Chapter 6 Brand meaning and impact in subcontractor contexts

Abstract

Brand management in industrial markets is an important subject. The relative youth of this interest implies gaps in the understanding of the phenomenon, though. With regard to the emphasis on brands in today's competitive markets, improving the understanding of brand meaning and impact in diverse industrial situations and organizations is valuable to both management and theory. This paper adds to the expansion of such insights by applying the notion of brands to subcontractors; their market offer and situation. An overview of the brand concept and brand research in industrial markets directs the discussion. The chapter reports on a qualitative study with the aim to support better comprehension of the meaning and impact of brands in a subcontractor context. The study focuses on buyers' decision-making processes. Customers, although they ultimately focus on product price and quality, rely on corporate brand image for making decisions at several stages of purchasing. Buyers normally face a situation where they must choose among a number of potential suppliers, where they perceive uncertainty and limits regarding time and information. In the process of finding and selecting suitable suppliers, subcontractor corporate brands therefore revolve around proxies for expertise and reliability. A focus on subcontractor brand management can render benefits to individual suppliers concerning the amount of potential clients and signed contracts. Also, paying more attention to corporate brand meaning and content can improve the efficiency of matching buyers with supplier.

Citation

Blombäck, A. (2009), "Chapter 6 Brand meaning and impact in subcontractor contexts", Glynn, M.S. and Woodside, A.G. (Ed.) Business-To-Business Brand Management: Theory, Research and Executivecase Study Exercises (Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 223-261. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1069-0964(2009)0000015010