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Article
Publication date: 12 February 2021

S. John Mano Raj

This study aims to explore the opportunities and methods for branding fresh tea leaves, currently sold as commodities in the B2B market, as an innovative method by engaging with a…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the opportunities and methods for branding fresh tea leaves, currently sold as commodities in the B2B market, as an innovative method by engaging with a smallholder group. The purpose is to enhance the market competitiveness of the significant number of small tea growers in developing economies.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory study was conducted comprising a qualitative survey of a farmers' group formed by the smallholding of tea gardens and the sourcing factories in the state of Assam, India. Relevant case studies on the branding of agricultural commodities were also analyzed.

Findings

Smallholding farmers, through collective efforts and with adequate extension and marketing support, can comply with the standards expected from their buyer. Perishable farm produce sold in the B2B market can be differentiated by exploiting attributes beyond the physical product. Market linkages established through innovative practices can enhance the market competitiveness of smallholdings.

Research limitations/implications

Successful branding of tea leaves can encourage similar practice in other agricultural crops as well. This will improve the quality of produce, increase the earnings of smallholdings and at the same time enhance customer value and satisfaction.

Originality/value

This paper is the first of its kind to investigate the opportunities for branding tea leaves produced by smallholdings and sold in the B2B market. The findings will be useful to researchers, smallholdings, policymakers, and consumers at large.

Details

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-0839

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 September 2013

Lalit Mohan Kathuria and Paramjeet Gill

The study was conducted with the aim of understanding brand awareness among consumers and analyzing the attitude of consumers towards selected branded commodity food products. An…

3496

Abstract

Purpose

The study was conducted with the aim of understanding brand awareness among consumers and analyzing the attitude of consumers towards selected branded commodity food products. An attempt was also made to examine the factors influencing the purchase of selected branded commodity food products.

Design/methodology/approach

The products selected for the study were branded rice and branded sugar. A sample of 200 respondents was selected from different localities of a city in India.

Findings

Major sources of awareness, for branded rice and branded sugar, are friends/relatives/reference groups, point-of-purchase display, and retailer's recommendations. Respondents perceive free from adulterants, free from insecticides/pesticides/harmful chemicals and social status as the most important parameters of branded rice and branded sugar. The most important factors influencing the purchase of branded rice and branded sugar were found to be flavor, aroma, free from insecticides or pesticides and free from adulterants.

Research limitations/implications

Further studies can be conducted with a larger sample size. Importance of brand equity with respect to commodity products can be analyzed.

Practical implications

Marketers could frame strategies for different market segments based on demographics. Brand awareness needs to be given adequate focus by the marketers.

Originality/value

This paper has made an attempt to study purchase behaviour with respect to commodity products. Not many studies have been undertaken to analyze brand awareness, and consumers' attitudes towards branded commodity food products in developing countries like India.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 115 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 11 June 2009

Donna F. Davis, Susan L. Golicic and Adam Marquardt

The failure to manage the firm's brand successfully with trading partners is a potentially fatal obstacle to success in today's hypercompetitive global economy. Strong brands

Abstract

The failure to manage the firm's brand successfully with trading partners is a potentially fatal obstacle to success in today's hypercompetitive global economy. Strong brands serve as an important point of differentiation for firms, assisting customers in their evaluation and choice processes. Considerable research exists on the branding of consumer goods, and the literature on business-to-business (B2B) brands and service brands is increasing. However, research on branding in the context of B2B services is relatively sparse. This paper integrates research in B2B brands and service brands to explore B2B service brands. The paper reports a multiple methods study of brands and brand management in the logistics services industry as a specific case of B2B service branding. The study addresses two research questions that are relevant for B2B service brands. First, how are brands perceived when the customer is an organization rather than an individual? Second, how do brands differentiate intangible offers that customers often consider as commodities? The first study reports data collected in an exploratory investigation comprised of depth interviews with representatives of logistics services firms and customers. The study supports the extendibility of Keller's brand equity framework into the B2B services context. The second study tests the framework using data collected in a mail survey of logistics service providers and customers. Results suggest that brands do differentiate the offerings of logistics service providers and that brand equity exists for this commodity-like B2B service. However, findings reveal differences in perceptions between service providers and customers. Specifically, brand image is a stronger influence on customers' perceptions of service providers' brand equity, whereas brand awareness is a stronger driver of the service providers' perceptions of their own brand equity. The paper discusses implications of these differences for managing B2B services.

