Marketing communication plays an important role in build-
ing and maintaining stakeholder relationships, and in le-
veraging these relationships in terms of brand and channel
equity (Dawar 2004; Duncan and Moriarty 1998; Lannon
and Cooper 1983; Srivastava, Fahey, and Shervani 2000;
White 1999). As Dawar states: "Advertising and promo-
tions of brands drive traffic and sales volume; marketing
efforts and outcomes are measured and managed at the brand
level; and brands are central to a firm's responses to short-
term competitive moves. In effect, brands have become the
focal point of many a company's marketing efforts and are
seen as a source of market power, competitive leverage and
higher returns" (2004, p. 31).