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Given the emergent nature of i‐branding as an academic field of study and a lack of applied research output, the aim of this paper is to explain how businesses manage i‐branding to create brand equity.

Within a case‐study approach, seven cases were developed from an initial sample of 20 food businesses. Additionally, utilising secondary data, the analysis of findings introduces relevant case examples from other industrial sectors.

Specific internet tools and their application are discussed within opportunities to create brand equity for products classified by experience, credence and search characteristics. An understanding of target customers will be critical in underpinning the selection and deployment of relevant i‐branding tools. Tools facilitating interactivity – machine and personal – are particularly significant.

Future research positioned within classification of goods constructs could provide further contributions that recognise potential moderating effects of product/service characteristics on the development of brand equity online. Future studies could also employ the i‐branding conceptual framework to test its validity and develop it further as a means of explaining how i‐branding can be managed to create brand equity.

While previous research has focused on specific aspects of i‐branding, this paper utilises a conceptual framework to explain how diverse i‐branding tools combine to create brand equity. The literature review integrates fragmented literature around a conceptual framework to produce a more coherent understanding of extant thinking. The location of this study within a classification of goods context proved critical to explaining how i‐branding can be managed.

To derive an applicable conceptual framework of branding via the internet form; to show how that framework can, by organising and integrating current knowledge, assist marketing planners in the development of successful internet‐based branding strategies.

The conceptual framework presented here derives from a thorough analytical and critical review of the literature on branding in the conventional and virtual marketing environments.

There are three key themes in the mainstream branding literature, supplemented in the proposed framework by a fourth research stream self‐evidently relevant to internet‐based branding. It is clear that the resulting four main elements of the framework are strongly interrelated in the practice of brand management in the online environment.

The “Four Pillars of i‐Branding” should be of intellectual interest and practical value to marketing planners and those advising them, providing a more systematic approach to the understanding and application of branding, online.

The literature of “i‐Branding” is at present at a formative stage, with limited integration among its themes. The framework described here provides the basis for the rational formulation and implementation of branding strategies, applying internet‐based tools to the tasks of marketing communication and customer relationship‐building in particular.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the overall branding logic of an international industrial company operating in the renewable energy industry and to respond to calls for empirical research on how to build a business-to-business (B2B) brand in the digital age and how digital media can be used for branding. A digital branding model is also developed.

A single case study of a company at the forefront of digital media usage is used to develop the model. The main data come from semi-structured theme interviews and from content analysis of the channels used to create a brand on the Internet.

In the digital age, firms seem to benefit from having a strong market orientation and a holistic branding approach with robust integration of their different functions. Branding in the digital age not only requires strong internal communication and consistent external communication, but also positioning of the brand in topical conversations. For an industrial organization, becoming an opinion leader is a strategy well-suited to branding and can be supported by creating relevant content subsequently delivered through various social media channels.

The results of this study are based on a single case study and hence are not generalizable.

This study is among the first to respond to the calls for empirical research on industrial brand management in the digital age and contributes to the emerging B2B branding and branding on digital age literature.

This chapter describes the main issues in scientific literature related to industrial branding. First, we set the background focusing on industrial branding, followed by brand equity and measurement, and brand orientation in business markets. The second section relies on controversies and problems inherent in the gaps in theory and implementation of branding. The third section proposes several solutions and recommendations for academics and practitioners, followed by proposals for future research directions and conclusions. We also present a case study and several case questions arising.

The purpose of this paper is to respond to an earlier article in the Journal of Documentation: The Cult of the “I”.

The method is a form of critical response.

Numerous problems regarding the The Cult of the “I” article are discussed.

This paper puts forward views about the iSchools Movement.

Begins by reviewing the need to outsource logistics activities. Asserts that a new market‐led business philosophy has become the core competence of companies that are serious about their survival. Addresses the question of whether there is a need for localised services and whether the development of suppliers into giants who can dominate the market is good for users, clients or consumers. Expresses fear based upon practical experience in working with logistics service providers, of the growth of cartel‐like companies that will have a strangle‐hold on business. Pros and cons of large and small players are listed, leading to a structured argument.

The key benefits resulting from the development of effective brand names by firms operating in fiercely competitive food markets are outlined and the paucity of relevant research is noted. This article provides a managerially applicable model of brand name development and presents findings on this subject recently gathered in a survey of food manufacturers.

The purpose of this paper is to report on exploratory research that aims to contribute to knowledge on online branding, and the way in which the online channel is being used to support brands. The focus of this research is the top multi‐channel UK fashion retailers.

Content analyses were performed on the web sites of a number of top fashion and clothing retailers, plus three supermarket chains with a strong presence in clothes retailing. An analysis of the extent to which the retailers were using their web site to provide online services and information provided a context for a more detailed analysis of online branding strategies, including communicating brand identity and presence, and building brand relationships.

Most top “non‐value” fashion retailers offer transactions through their web site, offering extended opportunities for brand engagement and experience. While all fashion retailers achieve consistency of visual identity between the online and other channels, their use of the online channel to communicate brand values, and to promote brand relationships is underdeveloped. There is evidence of some innovative practice, but also scope for considerable further development of the notion of online branding. Research into online and multi‐channel branding has a role to play in supporting this process.

This study makes an important contribution to the under‐researched area of online branding, through a study of the online branding activities of top multi‐channel UK fashion retailers.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute knowledge on the issues and benefits associated with managing brand presence and relationships through social media. UK football clubs are big businesses, with committed communities of fans, so are an ideal context from which to develop an understanding of the issues and challenges facing organisations as they seek to protect and promote their brand online.

Due to the emergent nature of social media, and the criticality of the relationships between clubs and their fans, an exploratory study using a multiple case study approach was used to gather rich insights into the phenomenon.

Clubs agreed that further development of social media strategies had potential to deliver interaction and engagement, community growth and belonging, traffic flow to official web sites and commercial gain. However, in developing their social media strategies they had two key concerns. The first concern was the control of the brand presence and image in social media, and how to respond to the opportunities that social media present to fans to impact on the brand. The second concern was how to strike an appropriate balance between strategies that deliver short-term revenue, and those that build longer term brand loyalty.

This research is the first to offer insights into the issues facing organisations when developing their social media strategy.

The aim of this paper is to explore the meaning of the term “retail brand” to small‐ to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) owner managers and how this impacts upon brand management practice.

This research utilises a case study approach, which involved 12 SME retailers located in two regions of the UK, combining qualitative interview data with desktop research and documentary evidence.

The findings of this paper confirm that the owner manager is central to the brand management function in SME retail firms. Furthermore, it was found that the retail brand encompasses both symbolic and functional meaning to the owner manager.

This research contributes to the retail and SME literature by offering a conceptual framework, which presents the interpretation of the retail brand from abstractive, service and environmental perspectives.

It is recommended that SME owner managers set an overall direction for branding across all aspects of the retail business. In doing so, existing retail brand models may be utilised as a tool kit for SME brand managers.

The research begins to address a significant empirical lacuna in branding at the SME retail marketing interface. This paper also adds to wider marketing discourse, through the presentation of terminological adaptation within a small retailing situ.