MARGARISOVÁ KLÁRA, VOKÁČOVÁ LUCIE. 2016. Regional Branding: Building Brand Value. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 64(6): 2059-2066.Regional branding is one of several ways to promote rural regions and support development of socially, culturally and environmentally oriented economies in areas that are interesting due to their natural and cultural heritage. The article attempts to review the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of branding as conveyed by leading authors in the marketing field. The aim of this paper is to define brand as a broad complex of variables, which are used in building of its identity as a basis for creating value proposition and the position of a brand. Article briefly describes the most comprehensive labeling system for regional products at the micro-regional level is the one guaranteed by Association of Regional Brands (ARB). The main contribution of this article is a theoretical model of strategic management of a regional brand, which captures the interdependence of the individual steps of brand building as well as stakeholders. The starting point for building of brand value is a strategic analysis of the brand, including analysis of customer and competitors. The analysis of external factors is followed by analysis of the brand itself. The resulting relationship between the brand and the customer is based on value proposition representing benefits (functional, emotional, self-expression). The concept of total product is connected with the concept of total brand and it is offered to the customer as a regional product. Finally it suggests possibilities for further research.

In opposite side major of respondents misunderstand the term of Green Marketing. As responsible in economic area respondents consider such a firms which are profitable for owners and via taxes bring benefit for all society. In term of social responsibility respondents reputed companies which are not uncaring to social problems and which are active in different social project through philanthropy. In term of environmental responsibility respondents mainly evaluated firms which invest to technology that produce less or non-waste and evince energetic efficiency.

Labelling of product origin arose spontaneously tradition and consumers automatically associated high quality or specific characteristics with such designations. Systems for labelling regional products have developed over time as third party activity, which assesses relevant criteria and guarantee their fulfilment by awarding a certificate. The aim of this paper is to define competitive environment in the designation of regional products in the Czech Republic and to demonstrate the link between regional product and quality. Part of the paper is identification of parameters determining the quality of products (in general) and the assessment of quality perception as one of the basic attributes of regional products. The article used secondary data from publicly available sources in the form of official web presentation of guarantors and coordinators of individual designation systems, methodological guidelines for granting and using brands, catalogues of certified products, etc. and presents partial results of research conducted via questionnaire survey, whose respondents are residents / visitors of various micro-regions in the Czech Republic. The research shows that the perception of quality of products by a customer are not overly influenced by quality label, local origin (Czech product), or by labels in general. Doubts are also raised by the number of different certification systems. Regional brands provide space for differentiation from competitors, but only if they reach a unique position.

This article focuses on the experience of Czech customers with the purchase of products labelled by the Association of Regional Brands and Bohemian Paradise Association. The aim of this paper is to evaluate selected indicators associated with purchasing certified regional products. The studied characteristics focus on the knowledge and perception of several chosen microregional brands and on the purchase of a certified product itself. The article presents the results of research conducted through a questionnaire survey, whose 1390 respondents are residents as well as visitors of eight different micro‑regions in the Czech Republic. Awareness of regional brands within the sample surveyed is around 46 %. The relationship between awareness of regional brand and respondents’ age, education and status towards the region has been identified. The perception of consumers considered, a brand is most often associated with tangible products, namely food and agricultural produce. Consumers view brands chiefly as a guarantee of production in the given region and a certain tradition. Most often, the respondents take notice of brands on the packaging of a particular certified product.

PurposeThe objective of this explorative study was to analyse the association of socio-economic factors and attitudes towards cooking with the time devoted to home meals cooking in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, the authors tested and analysed data to see if there is any relationship between the time devoted to cooking by respondents and obesity.Design/methodology/approachThe sample data consisted of 1,006 inhabitants’ subjects selected using the quota sampling following the structure of the population structure. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were estimated to analyse factors influencing the time spent in the preparation of meals at home. The correlation between time devoted to cooking by respondents and obesity was addressed using the Kruskal–Wallis test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).FindingsThe results showed that female gender, higher age, smaller household size and presence of children increased the time spent by respondents in the preparation of home-cooked meals. Home cooking is perceived as a tastier option compared to, for example, chilled ready meals. The time devoted to cooking by respondents and her/his above average weight are correlated in our study.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, no recent study has comprehensively analysed cooking behaviour and time spent cooking in the post-Soviet countries, including the Czech Republic. The authors’ quota-representative study provided relevant insights into eating behaviour, as the Czech Republic has faced a high increase in the obesity rates in the last decade.