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Corporate brand ing

Corporate branding is the creation of visual and verbal elements that contribute to the formation of a unique image of a company or corporation. From a branding standpoint, a company is a product that needs to have memorable features and characteristics in order to sell successfully. When developing corporate branding, one should take into account not only consumer interests, but also partner interests. The competitive environment and other third-party enterprises with similar activities are carefully studied. The reputation and style of corporate brands are just as important as those of consumer brands.

What does it give you?

A solid image of a company that will only evoke positive associations among the target audience, partners and employees, as well as work to increase profits.

The new face of very good windows "AKTO"

From an unknown b2b-company "Profile-Service" we made a bright and truly "people's" company "AKTO" - the leader in recognition in the south of Siberia.

We offer a full range of corporate branding services. If you have questions or are looking for a contractor, call the office + 7-495-961-70-69 or directly to your mobile + 7-903-124-76-21. You can send a brief to.

A successful business strategy starts with developing corporate branding. Modern companies, regardless of their size, from small businesses to international corporations, consider this stage as the basis of strategic marketing.

The role of corporate branding

Every brand, in every industry, has an intangible asset, let's call it an image. The task of the company's management is to maximize the estimated share of the brand image in the total value of the company.

Corporate branding is directly responsible for the comprehensive development and implementation of a brand image strategy.

IQBrand branding agency has been developing corporate branding for over 10 years. During this time, we have created and reconstructed dozens of leading brands and trade marks in various sectors of the Russian economy.

Corporate branding services

Our experience in launching federal brands allowed us to develop our own expert-level technologies.

Corporate branding is divided into several key stages. The depth of elaboration of individual stages may vary, but their sequence is always the same.

Order the development of corporate branding

When should you start building your brand image? - At the beginning.

Do you want to become an industry leader, be it legal services or mechanical engineering? - Then you must understand the importance of developing a strong brand.

A strong and holistic brand is the foundation for building loyal relationships with the target audience and strengthening the company's competitiveness.

Having rich experience in the development of brand strategies in diverse industries, IQBrand recommends that all its clients put forward the task of strengthening the brand as a priority direction of the company's development.

To order services for the development of corporate branding, contact us at + 7-495-961-70-69 or leave a request.

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Definition and function of a corporate brand

A corporate brand is, in the aggregate, an image that has developed in the minds of the main target audiences, stable associations that personify the corporation and its activities.

The image for each target audience will be its own, special, since the wishes and interests of the target audience are also unique and individual. Therefore, it is important to learn the "language" with which you can establish stable contact and beneficial relationships with the consumer.

When forming a corporate image, it is important to know who to target, to know the portrait (interests and values ​​of the consumer). It is necessary to maintain a balance in work, distribute efforts and prioritize depending on the goals and objectives of the business, as well as the mission, principles, values, competitors - which is expressed in the whole development strategy of the company.

A well-built corporate brand creates a positive attitude towards the company of the main target audiences, which have an important impact on the development of the company. Of course, the number of audiences is directly proportional to the specifics and size of the company (field of activity).

For a more detailed study of the corporate brand, it is important to remember its components, which are the basis of a strong corporate image.

A corporate brand consists of three elements that must be correctly formulated and conveyed to the key target audience (including with the help of PR tools)

Components of a corporate brand

The main components by which the company builds its activities: mission, visions, values, structure, management, history of the corporation, strategy of the corporation.

A visual image is formed using visual components, as well as graphic attributes. For example: logo, corporate identity, corporate documentation design, website, etc.

Procedures - the prescribed rules and principles of the corporation's interaction with the main stakeholders (in fact, the interaction policy).

* Stakeholders - physical a person or organization that has rights, share, requirements or interests regarding the system or its properties that satisfy their needs and expectations.

Communication is a tool for the formation and management of a corporate image and corporate reputation.

The role of the main components in the development of the company and the formation of a stable image:

Strategic components are the foundation of the brand;

Visual components - brand appearance;

Procedures - the policy of the corporation's interaction;

Communication - communicating benefits, building and managing a corporate image and corporate reputation.

Strategic components

Mission (For whom we do and what?)

Vision (How to realize this mission? Aspiration? What is the future?)

Values ​​/ policy (What are we guided by? What are the values?)

The structure of the corporation (Coverage? What is each part of the corporation responsible for?)

Corporate management (What are we? Management?)

Development history (How did it all begin?)

Strategy / plans for the future (What plans?)

Corporate and Social responsibility(What benefits do representatives of target audiences get from our activities?)

The last component of the corporate brand usually reveals the real "face" of the company. And also, a lot of research indicates that the buyer / representative relationship definitely depends on focused corporate and social responsibility.

Let's say a company creates exceptionally high-quality non-GMO products (for customers):

  • - technologies are being improved in order to minimize the harm caused to the environment (for general org.)
  • - tens of thousands of citizens find work, thanks to the company, as well as the state. budget increases (for state authorities)
  • - decent working conditions, excellent social package (for staff, trade unions, etc.)

Formulations directly from the goals of the company, the interests of the target audience, as well as the real state of affairs. Such statements must be implemented.

And the publication of the annual report, the periodical corporate press can be a confirmation of all of the above.

In the process of development, the corporate brand is integrated into all components of modern business.

A corporate brand can form and express the benefits from the company's activities for each audience, involve it in the process of achieving business goals and objectives, move competitors, and achieve respect. And all because the corporate brand forms and communicates the company's philosophy, strategy to all target audiences, creates a strong core, including shareholders, management, personnel, customers, partners and the state.

Brand Attributes

For a more successful formation of a corporate image and its development, it is important to develop a strong brand-identification, thanks to which the representatives of the target audience will remember, associate the name much faster, and associate emotions when interacting with the company.

The corporate identity is a kind of "button" in the subconscious of the buyer. When a consumer sees a unique corporate identity, this button is triggered and a certain impression is formed about this company and what this company does.

It is logical to assume that if the identification is weak, then the set of associations with the company will be incomplete and unclear. It should be noted that the presence of an interesting brand identity simplifies the work of managing a corporate brand at the communications level.

Brand in everything

To build a successful corporate brand, it is important to follow the developed image and prescribed guidelines / statements (mission, values, news stories, etc.) If a company claims the high quality of its products, then the quality must correspond to the statement, otherwise a discrepancy with reality can cause great damage to the company ( relationship with the consumer: the buyer may lose confidence and will use products from competitors).

The work on describing the processes and areas of activity (within the limits of brand formation) that support the corporate brand should be carried out for each group of stakeholders.

Brand communications play a central role in shaping and maintaining the desired corporate brand image and a positive corporate reputation on the way out.

