eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

In 2011 three independent and competing brands, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Sibelius Academy, will merge into the Helsinki Music Centre. The primary purpose of this research is to explore how the stakeholders perceive the brand image of these four brands and how will these perceptions function as an indicator of brand relationships and brand architecture in Helsinki Music Centre. The study was conducted before the opening of Helsinki Music Centre.

The data was collected in May-June 2011 through a web-based questionnaire targeted to the stakeholders of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Sibelius Academy. The data used in the analysis contained 418 responses. Two multivariate analysis techniques were used to analyze the data. First, factor analysis was conducted to reveal the underlying dimensions on brand image. This was followed by cluster analysis, which indicated stakeholder groups with different image perceptions of the brands. The cluster analysis was conducted based on the factors found form the factor analysis. In addition, a central tendency analysis was performed to compare the brand personalities of the four brands.

The findings indicate correspondence with the theoretical framework and the empirical results. Based on underlying dimensions of brand image, stakeholder groups and brand personalities found in this study, conclusions about the relationships among the brands can be made. The results demonstrate that no clear dominance of either Helsinki Music Centre brand or the merging brands of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra or Sibelius Academy can be found. Thus, there is a shared dominance where the product brands and the corporate brand are endorsing one another. Together these brands have a possibility to form a brand architecture where all brands can benefit from each other.