2005,the Intact GmbH operates internationally.Today the company has built up a large international customer base with customers allaround the globe. Furthermore, the company focused in the recent years predominantly on a growth strategy and in 2018 sold 51% of their shares to the investment group named IMCAP GmbH. Therefore, the Intact GmbH strives to enter new markets and continue to grow its international customer base.In this respect, the master thesis aims to develop a market entry concept for Croatia and Slovenia to enter the new markets between July 2022 and May 2023. The concept serves to support the Intact GmbH in the market entry process.The main aspects of the theoretical section focus on the market entry in the Softwareas-a-Service industry for companies operating in a niche market. First, the terminology of is clarified in detail for the reader to understand the environment. Furthermore,marketing strategies for internationalization are provided with a strong focus on the digital toolset available for marketers such as lead management and Search EngineOptimization. Based on this the different modes of entry for SaaS companies are discussed and aligned with the prior theoretical input. The conclusion of the theoretical section is an overview of the market entry concept with the recommended market entrymode suitable for an Austrian software vendor entering new international markets with a strong focus on digital marketing activities.For further insights and information retrieval, secondary and primary market research is conducted in the practical section of this master thesis. Within the primary market research, fifteen experts have been interviewed with expertise in the Testing,Inspection and Certification market of Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. To gain further insights into the differences and similarities of the markets and the market view, additionally three experts from Austria have been interviewed. Lastly the conclusion, findings and results of the primary market research are combined for the development of the market entry concept for the Intact GmbH consisting the market entry mode, action plan and recommendations for digital marketing activities. The last part of this master thesis provides further recommendations of action for the Intact GmbH on the adaption of the SaaS marketing mix.

The competition in the food market is becoming increasingly intense, not only interms of market distribution and customers, but also in terms of labor. Workforce ismore demanding than in the past, as there is a broad offer at the labor market forthem. In addition, people nowadays are well informed about their opportunities,which leads to the fact that the choice for an employer is made consciously andincreasingly critical. Due to these reasons, organizations are forced to rethink theirpositions as employers and adapt all activities of human resource management tobe perceived as an attractive employer, who provides a desirable working place.When looking at this challenge from a marketing perspective, the appropriateapproach to deal with this topic is employer branding. This discipline connectshuman resource management and marketing, focusing on the positioning of theemployer. Concerned activities therefore are the positioning itself and afterwardsthe right communication of all defined aspects of the employer brand.The country organization of grocery retailer SPAR in Slovenia is increasinglyaddressing this topic and perceiving it more and more as a challenge that they musttake on. Due to this reason, they plan to implement an employer branding concept,that especially focuses on the initial steps of employer branding activities, followedby concrete first measures as an attractive employer.The theoretical part of this thesis builds the basis and highlights employer brandingitself, characteristics of the market and finally describes how a concept can bedeveloped, in a company that has no experience in this topic.Whereas in the practical part, the concept development for SPAR Slovenia is carriedout very detailed, after a comprehensive situation analysis. This situation analysisis fundamental for the conception and includes an empirical study as well as amarket analysis of Slovenia, concerning different aspects. The concept development itself has a step-by-step structure, starting with the analysis, followed with the positioning and ending with the operational planning for the measures at the Slovenian market.Finally, the thesis is concluded with personal recommendations for the company,based on the knowledge gained from the theoretical part associated with the findings from the analysis. These recommendations include the main aspects that employees wish from an employer, for example activities to support relationships between people at the working space or the introduction of a discount system for employees in the organization.

Nowadays, companies are facing an increasingly competitive landscape forrecruiting and retaining talented employees. Workforce demographics paired withage- and value-diverse workplaces make effective talent management a competitive necessity. Consequently, the establishment of an employer brand positioning has become a critical success factor for the continued existence of a company and to increase the attractiveness as an employer to achieve the ultimate aim of becoming an employer of choice.The present master thesis deals with the development of an employer branding positioning concept to attract blue-collar workers and apprentices in the packaging industry. The outcomes of the thesis are supposed to provide Mondi’s two production plants, located in Zeltweg, Styria, with a positioning concept as well as corresponding measures to increase the number of applicants and to properly fill vacancies. Furthermore, the objective to increase the brand awareness among the targeted groups is followed and it is aimed at achieving a clearly defined positioning of the company within the regional employment market.The thesis is divided into three major sections, namely introduction, theoretical part and practical part. Within the introduction section the initial situation is investigated,followed by an examination of the company objectives and the definition of the master thesis objective. Thereafter, a framework defining relevant theories and the structure of the work is provided. The theoretical part provides an introduction to the topic employer choice followed by exploring the challenges of addressing the two targeted groups before examining the principles of employer branding. The final partof the theory covers the process of developing an employer branding positioning concept, which is used as a base for Mondi’ positioning strategy. The practical part of the present thesis is devoted to a detailed internal and external analyses. The former investigates the strengths and weaknesses of the firm as an employer andexamines current employer branding measures, whereas the later not only investigates the company’s environment but also ascertains the needs and demands of the target groups towards an employer as well as their behavior during the employer choice process. The research results are then consolidated in the developed positioning concept and the corresponding measures which serve as an orientation guide for Mondi in order to become an employer choice in the long run.