This is how the necessary corporate image is formed and, as a result, the necessary attitude and behavior.

A corporate brand is not needed by companies that have not exhausted their extensive growth reserves and are not interested in increasing business efficiency and its market value through the growth of intangible assets. It is also useless in cases where the company does not have a stable staff, there are no permanent partners and customers, and does not want to correct the situation.

The development of a corporate brand is a truly important contribution to a sustainable future. Not only a positive image is formed, but also a reputation is maintained. However, a corporate brand requires constant monitoring, as well as good performance among senior management and specialists.

1.2 Features of the use of PR tools in the process of promoting the brand of organizations in the process of promoting the brand of organizations

Taken together, PR is a system of measures to influence a wide audience, which has no pronounced boundaries. The main task of PR is to create trust among consumers.

The main goal of public-relations is to create an atmosphere of trust between an individual and a group, a group and society as a whole, as well as to provide informational influence on society as a whole. And the constant improvement of external and internal communications of the company is his immediate task.

To date, empirically accumulated, tested and formed, a huge bank of PR tools. It is tirelessly replenished with more and more new tools and forms of influence, in parallel with the technical, social and economic development of society. Information progress makes it possible for new types of advertising, gives rise to new methods within public communications, and most importantly, it constantly improves and creates new ways of transmitting and disseminating information.

But the basic PR tools are quite easy to identify:

· Organization of various kinds of events:

Exhibitions, seminars, competitions, forums and presentations

Pr on the Internet

One of the largest and most fertile platforms for public relations. Publishing news, packs, press releases and any other information about the company on the home site and on third-party thematic sites.

One of the relatively young, but insanely effective tools. Participation in forums, creation and maintenance of groups in all possible social networks, mandatory duplication of company news feeds there, direct interaction with the audience through blogs, receiving feedback in the comments - all this can and will have an effect after a long time. However, such a tool also requires a lot of time and labor costs from specialists.

· Interaction with the media

Placing information in the media, for example, appearing in the specialized press. Monitoring and content analysis of publications in the media.

· Printed publications

Magazines, brochures, leaflets, posters, information brochures, calendars and other printing opportunities.

  • · Public performance
  • Sponsorship

Such actions contribute well to the formation of a positive public opinion about the company, as well as form the company's image, including it in a wider social context. These events are being held with very dense media support. The effectiveness of this tool strongly depends on the breadth of coverage of the campaign.

Website promotion

This tool is mainly aimed at consumer information support.

But these are only the most basic, generalized types of PR tools. In each of them, dozens of independent tools can be distinguished, which can be effective in different ways for each specific business.

Their correct use directly depends not only on profitability and payback, but also on the fate of the business in the market as a whole.

The task of advertising is to inform, convince, remind the consumer about the product. Its main feature is a direct, impersonal appeal to the target audience. PR, on the other hand, helps to achieve harmony in the perception of the company and its activities by the consumer by building a dialogue with the public, which is key factor in strengthening the company's important intangible asset - its reputation.

Participation in exhibitions and forums

By participating in specialized exhibitions, fairs and forums, you can get the maximum effect in promoting the company, its products and services. It is on such events that key partners and potential customers are most concentrated. You can also familiarize yourself with competitors and their advantages in order to subsequently identify their strengths.

PR on the Internet (news, releases, articles)

The Internet is one of the largest platforms for promoting a company. Therefore, a competent public relations specialist does not neglect this space, posting news, releases and articles both on his own website and on various third-party information portals.

PR articles in the specialized press

The effectiveness of this tool was noted by more than 98% of respondents. A competent and professional article describing the competitive advantages of a company and giving a lot of arguments in favor of "your" product or service can work a miracle. And with a regular, but not intrusive, submission of information once a month, you can create a positive image of the company among potential consumers and form its image in the eyes of the audience.

No less effective tool compared to posting news, releases and articles on the Internet. The only difference is that active participation in social networks, forums, blogs, posting comments gives an effect after a longer time, and also requires patience and perseverance from a specialist.

PR events for clients

The organization of PR events for clients was assessed by only 49% of the respondents. This promotion tool lags behind the previous four places by a huge margin, given that the last item got 80% of the vote. This suggests that many professionals should consider improving the effectiveness of this tool. The same applies to educational institutions that train specialists in public relations: state and non-state universities that offer full-time, part-time, and distance learning of this profession.

The rating also includes the following PR tools: press releases (46%), PR articles in the business press (41%), PR events for partners (30%), PR events for employees (25%), monitoring and content -analysis of publications in the media and press events (16% each), research in the field of PR (9%), press tours (6%).

Media relaions is one of the Public Relations tools that has its own characteristics and differences from other marketing tools. The tool is aimed at creating goodwill relations between the organization and the public, achieving mutual understanding based on truth and full information. Specific traits:

  • - the non-commercial nature of the transmitted information. The tool is aimed at building reputation, not demand.
  • - focus on long-term relationships. It is impossible to create an image of an organization in a short time: having created an image, it is impossible to stop working on it.
  • - openness and reliability. This area of ​​communication does not withstand falsehood, exaggeration and deception.
  • - unpredictability of consequences. When trying to accommodate different interests, it is very difficult to take into account all the consequences.

A press conference is a PR event that aims to present information to the media. There are usually two or three speakers at the event, covering different aspects of the news occasion. The duration of the event is on average 30-40 minutes.

Briefing is a meeting for a positional statement, used in emergency, force majeure situations.

Two or three speakers will deliver short statements. This event lasts 10-15 minutes for reports, about 20 minutes for questions and answers.

Seminar, "round table" - an event held for specialized media with the aim of in-depth acquaintance with the products,

Press tour, Open Doors Day - acquaintance of journalists with the company's business process, production or the process of providing services, etc. Quite an interesting and complex enterprise that requires high professionalism of guides or speakers. Depending on the organization, it can last from 1 to 3 days.

Press Club - regular communication with journalists with the involvement of top-persons of the company and the market. The event is attended by several VIPs, market and industry experts. Duration 2-2.5 hours. In addition to events for the press, there are also events with the participation of the press:

Presentation, opening ceremony - presentation of the company, goods, services for clients, partners, press.

Reception, cocktail - meeting with clients and partners for any reason. As a rule, two or three loyal journalists are invited to such events.

Seminar, conference - a detailed presentation by a company of its products, goods or services for customers and partners.

Exhibition - participation of the company's exposition in specialized exhibition... When organizing events for the press, remember that "an event for the secular press, spoiled by 'hangouts', needs an original concept." The concept should be designed not only for the occasion, but also for the audience. Any even the smallest event should be carefully thought out and prepared.