Details

Business-To-Business Brand Management: Theory, Research and Executivecase Study Exercises
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84855-671-3

Abstract

Details

Strategic Marketing Management in Asia
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-745-8

Book part
Publication date: 14 October 2019

Wan-Yu Liu and Joseph S. Chen

This study attempts to demonstrate how a tourism attraction (i.e., museum) could establish its brand equity. It involves a case study on one of the most famous museums in Taiwan…

Abstract

This study attempts to demonstrate how a tourism attraction (i.e., museum) could establish its brand equity. It involves a case study on one of the most famous museums in Taiwan which involves an in-depth interview. The results show that the museum under investigation has established a clear brand identification and its brand communications but has a limited interpretation of its brand assets. Recommendations include strengthening its experiential propaganda, organizing large-scale intercity festivals, coordinating with other vendors to sell cultural products, increasing the number of professional exhibitions, and establishing a self-evaluation mechanism.

Article
Publication date: 28 June 2021

Katrina Sandbach

This paper discusses the notion of authenticity and the role of local creatives in the place branding process based on a case study of Mtns Made, a brand for the creative…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper discusses the notion of authenticity and the role of local creatives in the place branding process based on a case study of Mtns Made, a brand for the creative industries in the Blue Mountains of Sydney, Australia. This paper aims to examine the development, implementation and management of a place brand from the ground-up and explore the implications for a situated place branding practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The concept of brand culture was used as a theoretical lens to view place branding. A qualitative case study approach was taken, incorporating the collection of primary and secondary documents, observation of online platforms and real-world events, field notes and personal reflection from an insider position.

Findings

The findings of this study suggest that local creatives can and have played a central role in place branding. The study also illustrates a model for place branding that centres on stakeholder participation in an ongoing process.

Originality/value

Local culture and creativity are largely viewed as assets for place branding; this paper draws attention to the agency of local creatives in the place branding process. This study offers three pillars of place brand authenticity and establishes a framework for place brand analysis based on a branding design strategy.

Details

Journal of Place Management and Development, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2010

Stuart Roper and Gary Davies

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether the affective components of brand association influence the key stakeholders of business‐to‐business (B2B) brands. The aim is to…

7065

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether the affective components of brand association influence the key stakeholders of business‐to‐business (B2B) brands. The aim is to demonstrate the importance of branding to organisations involved only in B2B markets by testing three hypotheses: that the customer's affective brand associations predict satisfaction with the company; that customer and employee affective brand associations correlate, and; that the better the training employees believe they receive, the stronger their affective brand associations and the higher their satisfaction with the organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a survey of the customers (280) and employees (367) of two construction companies involved only in B2B markets using a multidimensional measure of corporate brand personality. Structural equation modelling and regression are used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Customer satisfaction is predicted by corporate brand personality. The customer view correlates significantly with the employee view. The quality of training in turn helps predict the employee view and their satisfaction.

Practical implications

Building affective associations with a pure B2B brand is an effective way to increase customer satisfaction. This in turn appears to depend on the employee view which depends, inter alia, on their view of the quality of training they receive. Further work is required to identify other factors that may influence the employee view of a B2B brand and how the employee view influences the customer view.

Originality/value

Few studies in B2B marketing are of companies involved only in B2B markets, despite the large number of firms and the volume of business that is conducted in this sector. The study demonstrates both the influence of a strong brand image in B2B marketing but also how customers might acquire such an image.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 44 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 November 2023

Vibhava Srivastava, Deva Rangarajan and Vishag Badrinarayanan

This study aims to investigate the role of three customer equity drivers on customer repurchase intent in business-to-business (B2B) markets. It also explores the interconnected…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of three customer equity drivers on customer repurchase intent in business-to-business (B2B) markets. It also explores the interconnected nature of equity drivers, specifically, the effects of brand equity and value equity on relationship equity. Further, it investigates how perceived switching costs moderates the interrelationships between customer equity drivers. The authors explore the interrelationships between the customer equity drivers in a B2B context involving commodity products in a developing market.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collection was done from a pool of 184 institutional customers of a lubricant brand in a developing market. The sample had representations of buyer organizations across sectors, namely, automobile, cement, metal, fertilizer, railway, defence and mining, etc. The final data were subjected to partial least squares-based structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized model.

