International Journal of Innovative Research and Development

Abstract

The evolution of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has been appreciated as a means to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in the 21^st century. Many developed countries including Zimbabwe have engaged in this bandwagon. The main reason being to create employment and eradicating poverty along with closing other colonial gaps in macro resources ownership. The Zimbabwe’s tourism sector has witnessed a positive reaction to this paradigm to an extent that SMEs have increased visibility in the accommodation, travel and resort sectors. Branding is still accepted as a game for the giants by many SMEs. The study investigated the effects of social media in branding Zimbabwe’s SMEs operating in the accommodation, travel and holiday resorts. The main aim was to see how social media could fit in SMEs branding as a survival strategy to overcome the increasing global tourism competition. The findings from the study showed that the majority of SMEs did not appreciate the supremacy of social media in improving brand awareness, image, perceived quality, loyalty and association. The study recommended a model integrating social media and brand equity variables as a strategy for SMEs’ survival.

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Abstract

The study was based on finding the most dominant custodians of brand supremacy between strategic level managers and general employees in Zimbabwe tourism branding progression. The study used a mixed sequential qualitative to quantitative research design. In-depth interviews were used to establish success branding determinants as perceived by experts and senior level managers in consultancy and brand management practitioners. Questionnaire distribution was used to get responses on the relationship between brand attainment determinants to both strategic and general level management effort. The results of the study revealed general employees are the foremost curators of brand success in the Zimbabwe tourism sector. This has been attributed to their direct relationship with the customers and other stakeholders whom they deal with in their day to day activities. The research recommended that general level employees should be consulted in strategic brand formulation issues. Also there should be clear two-way lines of communication between the strategic level managers and their low level operators. Senior managers should ensure that welfare and motivation of low level employees are taken care of so as to encourage their constructive participation in the branding process.

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