The program of the event is based on the principle of convenience for journalists. You need to consider:

  • -day of the week. The most convenient are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, because there is an opportunity to carry out follow-up work on the eve of the event, and weekly publications will be able to use the information directly this week.
  • -Start time.
  • -Duration. Do not delay the events, this will cause some inconvenience to you and your guests. The optimal time is 40 minutes - an hour.
  • - A place. Better if it is the city center, not far from the metro. If the chosen site has an inconvenient location, take care of free transport and parking for cars.
  • - Informal communication. Journalists will probably want to do mini-interviews or just chat with speakers. The most convenient way to do this is during a buffet table, which is also important to provide. It is necessary to remember about press materials, which must also be present, regardless of the type of event. It includes: press release, background, event program and other materials that you deem necessary.

PR documents for the media. All PR texts have their own style and purpose. For PR-texts, the following features are characteristic: - the text should influence the addressee and encourage him to take action, but this is not advertising text, and therefore should not contain advertising slogans and superlatives, such as "the best", "the most reliable", etc. - the text should be as accessible as possible for the addressee, which means it should contain a minimum of complex speech patterns, terms and abbreviations; the number of adverbs, adjectives, participles and adverbs should also be reduced. One idea, one sentence. Complex sentences are difficult to understand. - “the recipient of the text should perceive the idea of ​​the message not as direct pressure on him, but as his position, the fruit of his own deep thoughts” - evaluations and comparisons in the text reflect the position of the organization; it is necessary to exclude from the text of the appeal from the first person, instead of them "the company acts as an organizer", etc. The types of PR texts are as follows: press release, background, press kit, newsletter, fact list, etc.

Press release - a press release, is a basic tool for compiling information on any given topic that you want to report to the media. A press release as one of the means of disseminating information summarizes all the necessary characteristics of the object and brings your news to the right audience. A good press release is 70% successful. Therefore, you need to write very good, just great! Lists of tips and rules on how to write a press release are fairly common. One of the basic rules: a press release must answer five questions: when? where? who? what? as? Some slopes to add to this list another question, why? or for what purpose? For myself, I conclude that the more answers to different questions, the better! The press release must contain contact information so that “on occasion” you can be contacted.

Particular attention should be paid to the design of the press release. It should contain: a company logo, a title that reflects the main idea of ​​the release, date, phone, fax and e-mail address of contact persons, as well as, preferably, quotes from the leaders of the company or project.

You can also point out the desirable presence of numbers and facts in your press release. They act as bait for journalists.

Backgroundr. (literal translation - "phonovik") contains information about the "background" that surrounds the event. It is carried out in the form of a collection of facts: field of activity, mission of the company, number of employees, achievements and awards, etc.

A fact sheet is a kind of reference, a set of facts. The fact sheet is not a complete coherent text. Press kit - set, package for the media. Contains: press release, background, biography, photo, fact sheet and other materials.

The newsletter ("news letter") contains useful information and is intended for regular distribution to target audiences (media, clients, employees, etc.) There are no strict requirements for its structure and content.

“If a person does not know which port he is sailing to,
no wind will be fair for him. "
Lucius Annay Seneca

Marketing management in an industrial context became widespread many years ago, leading to the creation of several departments of product and service marketing in the United States. industrial use... This came under the influence of increasing competitive pressures and a rapidly changing environment, which forced companies to strengthen their focus on customers. Many industry organizations have realized that by applying the concepts and practices of consumer companies to their environment, they can benefit in the same way their B2C counterparts do.

Unfortunately, the topic of branding has been overlooked in many cases. In recent years, many books have appeared on business marketing. A very solid and valuable book in this area is Business Market Management by J. Andersen and J. Narus. In the second edition of the book, the authors included new sections on brands and brand building, thereby confirming that interest in these concepts in business markets is growing. We want to go even further: branding should be the thread running through the entire marketing discipline.

Understanding brand management as a simple job of naming, design or advertising is superficial and shortens the expected life cycle of a brand. If a company wants to fully leverage brands as strategic tools, it must be prepared to host a large volume of marketing analysis and brand planning (Figure 3.1). However, many companies are too preoccupied with tactics and therefore fail to achieve optimal solutions for their brands. This requires an understanding of the difference in the role of marketing in those cases when it comes to the short and long term, as well as the fact that strategic and operational marketing are two separate activities. While marketing is equally an art and a science, it goes far beyond cute logos and eye-catching packaging designs. It is a discipline that has the ability to direct and influence and should be an integral part of the long-term strategy of the organization. Thus, brand management is the organizational framework that systematically guides the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of brand strategy. This chapter analyzes the fundamentals and concepts of branding that are relevant in industrial markets.

When developing a holistic brand strategy, all levels of marketing management must be considered. In addition, the active involvement of all relevant internal company departments and third-party agencies is essential to maximize the chances of success. This holistic approach can also provide important insight into the process of capturing customer value. Achieving long-term success requires a company to continually identify value opportunities (value learning), translate them into new and promising value propositions (value creation), and leverage the capabilities and infrastructure to efficiently deliver these new value propositions (value delivery).

Rice. 3.1. Guiding Principle: Aspects of Branding

Integrating the activities of learning, creating and delivering value within a holistic marketing concept is an effective way to create the foundation for competitive advantage and long-term profitability. These value-driven actions need to be placed in the context of all participants in the branding triangle (buyers, company, and resellers). By shifting the gaze from a single piece to the big picture, a company can create a better value chain that delivers high levels of product quality, service, and speed. The challenge is to achieve effective growth by increasing customer engagement, building customer loyalty and achieving customer lifetime value. Leveraging customer value more effectively also fosters mutually rich business relationships and the shared economic prosperity of all stakeholders.

Holistic marketers drive profitable growth by increasing customer share, building customer loyalty and winning customers among relevant actors (customers, company, and resellers) and value-driven activists. In order to create and maintain the sustainable competitive advantage offered by a brand, companies must concentrate their resources, structure and financial statements around this most important capital.

A company's implementation of an effective branding strategy helps to consistently identify which elements of the brand are most useful in order to convey its message to the selected target group. But before you can accelerate the branding process, it's important to create a proposal that you will be delivering a product or service over and over again.

How Brands Create B2B Value

A strong brand is inextricably linked to creating and maintaining specific perceptions in the minds of customers. In order to give a brand a certain value, you must first understand what values ​​customers already see in it. The brand name and its associations are a short summary of everything it has to offer. Product quality, delivery reliability, quality / price ratio - all this is reflected in the way a given brand is perceived. Figuring out what people associate with your brand is only one part of the equation. You need to take the next step and give your brand values ​​a monetary value. Even the best advertisement cannot create what does not exist. If a company is devoid of soul or heart, if it does not understand what a brand is, or is cut off from the outside world, there is little chance that its marketing work will find a serious response from anyone.

