Authors: Mari Juntunen; Minna Malaska; Saila Saraniemi
Abstract
Purpose of the paper and literature addressed: The purpose of this paper is to identify stakeholders that might play a part in an SME‟ s corporate branding activity and to describe the interdependencies between the actors in relation to the corporate brand in a B2B setting. The paper elaborates on the recent interest in „relationship-centred‟ B2B branding that considers the focal network actors as embedded in the brand building process rather than as external targets. The focus is on corporate branding in SMEs in particular. The current research on B2B branding is mainly about product branding in large companies, so tends to overlook the SME environment, and also largely ignores the view of the network actors on how they are engaged in the corporate branding of other companies.
The study relies on the corporate branding and stakeholder research integrated with literature on industrial relationships and networks especially from the small and medium sized business viewpoint. The result is a detailed examination of corporate branding research and SME branding research concerning the inter-organizational nature of corporate branding that is intended to conceptualize the phenomenon.
Research method: This study adopts the network perspective to reflect the perceptions of multiple actors operating in the network instead of a focal company alone. The empirical data were gathered in 13 in-depth interviews with SME managers and key company stakeholders to provide evidence of stakeholders engaging in SME corporate branding in B2B markets. The empirical data are analyzed in terms of systematic coding and categorization of qualitative evidence given by the interviewees.
Research findings: The study revealed that B2B SMEs are connected with a wide range of network actors that may affect the SMEs‟ corporate branding. These actors are classified as follows: Brand advisors, Brand associates, Brand advocates, Brand authorities and Brand assistants.
Main contribution: The study makes two preliminary theoretical contributions. First, given the network approach, the study contributes to the research on industrial networks by suggesting that SMEs‟ overall brand performance is influenced by different network actors who the company is not necessarily able to control. Second, it extends both the existing SME corporate branding and stakeholder discussions by revealing and conceptualizing five groups of stakeholders/actors involved in the corporate branding process. The actors form five groups that can be further divided into two categories first, those that are involved in the brand management process through intentionally established (i.e. strategic) network relations, and second, those that contribute to the brand development process through a broader network of interconnected relations. Considerations for brand managers and suggestions for future research are also presented.
Keywords: Network actors, B2B SMEs, corporate branding, industrial network relations
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Conference: Glasgow, Scotland (2011)