Week 5: Behaviors that Enable the Next Terrorist Attack

Dr. Gina Ligon Assistant Professor of Management University of Nebraska at Omaha Branding Destruction: Part 1

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Lecture Outline
1.
2.

3.
4.

Discuss concept of VEO as an organization. Describe tenets of Consumer Brand Relationship theories of marketing. Demonstrate how constructs work in a sample of violent ideological organizations. Discuss how White Power groups market their brand and organizations.

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Ideological Organizations
Belief-based organizations Structure & complexity vary (Ligon, Simi, Harms, & Harris, 2013) Performance Goals

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Ideological Organizations
(VS. Conventional Organizations)

Performance goals are not solely fiscal

Sharing ideology (brand advocacy) Recruiting Fundraising

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Ideological Organizations
(VS. Conventional Organizations)

Performance goals are not solely fiscal

Sharing ideology (brand advocacy) Recruiting Fundraising

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Ideological Organizations (cont.)

Older & larger = more lethal

Lethality (Asal & Rethemeyer, 2008) Organizational Survival

Hierarchical structured organizations = more longterm, sustainable, & lethal (Hegel et al., 2012)

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Role as Researcher
Understand how organizational strategies and structures translate into other strategies that play out into lethality

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Consumer Brand Relationship Theory

Theoretical Framework

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Consumer Brand Relationship Theory

Organizations create a brand with which consumers have a relationship. Consumers want brand to become part of their identity. Some organizations are better at branding & marketing themselves so consumers want to identify with them. Research focuses on reputation: Brands with stronger reputation are better at leveraging long-term relationship with the consumer.

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Marketing the Brand: VEO Notoriety

Intangible resource leading to a competitive advantage (Hall, 1992; Rindova
& Fombrun, 1999; Rindova et al., 2005)

1. 2.

Perceived Quality Prominence

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Marketing the Brand: VEO Notoriety (cont.) Media portrayals

(Fombrun & Shanley, 1990)

Rarity/non-conformity, value, imperfect imitability, and nonsubstitutability (Deephouse,

2000; Rindova, Pollock, & Hayward, 2006)

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Marketing the Brand: VEO Notoriety (cont.) Media portrayals

(Fombrun & Shanley, 1990)

Rarity/non-conformity, value, imperfect imitability, and nonsubstitutability (Deephouse,

2000; Rindova, Pollock, & Hayward, 2006)

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Marketing the Brand: VEO Notoriety (cont.) Affects firm performance (Deephouse,
2000)

Return on assets

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Method
Apply Theoretical Framework to Violent Ideological Organizations Applied constructs to 45 ideological organizations from Western & nonWestern regions with varied ideologies

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

How VEOs Use Branding to Market Themselves

Organizational Structure & Strategies
Structure (Hierarchical) Malevolent Innovation (Unusually Cruel Attacks) Promotional Efforts (Music, Merchandise) Mission (Brand Image)

Notoriety
Prominence Co-Branding External Legitimacy Brand Relationship Quality (BRQ) Media Reputation Media Attention (Positive & Negative)

Performance
Sharing Ideological Message (Brand Advocacy) Recruitment (Brand Community) Fundraising (Consumer Sales)

15

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Example Case Study:

Jemaah Islamiya (JI)

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Conclusion
VEOs use organizational strategies in promotional efforts Translates into greater performance . . . Greater Lethality