A strong brand also involves understanding how consumers perceive every aspect of an organization's operations. For branding to be effective, it must be consistent and understandable. Wordy statements of company goals and logo play alone cannot make up a brand. Moreover, brands are not static, but are in constant development. They can change depending on the expectations of stakeholders and market conditions, regardless of whether you notice these changes. It is important to manage this development, whether unexpected or expected, rather than just letting it happen.

In order to develop an effective branding approach, it is necessary to track and measure the strength of the existing brand and the entire brand portfolio. To deeply understand the business environment, you need to do some research that can later serve as a basis for future brand strategy. Today's research tools are easy to use but also very complex, but if a company wants to understand the market and customer perspectives of its brand portfolio, they cannot do without them. All information must be carefully evaluated and all factors taken into account.

Consider, for example, three computer brands - Dell, Sony, and IBM - that do mostly the same thing. Nevertheless, for potential buyers one of them can serve as a symbol of flexibility, another as a symbol of innovation, and the third as a symbol of quality. All three companies share these values, but only one of them can be superior in each area. This creates an opportunity for it to gain a competitive advantage. While this is obvious, only a small number of industrial companies have strategic brand management plans to achieve this level.

There are few companies whose brand essence is reflected in everything they do. This is sometimes difficult to achieve. There are always people inside the company who offer future-oriented values ​​and strategies, but there are also those who want to see what is more reflective of the present moment. Some aim for the complex, while others try to find the simpler. Some are happy with the opportunity to act in accordance with the opinions existing within the company, while others insist on an independent view from the outside. A company that makes the wrong decision may be missing out on the single most important differentiation opportunity.

In a world characterized by ever-increasing similarities, brands represent one of the few opportunities to shape difference. What is brand equity? Brand equity generally implies brand value. According to Andersen and Narus, it can be reflected in different preferred actions or in the following reactions of buyers.

There are other definitions of brand equity. For example, Dwayne Knapp speaks of "the totality of brand perceptions, including the relative quality of products and services, financial performance, customer loyalty, satisfaction, and overall respect for the brand." According to Aaker, brand equity refers to "the assets (or liabilities) associated with a brand name and branding that add (or subtract) something to a product or service."

Whether you define brand equity in common terms, or use a technical or even mathematical approach, the result is the same. You end up with the following brand equity drivers:

  • perceived quality;
  • name awareness;
  • brand associations;
  • brand loyalty.

Naturally, there is no doubt that the perceived quality of a product is an important driving force of value. Name awareness also matters, but should not be overestimated, as we will discuss in Chapter 6. Brand associations are typically anything that connects a customer to a brand, including the user's imagination, product attributes, use situations, brand personality. and symbols. The most important driver of brand equity, however, remains brand loyalty.

In order to create a holistic brand strategy, you must, among other things, strive for complete alignment between what you promise outside the company and what you actually represent within the organization. Brand strategy should be consistent with corporate strategy. If there are any discrepancies or cracks, they will very soon be noticed, first by the employees of the company, and then by the consumers.

There is a crucial point in B2B brand management: consistency. Let's take digital imaging as an example. Publishers, advertisers, corporations all have valuable digital assets that are integral to their businesses. From a technical point of view, the image that was originally used in print advertising, might as well be used on television, on the Internet, or on DVDs. However, many corporate publishers are unfortunately forced to reinvent the graphical wheel every time they present a brand in a new medium.

How to make a consistent impression

As noted earlier, brands are sets of expectations and associations that arise from the experience of contact with a company, product or service, that is, with what customers think and feel that the company or offer can do for them. In this regard, brands are built not only through marketing activities, but also on the basis of the general experience of the buyer's contacts with the company, its products and services, word of mouth, interactions with company personnel, experience from online and telephone communication and payment transactions. Hence, it is only natural that brand building touches every point of contact. In order to use a brand, you need to know all of its points of contact with the buyer, from the call center to the people who carry out direct sales.

Whether you are using concepts such as touchpoints, touchpoints, or brand contacts, it can all be summed up as any informative experience an existing or potential customer has when dealing with a brand. This approach also emphasizes that brand influence extends far beyond the marketing department, into every nook and cranny of the organization. The brand should be seen as the main strategic asset of the company that needs to be protected, developed and built over time. Understanding a brand as communicating with customers means that you must deliver on that promise consistently and consistently across all touchpoints. An effective brand promise needs to be well-defined, relevant and compelling, and should not be confused with exaggerated marketing promises. You have to keep doing it and making a consistent impression at all points of contact. Or, as Lovemarks author Kevin Roberts puts it:

      Act, act, act.
      Respect is built only on the basis of performance.
      Actions at all touchpoints without exception.

So, in order to ensure a consistent experience, you need to implement a holistic branding approach at all points of contact. This means that you must know all of these points. This is especially important in the service sector, where there is more direct contact between companies and buyers than in other business sectors. Thousands of employees must behave according to the brand and its promise. Controlling every touchpoint that can arise between a stakeholder and a brand is challenging. However, there are many companies that have proven that it is possible to create such a consistent impression with their excellent branding strategies. For example, FedEx is doing serious work in this regard. So what is meant by “all” points of contact?

Figure 3.2 shows the relationship between the brand and the customer, from the pre-screening stage to the ongoing relationship.

Controlling all possible points of contact within the brand-customer relationship does not imply that these points should remain as clear and precise as possible. It is recommended to work closely with customers, which makes it possible to translate the relationship between the buyer and the supplier into a strategic partnership, in almost any area of ​​business. Caterpillar is a great example of a company that is expanding its customer relationships to create maximum value for both parties. CAT engineers work closely with OEMs to provide information on coatings used in all types of construction equipment. This cuts development time and reduces tooling and manufacturing costs. At the same time, it improves the productivity of CAT products. The result is a successful combination of iron parts and electronics in the machines manufactured by CAT, making them powerful and productive.


Rice. 3.2. The relationship between brand and customer

3.1. Distinctive features of the brand

Brand architecture

In general, brand strategy can be defined as the selection of common and distinctive elements that a company uses for the various goods and services it sells and for the company itself. Strategy reflects the number and nature of new and existing brand elements while guiding decisions on how to brand new products. In other words, the brand strategy defines the future image of the company, which it should strive for, offering an action plan and criteria for its assessment. The strategy is based on specific future goals. These include the most common tasks related to customers: raising awareness of the brand, creating a positive image and building brand loyalty. Brand strategy also aims to increase the appeal and attractiveness of the company in the eyes of target audiences that contribute to the management of the company, and to provide employees with criteria against which they can determine the value of their actions.

