Summarized Account of B2B Brand Management

Chapter 1: Being Known or Being One of Many

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of

theories to suit facts.”

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), Sharlock Holmes

 

Chapter 1: Being Known or Being One of Many

–       Branding is just as relevant in B2B as it is in B2C

–       Branding is not about stirring people into irrational buying decisions

– it is rather an effective and compelling means to communicate the benefits and value a product or service can provide

–       Trusted brands act as touchstones, offering orientation the flood of information, and many other benefits and advantages to buyers

–       A Brand is much more than a product, a brand name, a logo, a symbol, a slogan, an ad, a jingle, a spokesperson; these are just tangible components of a brand – not the brand itself!

–       “Brand” comprises various aspects. A brand is a promise, the totality of perceptions – everything you see, hear, read, know, feel, think, etc. – about a product, service, or business. It holds a distinctive position in customer’s minds based on past experiences, associations and future expectations. It is a shortcut of attributes, benefits, beliefs and values that differentiate, reduce complexity, and simplify the decision-making process

–       Branding should always start at the top of a business. Building, championing, supporting and protecting strong brands is everyone’s job, starting with the CEO.

–       Brands do pay off. Companies with a strong brand can benefit tremendously from it. A vibrant brand and its implicit promise of quality can provide businesses with the power to command a premium price among customers and premium stock price among investors; it can boost their earning and cushion cyclical downturns.

–       The most important brand functions in B2B are increased information efficiency, risk reduction and value added/ image benefit creation.

 

 

Chapter 2: B2B Branding Decision

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

William Jennings Bryan, former presidential candidate (1860- 1925)

Chapter 2: B2B Branding Decision

Chapter 2: To Brand or Not to Brand

2.1 B2B <> B2C

2.2 B2B Brand Relevant

2.3 Power of the Business Brand

 

Chapter 2: B2B Branding Decision

–       Establishing brands in a B2B environment is different from branding to the general public. The role and the mechanism of industrial brand strategy have to be more focused than those pursued and implemented in consumer markets.

–       The main difference between B2B and B2C markets can be found in the nature and complexity of industrial products and services, the nature and diversity of industrial demand, fewer customers, larger volumes per customer, and last but not least, closer and longer-lasting supplier-customer-relationships.

–       A holistic branding approach is required, that everything from the development, design, to the implementation of marketing programs, processes, and activities is recognized as intersecting and interdependent.

–       The buying situations of B2B companies can be broken down into three recurring types:

• The straight re-buy,
• Modified re-buy, and
• New task

–       The members of the buying center can be classified according to their role in the buying decision:

• The user,
• Buyer,
• Decider, and
• Influencer.

–       They all have to act considering the complex influential dimensions on and in the buying center.

 

 

–       An organizational buying process can encompass the following stages:

1. Problem recognition
2. General need description
3. Product specification
4. Search for and evaluation of potential suppliers
5. Proposal solicitation and analysis
6. Supplier evaluation and selection
7. Order-routine specification
8. Performance review

–       Interpersonal and individual factor of the buying center members are human factors in business decisions.

–       Establishing B2B brands encompasses creating trust, confidence and comfort for all partners in the buying process.

–       Even commodities can be branded as our examples of Acme Brick or Tata Steel show

–       Emotions in B2B Branding play a major role in business decisions, even if they are easily recognizable.

 

 

Chapter 3: Branding Dimensions

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable”

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Chapter 3: B2B Branding Dimensions

3.1 Brand Distinction

3.2 Brand Communication

3.3 Brand Evaluation

3.4 Brand Specialties

 

Chapter 3: B2B Branding Dimensions

–       Stop underestimating the power of brands in B2B! Branding should be the thread running through the subject of Marketing. An important aspect of a successful brand strategy is to completely align it to the business strategy and build lasting brand conscious customer relationships.

–       Make a consistent impression with all your stakeholders at every single point of interaction, and do not forget that one of the most important things in B2B brand management is to reduce complexity for the customer

–       Build a strategic brand architecture that supports and enhances the type and nature of your company and distinguish between

• Corporate,
• Product, and
• Family Branding.

–       The most common brand strategy in B2B is a corporate brand in combination with a few product brands. But also Ingredient Branding as a form of multi-stage branding becomes increasingly relevant for supplies and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers).

–       The major communication instruments in B2B are

• Direct Sales,
• Direct Marketing,
• PR,
• Specialized Press,
• Sponsorships,
• Trade Shows and Exhibitions,
• Advertising,
• Sales Promotion and
• E-Marketing.

–       It is essential for every brand to implement a comprehensive and adequate measurement system to gauge and guide brand success

–       It is crucial to effectively communicate the values of your brands to your own people; making sure that employees understand these values and thereby leading them to become the best ambassadors of your company and its products.