This master thesis deals with the development of an international employerbranding concept for Generation Z as well as external communication measures inorder to increase the attractiveness of ARIAN among Austrians and Slovenes andto fulfil their personnel requirement regarding apprentices in the printing area.Furthermore, this thesis aims to make sure that ARIAN is known by relevant educational institutions in order to already reach Generation Z during their compulsory education.The first chapter concentrates on the topic international employer branding and starts with common definitions of employer branding, the interrelation of the corporate brand and employer brand as well as objectives of employer branding. Topics such as the different levels of attractiveness, challenges in international employer branding and generational differences provide a framework for the subsequent employer brand positioning concept. The basis for the employer branding positioning concept forms the analysis of the internal and external influencing factors, the employer brand identity, the objectives of the employer brand positioning and the requirement profile for the EVP. After the definition and selection of an EVP alternative, a suitable slogan can be defined, and the EVP can be implemented with external communication measures. The communication measures depend on the communication objectives and the respective targetgroup. Within the communication channels, different ways to reach Generation Zare presented. Furthermore, a distinction between the recurring measures of abasic programme and campaigns with a special focus is made. Moreover, the most important aspects of a communication plan as well as different methods for choosing a communication budget are described. Finally, the importance of EB controlling as well as suitable strategic and operative KPIs are shown.At the beginning of the practical part, an analysis of the initial situation as well as aquantitative market research with pupils in Austria and Slovenia was conducted in order to get representative knowledge about the expectations of Generation Z regarding their first employer. In consideration of the consequential implications,an employer brand positioning concept for ARIAN was developed and recommendations for the external communication as well as the EB controlling are given.

Saturated markets, especially in the food industry with a large number of competitorsand big players make it a highly competitive environment, particularly for start-ups. In order to be able to settle within the market and gain strength, it is necessary to have a unique selling proposition and competitive advantages to differentiate. Ingredient Branding offers this kind of advantage and is defined as the targeted marketing of aparticular component/ingredient of an end product. The aim of this thesis is to provide a guideline for the food start-up Spirulix to use ingredient branding to their advantage together with the already existing branding strategy. It should therefore identify success factors, possible risks, and general effects of the concept on the brand image. To answer the research questions qualitative research was carried out, interviewing food start-ups already using ingredient branding as a strategy. In total eleven interviews have been conducted with persons in charge of ingredient branding resulting in the position of either head of marketing, CEO, or founder. The research results revealed the following success factors: choice of partners, quality, competitive advantages, communication, and brand orientation. Furthermore, the risks for the ingredient brand described in the literature have been confirmed throughout the interviews, namely loss of control and negative spillover effects. Anyways, theinterviews could not prove the effects on the brand, as nearly no start-up made a market research or panel survey due to low budgets and a lack in personnel resources. In summary the literature research and the interviews point out the potential of ingredient branding for food start-ups and highlighted the positive impact it offers for start-ups in a highly competitive market.

The Austrian company B&R Industrial Automation GmbH, which is internationally doing business in the industrial goods sector, faces the problem that lead generation and qualification do not follow a strategically predefined process. In order to solve this challenge, an internationally integrated mar-keting communications concept for improving qualified lead generation was created within the framework of this master thesis. Firstly, an extensive literature review was conducted, focussing on gathering state-of-the-art information about the theme areas connected to that overall topic. Complementing the findings and insights from the current literature status quo, the implementation by comparable companies in reality was reviewed by conducting expert interviews in terms of the field research. With experienced employees from the marketing department in international industrial goods companies being the target group, insights indicated that integrated omnichannel communications and optimized lead management are considered to very different degrees in the sector. Ranging from best case companies to late developer firms, the sector is still rather conservative, which underlines the relevance of this topic for generating competitive advantages on the market. Based on the findings, the concept was then developed. Starting off with a secondary analysis of the marketing communications channels of B&R and three main competitors, improving the qualification of generated leads was defined as the main goal. With the target groups being clustered by subsector and position in the buying centre, campaigning as the central strategy for the channel deployment was selected. As research indicated the importance of trade fairs, the approach is putting these events in the centre of the campaign arrangement. By intensifying the usage of already existing channels as well as introducing new instruments and measures, all being aligned and coordinated through the integrated omnichannel approach, existing potential may be exploited profoundly. Against this backdrop, marketing automation builds the connection between communications and lead management. Additionally, a mixture of lead grading and scoring was planned in order to track the position of the generated leads in the funnel and highlight the perfect handover point. With KPIs being defined for each channel and measure specifically, comprehensive success monitoring was established. In the first phase, the concept focusses on the main fairs for B&R throughout the year due to the time horizon for adop-tion and set up of alterations, but after an amortisation phase, the concept may be implemented full-scale and for each international fair.

This master’s thesis deals with the development of a social media marketing concept for Vossen in order to increase Vossen’s brand awareness and online-turnover in the United Kingdom. The first chapter describes the characteristics of the home-textile industry by giving insights into the market size and trends.Afterwards, the customer journey is at the centre of the focus. Within this chapter,the term is defined, several customer journey models are presented, and theprocess of customer journey mapping is described. Subsequently, social media marketing is explained in detail. The chapter starts with the definition of social media and social media marketing, provides an overview of the most important objectives that can be achieved with social media marketing and clarifies the importance of content marketing within social media. Afterwards, the different kinds of social media channels such as social networks, media sharing platforms and blogs are explained, and channel selection criteria are presented. The chapter also provides a few insights into social media marketing in the UK and highlights the role of social media within the customer journey. Finally, the challenges and limitations and the controlling of social media activities conclude this chapter.The final chapter within the theoretical part of this thesis is the basis for the socialmedia marketing concept. It explains the most important elements of the analysisof the initial situation, deepens the understanding of social media objectives andexplains the analysis of the target group. Based on this knowledge, strategicdecisions are made, and the action plan is created. The required budget iscalculated based on the measures defined in the action plan and finally, controllingmeasures are implemented to control the success of the company’s social mediaactivities. The practical part starts with the analysis of the initial situation and a qualitative research where the author conducted interviews with 15 experts. Based on these insights and the author’s theoretical knowledge, the social media marketingconcept for Vossen was created.