Aspects of strategic branding in B2B markets tend to be the same as those found in consumer markets. Branding strategy can be defined as a selection of common and distinctive brand elements used by a company in the various products and services it sells and within the company itself. It reflects the number and nature of new and existing brand elements, guiding decisions on how to brand new products. Structuring and managing a brand portfolio is one of the most difficult challenges companies face these days.

Developing a company-owned brand architecture is of particular importance as it defines the relationship between brands, a company, and goods and services. In the case of industrial companies, defining the brand hierarchy to be followed is the most important aspect of a branding strategy. The brand hierarchy can be described as a means of summarizing a branding strategy by displaying a clear order of all common and distinctive brand elements. It determines the quantity and nature of these elements in all the goods and services of the company. The range of possible brand relationships that companies can use is virtually unlimited.

In the one shown in Fig. 3.3 the diagram provides an overview of the spectrum of brand relationships proposed by Aaker and Joachimsthaler. The range of possible types of brand architecture includes different options - from "brand house" to "brand house". Many hybrid forms can be found within this range, usually including sub-brands and supported brands.


Rice. 3.3. Brand relationship spectrum

For simplicity, we will illustrate an overview of brand strategies available to companies using the example of a German firm. This overview is simple but comprehensive. Traditionally, strategic branding options have been organized into three main tiers:

  • individual brands;
  • family of brands;
  • corporate brands.

These options can also be seen as a kind of fundamental principle for dividing the available strategies. In reality, they are rarely found in their pure form. We are dealing mainly with overlapping hybrid forms of these generic brand strategies. Comparing them to the spectrum of brand relationships, we can see that they are not so different. The “brand house” corresponds to the corporate brand strategy (master brand, parent brand, umbrella or assortment brand), and the “brand house” corresponds to the strategy of the individual (product) brand. The main difference is that Aaker's model includes many more variations and hybrid forms. In addition, it presents a portfolio of all brands at the same time, rather than looking at possible brand strategies in isolation.

Each form has its own advantages and disadvantages. Typically, the choice and design of an appropriate branding strategy for a company is highly dependent on the type and nature of the business, the industry in which it operates, the social and economic environment, and customer perception. Brand strategy decisions are usually made when a company is about to develop or buy new product or a service to be branded, or when a restructuring of an existing brand portfolio is planned.

Over the past 10–20 years, many multi-brand companies in the B2B sector have developed mainly through mergers and acquisitions. One example of this situation can be found in the automotive world: the Ford Motor Company acquisitions of Aston Martin (UK), Jaguar (UK), Land Rover (UK), Volvo (Sweden) and a majority stake in Mazda (Japan). They are all part of the Ford Motor Company family of major brands along with Ford (US), Lincoln (US), Mercury (US) and, in the near future, Ka (Europe). As automobiles become more and more consumer goods, the Michigan-based automaker is evolving towards traditional brand management with a significant (invisible) distribution of parts under one hood.

Morgan stanley

Morgan Stanley's 1997 acquisition of Discover Dean Witter is a prime example of an acquisition that provides a sound transition strategy and ensures brand consistency. Morgan Stanley understood that the Discover Dean Witter brand had significant capital that could benefit it. The first step was to change the name of the combined entities to Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Discover. A year later, the word Discover was removed from the corporate name. The transition was completed in 2002 when Dean Witter was dropped from the name. The Morgan Stanley brand has been rebuilt but has absorbed new capital from Discover and Dean Witter. This allowed the company to expand into the credit card business and expand into other new markets such as the UK and other countries.

MBtech

A similar development can occur in cases where companies agree to grant freedom to certain divisions. The strategy of the former Mercedes-Benz engineering division (now DaimlerChrysler) is an impressive success story in this undertaking. The branch allowed the new company to become self-service provisioning. Today it is called MBtech. Founded in 1995, the company actively competes in the global future-oriented market. She acts all over the world through her international companies, subsidiaries and strategic alliances. Its core business is the discovery and development of business segments that promise to be profitable in the future. This overarching goal translates into a goal of providing buyers with an effective portfolio of development and consulting services.

Operating in concert across five business segments, the MBtech Group provides customers with technologically innovative, market-oriented and professional automotive technology. It develops and tests parts and systems for automobiles and other drive units. Buyers can benefit from the continuous transfer of technology and innovation made possible by industry expertise and company secrets. Knowledge transfer guarantees the highest quality, short lead times and maximum profitability in everything - from single points to complete turnkey solutions. Over time, the company has developed a brand portfolio of ten sub-brands that meet all the quality features of Mercedes-Benz automotive technology.

Figure 3.4 graphically depicts overall brand strategies and strategic branding values ​​such as width, depth and length .

Brand width, depth and length characterize the following branding options.

  • Brand width. The number of goods / services sold under one brand.
  • Brand depth. Geographic distribution of brands.
  • Brand length. Main brand positioning.

These values ​​are combined in one context, as they represent important factors for each brand. The absence of any of these values ​​for a brand is simply impossible. As with the Aaker brand relationship spectrum, the options available in this model are virtually unlimited. There are national, classic, corporate brands (Acme, Covad); international, classic, corporate brands (IBM, Intel, HP, Dell, SAP); international, classic, individual brands (Barrierta, Isoflex); international, premium, corporate brands (ERCO, Swarovski, Festool), etc. Accordingly, overall brand strategies should be perceived as what they really are - as options. How you combine them will depend on your brand strategy.


Rice. 3.4. General brand strategies

IBM

An example to illustrate and clarify all possible levels of the brand hierarchy, from highest to lowest, is IBM's ThinkPad X30 notebooks. IBM is no doubt the corporate brand, followed by ThinkPad as the family brand for all notebook computers. The X-Series is a custom brand for ultra-lightweight, ultra-compact and highly portable notebooks. The number 30 is the so-called modifier, which refers to models with an Ethernet connection. While some marketers include it in the branding hierarchy, we would like to define a modifier as a distinguished name or part of a product name. It is quite understandable when the X series is spoken of as a brand, but it is difficult to say the same about a number.

IBM learned this lesson years ago when it began branding its line of eServers. One important aspect of branding is that it simplifies the shopping experience for consumers. Prior to the rebranding, the company used simple alphanumeric names for its products, which created confusion for buyers. Millions of marketing dollars have been wasted on similar products.