Findings

The study found a direct effect of brand equity, and value equity on relationship equity and an indirect effect on repurchase intent, namely, relationship equity. Perceived switching cost was found to moderate the interaction between brand equity and relationship equity as well as between value equity and relationship equity. The direct effect of relationship equity on repurchase intent was also significant.

Practical implications

The study implies that B2B firms should ground their marketing program on these customer equity drivers, especially when dealing with commodity products. The absence of any of these drivers would be detrimental in customer retention. The study also establishes the relevance of switching cost(s) and its impact on the underlying dynamics between the different equity drivers in the context of commodity products. The customer equity drivers along with switching costs, if managed well, may become switching barriers for customers and eventually would ensure recurring revenue through repeat purchases.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies that focuses on the disaggregated effect of customer equity on customer outcomes in the B2B context. Furthermore, this study investigates how perceived switching costs moderates the interrelationships between customer equity drivers in the industrial sales context in an emerging market.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 June 2019

Priyanka Sharma, Raghu Nandan Sengupta and J. David Lichtenthal

The purpose of this paper is to highlight various aspects of business-to-business brand equity (B2BBE) and explain relative impact of marketing/advertising, research and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight various aspects of business-to-business brand equity (B2BBE) and explain relative impact of marketing/advertising, research and development (R&D), human resource and distribution network to build compelling business brands that display better firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 51 in-depth semi-structured interviews with distributors and industrial buyers revealed different facets of B2BBE. Generalized method of moments (GMM) was applied on a large-scale panel data set of industrial firms to estimate the effects of firms’ R&D, advertising/marketing, distribution and staff training (proxy to sources of B2BBE) on sales.

Findings

First, varying levels of product application criticality and end-customer brand stature reflect four distinct organizational purchase requirements, namely, assured performance, prestige, brand leaders and commodity. Second, a taxonomy of five sources of B2BBE (prominence, solutions, accessibility, relationships and network strength) manifests buyers’ interactive experience during the purchase cycle. Third, it illustrates the positive short-term effect of all explanatory variables coupled with the positive long-term impact of R&D on sales.

Practical implications

Features like B2C brand image, clear and precise product information, credit/flexible payment terms, distributor image, add-on services to the core product and upstream–downstream referrals characterize strong brands. GMM model results help managers, in budget allocation.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies in proposing a comprehensive B2BBE framework based on triangulation; deployment of a common structure to simultaneously investigate distributors and industrial buyers, to discover whether their philosophies reinforce/undermine industrial branding strategies; and suggesting the use of GMM model to arrive at actionable insights.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 37 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 9 August 2018

Anna-Greta Nyström, Jan-Åke Törnroos, Nikolina Koporcic and Maria Ivanova-Gongne

This final chapter of the book provides an up-to-date overview of research on B2B branding. The chapter discusses the current academic endeavors and propositions from researchers…

Abstract

This final chapter of the book provides an up-to-date overview of research on B2B branding. The chapter discusses the current academic endeavors and propositions from researchers in the field, while focusing on the discipline of B2B marketing. It furthermore elaborates on the importance of brands and branding for decision-making processes by discussing the role of B2B buyers and sellers. Additionally, branding as part of marketing has been reviewed from its historical background and the first attempts to develop its conceptual background. The chapter then focuses on business buyers and their main characteristics with regard to brand relevance. Finally, the key challenges of developing a strong B2B brand are presented and discussed, after which future research avenues and upcoming trends within the B2B branding context are considered. Digitalization and the digital context are identified as important areas to know in the future, as they are increasingly becoming important stages for marketing activities within the B2B domain. The digital context is a specific platform to explore further. In addition, the intangible aspects of B2B branding that are still unknown to many managers and academics, such as emotions in situations of interaction and sales are explored. From a thematic point of view, sustainability issues will become increasingly important to handle in organizations, which will put pressure on B2B marketers, as sustainability can be communicated through the corporate brand and related branding efforts.

Details

Developing Insights on Branding in the B2B Context
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-276-9

Keywords

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