The rebranding activities were carried out in order to modernize the market offerings in this area. It also made it easier for buyers to understand the differences. By clearly linking the new brand to the eSolutions brand for IT consulting services, IBM was able to increase its cross-selling capabilities. Although the rebranding work cost $ 75 million, the company believes it was a great success. IBM was able not only to outperform Sun Microsystems with a 32% profit, becoming the world's number one server revenue that year, but also to surpass Hewlett-Packard in UNIX server market share for the first time.

Because branding options are overlapping, there are many different, dissimilar models that companies can use to build and manage their own brand portfolio. First of all, we will consider each of them separately and note their inherent strengths and weaknesses.

Corporate brands

Corporate brands, or master brands, usually encompass all of a company's products or services. In this case, the brand represents all of its offerings. The corporate brand has strong ties to the parent organization, benefiting from positive associations with it. Figuratively speaking, the corporate brand serves as a kind of umbrella and embodies the corporate vision, values, personality and image, as well as many other parameters. It helps build brand equity for a range of individual or sub-brands. The broader organizational context and rich history foster sustainable and strong relationships with key target audiences (employees, buyers, financial and investment communities, etc.). A strong corporate branding strategy can add significant value to any company as it facilitates the formation of a long-term vision and provides it with a unique market position. She assists the company in the further use of its tangible and intangible assets, which allows for a high level of branding throughout the organization. There are many successful corporate brands out there. The most famous examples are Intel, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, Siemens, Singapore Airlines, and General Electric.

If a corporate brand is named after the founder of the company, as was the case with Peugeot, Ford, Bosch, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Siemens, it is also called a family brand. However, these multinational corporations are the exception to the rule: family brands are more common among small to medium-sized companies.

It is believed that the corporate brand strategy is the most typical for B2B-sphere. The industrial marketing environment is changing so rapidly and unevenly that corporate brands provide companies in the sector with special opportunities to create something permanent and sustainable. In an ever-changing environment, it generally doesn't make sense to create a large number of individual brands or product family brands. In many industries life cycle goods are getting shorter and shorter. This is especially true in hypercompetitive markets, where product innovation and competitive advantage are depreciated very quickly, and thus focusing on a product branding strategy that becomes obsolete in the short term is prohibitively expensive. In addition, strong corporate brands make it easy to introduce new products to different markets within a short period of time. In this case, corporate branding helps the company to significantly reduce the return on investment.

The value of corporate brands is also determined by the characteristics of B2B companies. Most of them have market offerings that are characterized by a wide range of characteristic, complex and, moreover, individual solutions. The fact that a particular company is behind a particular market proposition is of far greater importance in making an industrial buying decision than in a consumer market situation. Another important factor in favor of using corporate brands in industrial applications is the global reach of this strategy. As noted earlier, with increased global competition, industrial companies must pursue global strategies. Individual brands are difficult to internationalize and tend to be constrained by language barriers and cultural differences.

Successful corporate brand management is based on the corporate identity of the company and is directly dependent on the different needs of the target audiences associated with it. If product brands are focused mainly on buyers in the B2C sphere, an important feature of corporate brands is the compliance of these brands with corporate characteristics.

    Strong corporate brands are characterized by a clear, distinctive and cohesive image that exists in the minds of target audiences.

So, one of the main goals of corporate brand management is to create a clear, consistent and unique view of the company and its corporate brand among all target groups. The importance of a clear and distinct brand image is further enhanced by the positive attitude of shareholders towards the purchase of the stock. The higher the clarity of the brand image, the greater the receptivity of the shareholders.

The use of a corporate brand requires careful thought as it has a significant impact on improving the company's performance. The most important thing in this case is to find a mutually enriching combination between corporate strategy, business strategy and brand strategy. Understanding, comparing and, in some cases, critically evaluating these strategies should form the basis for making corporate branding decisions. The variety of options available in the case of a corporate brand ranges from dominant to invisible, with many interesting positions in between. The range of possibilities is represented in the spectrum of brand relationships previously presented (see Figure 3.3).

HSBC / Citibank

Corporate brands contribute to the common goal of driving the growth of the company. The two global financial groups HSBC and Citibank, for example, have done well in this regard. In recent years, both have acquired many companies around the world and have successfully completed their full integration within a short period of time under their international corporate brands. A successful brand is based primarily on strong customer perceptions. Typically, building such a brand takes a lot of time and resources, but in the case of HSBC and Citibank, hardly anyone now remembers what local and independent banks were once called. With the help of strong corporate brands, both financial groups were able to transfer the brand equity of the banks they acquired into equity in their own corporate brands.

Because a corporate brand creates a sense of consistency, it significantly reduces the risk inherent in a complex buying process. The positive image and reputation associated with a corporate brand also reduce the complexity of the product, which is especially important when gaining experience with products that can only be verified after purchase. Industrial companies can reap tremendous benefits from the entrepreneurial competence and business opportunities that a strong corporate brand extends to all aspects of their business. In addition, being a reflection of the entire company, it is more connected with its future, while individual brands can come and go after a certain time. If the corporate brand disappears, the likelihood is high that the company will also fail. The corporate name of a company cannot automatically become a corporate brand. Only if the company's market offerings are constantly promoted and sold under the corporate umbrella, the name is gradually transformed into a brand. Moreover, it is important to clearly define corporate values, as well as future aspirations and expectations, and incorporate them into the brand.

There are a number of benefits to using a corporate branding strategy over other branding options. A positive image of a strong corporate brand can increase the credibility of everything that is offered under this brand name. It is the face of corporate business strategy, reflecting what the company represents in the marketplace. It is much easier to go global with a corporate brand than with a portfolio of specialized individual brands. As seen in the examples of HSBC and Citibank, implementing a strong corporate branding strategy around the world requires less effort. In addition, HSBC has a consistent marketing strategy in all countries based on the slogan “World Local Bank”. When carefully planned and implemented, a corporate branding strategy enables companies to overcome many cultural differences.

New products and services can particularly benefit from well-established master brands because they can rely on the values ​​associated with them. However, not only new products can benefit from the synergy effect, but all Marketing communications relevant to this strategy. Investments in a brand, time and resources are used more efficiently, which saves money spent on brand building, advertising and distribution. Often, this cost efficiency can be significant, especially when compared to using a multi-brand strategy. Even a combined strategy that includes corporate and product branding can reduce marketing and advertising costs by allowing a company to leverage the synergies inherent in a new and more concentrated brand architecture. Consistent use of the same brand further increases awareness by making it easier to disseminate its offerings to different target groups.

Paradoxically, the most strong point corporate brand is at the same time its weakest link. When a company relies on its corporate brand, an unpleasant transfer of bad reputation can occur if a product or service fails to meet a customer's needs. Even when it comes to only one product, minor problems with it can cause widespread damage to sub-brands. Siemens, for example, initially tests new innovative solutions under unrelated names. Only if they prove their worth and have the potential to become a market leader will the company start selling them under the Siemens corporate brand. Thus, it effectively protects its brand from any damage to its reputation. On the other hand, individual brands can remain virtually unscathed when their corporate parents fail. Another flaw in the strategy we are considering is the relatively overall brand profile. A corporate brand strategy cannot target all market segments as thoroughly and accurately as is possible with a product brand strategy.

Product family brands

A family brand strategy is to use the same brand name for two or more related or similar products that are part of the same product line or group. They usually have nothing to do with the company that sells them. The main difference from the corporate brand strategy is that a company using this option may have several brands of product families in its portfolio, while the corporate brand is just an umbrella brand used to cover all the goods and services sold by the company. ... An important prerequisite for successful branding of product families is appropriate similarity and consistency across all products and services in the same line. This means the same quality standard, the same area of ​​application, and a consistent marketing strategy (pricing, positioning, etc.).

A rare example of a family brand in the industrial sector is STYROFOAM®. Today, the brand encompasses a variety of building materials (including insulating cladding and insulation boards) and pipe insulation materials, as well as landscaping and craft products. The brand was invented by the Dow Chemical Company over 50 years ago and has become known worldwide for the distinctive blue color that has become its trademark. Today STYROFOAM ® is the most widely recognized brand in the insulation materials industry.

Nowadays, many product family brands tend to transcend well-defined product lines. Therefore, it makes sense to separate the classic product family brand strategy into product line brand strategy and assortment brand strategy. As the name itself suggests, the latter covers a wider range of goods and services that are not grouped into one line. Family brands are common in the consumer space. For example, Mars' Uncle Ben's sells rice, sauces and curries under its family brand. Another classic example of such branding is the Nivea product line.

Most of the brands in this category have not been launched into the market as family brands, but have evolved over time through brand extensions. In today's highly competitive market, well-established brands are constantly under attack. As competition grows and the cost of introducing new products and services rises, competitors are tempted to imitate famous brands and their identities in order to capitalize on the reputation of successful brands and gain quick market access.

It is much easier to present new products or services under an already established and recognizable brand than to build an individual brand from scratch. Another advantage of the brands in question is the cost-effective distribution of brand investment across multiple products. All products in the product line can benefit from the positive synergies associated with the brand. However, as with a corporate branding strategy, a similar effect can have a negative impact if one product or service fails. A tarnished reputation for a product sold under a family brand name can have a side effect in the form of a serious negative impact on all other products marketed under that brand name. A similar negative impact can also arise if not all products and services grouped under the same family brand are consistent in terms of quality or price.

Possibilities for positioning each product are extremely limited. Thus, product family brands are generally only suitable for less complex and diversified companies. It is for this reason that they are rarely seen in the B2B space. Compared to other branding options, this approach is less valuable and less practical. A corporate brand, rather than a family brand, reflects values ​​such as reliability, quality, capability and competence. Buyers going to industrial companies are more likely to associate personal experience with the entire organization / corporate brand rather than with a specific group of products. Compared to the individual brand strategy, product family brands lack a product-oriented and well-targeted presentation of all products sold under a single brand.

Customized Brands

Using an individual brand strategy means selling each product or service under its own distinct brand name. In this case, there is no connection with the company that owns or sells them. Examples include Barrierta, Isoflex, Hotemp and Staburags (Klueber Lubrication) or Flygt, Bell & Gossett, Gilfillan and Goulds Pumps (ITT Industries).

The individual brand strategy aims to create clear, unique and distinctive brand identity that is specifically associated with the product or service it represents. A product-specific profile helps brands capitalize by effectively targeting customers. In this way, each product receives its own clearly targeted brand name, which becomes one of its main advantages when compared with other branding strategies. Another huge advantage of individual brands is that they can remain virtually intact when their corporate parents are in trouble. This avoids the carryover of any kind of bad reputation to some extent. The company gains the opportunity to create a variety of growth platforms based on its brands.

Branding requires significant investment, so managing a portfolio of individual brands is not highly cost-effective. The high cost of branding a single product can usually only be amortized if it has a sufficient life cycle. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully check and evaluate the possibility of creating individual brands for industrial products, which are mainly characterized by a short life cycle. Naturally, one can easily draw a general conclusion and say that in most cases, product brands have little real opportunity in an industrial context. The small size and specialized nature of most industrial markets makes it even more difficult for B2B companies to support the costs and attention needed for such brands. Every brand promoted by a company requires strong advertising support and associated costs. The wide variety of brands also weakens the receptiveness of shoppers who are faced with a glut of information about all brands. Companies using this strategy are more vulnerable in times of crisis.

The brand strategy that is the first to recommend to B2B companies is a corporate strategy combined with several individual brands. The best potential foundation for a successful individual brand is formed by new and highly innovative products or services that represent a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Any company needs to be careful about the number of brands it has: a proliferation of brands ends up either providing no value or draining the corporate brand. In most cases, the brand must necessarily be the one that has real meaning and be supported by product brands.

Premium brands

Premium brands are typically characterized by high-quality materials, exclusive designs, first-class workmanship and a high price tag (getting the highest premium price). It is extremely costly to implement such high-quality and high-quality positioning, as all communication and distribution channels must meet the above requirements. The use of premium B2B brands is extremely limited due to the fact that goods and services are purchased for use in the production of other goods or services. Brands of this class can be found mainly in the B2C segment. Gucci, Rolls-Royce and Rolex are all examples of luxury goods sold under premium brands. However, they also exist in an industrial context.

ERCO

ERCO - famous example premium brand. The company sells luminaires for all areas of architectural lighting. In fact, ERCO sells light, not fixtures, which is quite obvious when you look at this company's products. Its product range includes home lighting, outdoor lighting and control systems. The company works with internationally renowned designers, lighting specialists and architects to ensure the quality of its premium brand. Today the family-owned company, founded in 1934, manages more than 60 subsidiaries, branches and agencies around the world.

Porsche Consulting

Another example of a premium industrial brand, if we go all the way to the top, is Porsche Consulting. “The Porsche name is associated with countless success stories. However, the last of them has nothing to do with dreams associated with cars, but has to do with real facts of economic necessity, ”says CEO Eberhard Weiblen. Over the past 10 years, Porsche Consulting has increased the profitability of many Porsche divisions and helped other companies to improve the efficiency of their processes at all points in the value chain. The company's client list is endless and includes the best of the best: car manufacturers DaimlerChrysler, VolksWagen, BMW, Smart, EvoBus, Steyr and DucatiMotor, suppliers Marquardt, Recaro, GF Georg Fischer, Miba, Fischer Automotive Systems, Bosch, Pierburg, ZF and many other .

Classic brands

A classic brand is a basic product or service with additional characteristics attached to it that distinguish it from other similar offerings. They usually represent what we all mean by "brand". These brands are effective and efficient means of communicating the benefits and value of a product or service. They help to identify products, services and companies and differentiate them from competitors. Classic brands are capable of reaching a much broader target group than premium brands and can be indicators of consumer confidence. To be successful, they must be coherent, consistent and relevant to the respective target group.

National brands

Just a few years ago, most sectors of the B2B market were characterized by the presence of many small national companies offering their products and services exclusively in the domestic markets. The obvious branding strategy, if any, was to create a national brand. As the name suggests, such a brand is specifically designed for local use. Accordingly, this does not imply any linguistic or cultural problem. The growing competitive pressures created by companies around the world make it much more difficult to maintain purely national brands. In addition, it can be costly to use a single brand within only one limited geographic region. If a company plans to internationalize and sell its goods and services internationally, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to adapt the national brand to the new requirements.

International brands

Over the past decades, B2B businesses have faced new and challenging challenges. One of them is the development of hyper-competitive markets that overcome geographic and cultural barriers. If a company wants to survive, it is no longer enough for it to compete only on the domestic market.

As noted earlier, business markets are primarily concerned with functionality and performance. Hence, for them, local differences in industrial goods and services are largely irrelevant, if they notice them at all. Market offerings for business markets require much less adaptation for the purpose of selling overseas. This contributes to the emergence of international and even global brands. Constant changes and emerging trends in the B2B environment continue to break down barriers to geographic distance. The inclusion of international branding in market offerings has become almost mandatory for companies in the industrial sector. Companies benefit from global branding by lowering marketing costs, generating significant scale-up economies, and providing a long-term source of growth. However, anything that looks too good tends to have a catch. In our case, the point is that if the global strategy is not developed and implemented properly, it can have negative consequences.

Any brand that is sold in at least two different countries can be called international. But not everything is so simple. Companies looking to internationalize and looking for the right branding strategy to go international have several options.

1. International brand strategy. Companies that operate in international markets without extensively adapting their market offerings, brands and marketing activities to different local conditions are using an international brand strategy. This strategy suits companies whose brands and products are truly unique and do not face any serious competition in foreign markets, as is the case with Microsoft. These companies have valuable competencies that are difficult to imitate. Thus, in this case, internationalization has nothing to do with price pressures and economies of scale - the main driving forces of global brand strategy.

2. Global brand strategy. This strategy is characterized by a strong focus on increasing profitability through cost savings based on standardization, overall productivity curve effects and local savings. Companies that use a global strategy do not adapt their branding concept to possible national differences and use the same brand name, logo and slogan around the world, as Intel did at the beginning of its activities. Market proposition, brand positioning and communication are also identical across all markets. Standardized brand functioning leads to significant economies of scale in terms of brand investment. Most industrial companies meet the requirements associated with a global brand strategy and therefore often use it in practice.

3. Transnational brand strategy. Companies using this strategy develop customized branding concepts for all foreign markets in which they operate. Not only the brand, but also the market offer and marketing activities are specifically tailored to local conditions. Nonetheless, the corporate brand concept remains visible and acts as a framework guiding local adaptation within its boundaries. At the same time, the company can position its brand in different ways and use adapted price and commodity policies... An example of a transnational advertising campaign is standardized advertising featuring national celebrities. The transnational strategy is designed to best meet national needs. The negative aspects in this case are the high capital investment required to meet these requirements, as well as the lack of advantages of standardization.

4. Multinational brand strategy. This strategy is characterized by comprehensive and complete adaptation of brands, market offerings and marketing activities. It targets different domestic markets - nations or regions. Companies sometimes have to pursue a multinational brand strategy under the influence of market regulation and external circumstances. In certain markets, full adaptation to local conditions is inevitable. For example, in some countries, legal services can be promoted through communication tools, while in others it is prohibited. A multinational brand strategy is most appropriate when a company faces high pressure to meet local requirements.

The implementation of any of the strategies we have named is associated with certain difficulties. Changing conditions and expanding market boundaries require constant adaptation. In addition, we can hardly find in practice the three main brand strategies - corporate, product and family brand - in their pure form. Theoretically, this is possible, but in reality we are dealing with a huge number of the most diverse variants and hybrid forms. However, these strategies provide a good starting point and help to characterize the overall direction of the brand strategy in question.

    The branding strategy with the greatest potential for B2B companies is a strong corporate brand combined with multiple product brands.

When strategically combined, corporate and product brands can benefit each other and lead to better results. Since the corporate brand strategy is dominant in the B2B sector and has higher potential, in the following chapters we will use it as a fundamental strategy when we talk about brands. To help you make your decision, we have summarized the advantages and disadvantages of each option in the form of a table. 3.1 below.

Table 3.1. Comparative characteristics of options for general branding strategies Note. scientific. ed.

6 Substrates for all microcircuits are made of silicon. Sand is the same silicon. - Note. scientific. ed.

7 Roger Penske is a renowned American race car driver who competed in two Formula 1 Grand Prix races in the 1960s. - Note. per.

9 Online diaries. - Note. scientific. ed.

Brand strategy The pros The cons
Brand widthCorporate brandThe widest and most efficient use of time, resources and investment in a brand. High stability, less complexity. Supports end-to-end solutions. Maximum market impactOverall brand profile. Possibility of transferring bad reputation to all products
Family brandBrand investments span the entire product line. Transfer of a positive image and brand to all products (synergistic effect). Leveraging Brand RelationshipsPossibility of brand dilution. Restrictions for positioning individual products
Product brandProduct-focused brand profile. No carry over of bad reputation. Building Diverse Growth PlatformsThe high cost of creating a brand for a specific product. The wide variety of brands weaken the perception of some of them
Brand lengthPremium brandHigh-end, high-quality positioning. High premium priceHigh cost of brand building. Poor compatibility with family brand
Classic brandCan be used on the mass market. Forms high brand trustRequires a widespread presence. High level of brand awareness required (expensive)
Brand depthNational brandNo language problems. Adapted to national requirementsMay become useless with subsequent internationalization. May be too expensive (less room for standardization)
International brandPossibility of standardization. Cost effective (economies of scale). Use of international media
 


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