–       Time-strapped decision makers prefer to buy, or at least research, products and services online. Therefore, Online Branding is a crucial part of B2B brand building.

–       Social Branding is a great way for B2B companies to receive high marks for social responsibility.

–       Building Brand through Word-of-Mouth is a common approach in the industrial world. Recently, this old fashioned method has been enhanced by Internet technology called Web-blogs (blogs)

 

 

Chapter 4: Acceleration through Branding

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

Confucius

Chapter 4: Acceleration through Branding

4.1 Brand Planning

4.2 Brand Analysis

4.3 Brand Strategy

4.4BrandBuilding

4.5 Brand Audit

 

Chapter 4: Acceleration through Branding

–       The brand building process consists of

• Brand planning,
• Brand analysis,
• Brand strategy,
• Brand building, and
• Brand auditing.

–       Brand building starts with understanding the key attribute of your products and services as well as understanding and anticipating the needs of your customers

–       Mastering brand stability, brand leadership, and international presence calls for a structured sequence of the brand building process

–       The first thing you have to do when building your own brand is to articulate a brand mission that reflects what you want to accomplish with it. Secondly you have to add a coherent set of brand values and a brand identity. All the visual elements of the brand, the brand name, logo, and slogan, should be developed accordingly to create a unique visual identity that reflects what the company stands for as well as what its attitude and culture is all about.

–       The power of a brand lies in the customer mind set- brand equity is therefore a vital strategic bridge from the past to the future and a set of stored values that consumers associate with a brand. These associations add value beyond the basic product functions due to past investments in marketing the brand and they are captured in the Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model.

 

–       Brand analysis helps to define and formulate a proper brand mission, define a brand personality and set brand values. Aligning to the corporate vision and mission is mandatory for devising effective, focused, and distinctive brand elements that help develop a long-term brand strategy.

–       The “three C’s” of branding refer to the indispensable conditions that precede successful branding. For the purpose of completeness we have added a fourth and fifth branding principle:

• Consistency,
• Clarity,
• Constancy,
• Visibility and
• Authenticity.

 

–       A brand strategy should not be changed just for sake of change. Re-branding or brand rejuvenation efforts have to be carefully evaluated in terms of necessity and success probabilities. Companies with many unstructured and may be even diluted brands need to refocus their brand which is almost the same work as building a brand from scratch.

–       Brand strategy consists of developing

• A strong mission,
• Positioning,
• Brand promise, and
• Value proposition

–       Successful brands don’t just sell products; they communicate clear values stretched across a number of proposition.

–       A key element of success is the farming of harmonious and consistent brand architecture across countries and product lines, defining the number of levels and brands at each level.

–       Brand auditing seeks to measure the strengths and weaknesses of a brand and the overall brand portfolio. The brand score card measures the performance of your brand in relationship to customer priorities. Based on internal and external analysis, compliance and strategic audits should be conducted regularly. Other brand metrics could be implemented such as

• Business Intelligence,
• Key word search or
• Natural Language Processing.

–       Fact-based insights, grounded in an understanding of both brand equity and a brand’s economic contribution to corporate profits, form the foundations for a winning brand portfolio.

–       Over time every brand needs re-evaluation, fine-tuning, and re-branding

 

Kevin Clancy Copernicus’s 5 Step brand building process

 

Chapter 5: Success Stories

“Few things are harder to put up with than a good example”

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

 

Chapter 5: Success Stories

5.1: FedEx

5.2: Samsung

5.3: Cemex

5.4: IBM

5.5: Siemens

5.6: Lanxess

5.7: Lenovo

5.8: Tata Steel

 

Chapter 5: Success Stories
5.1: FedEx                                                                               

–       The selected B2B brand cases demonstrate that brand building in its various forms support s corporate success in a dramatic, measurable way.

–       After establishing a seamless, reliable express delivery worldwide, FedEx focused on developing its corporate image and reputation. Maintaining its superior brand image was the top priority only next to establishing a brand house for sustaining their competitive advantage.

5.2: Samsung                                             

–       Samsung successfully followed a one brand strategy by establishing one global value proposition with an emotional approach to increasing brand image for their B2C products and transferring that image back to their B2B business areas. Samsung also followed a pre-emptive investment strategy to comply with innovative consumer demand and applied communication measures in an effective and efficient manner.

 

5.3 Cemex                                      

–       Cemex introduced branding management to successfully place itself inMexico, its home market, and is now expanding around the globe. The Cemex corporate brand serves as an umbrella that encapsulates the vision, value, personality, positioning and image of the company. Having been decisive in the proper development of their B2B initiatives, Cemex serves as branding role model for many companies inLatin America and throughout emerging economies

 

5.4 IBM                                                          

–       After Lou Grestner reinvented IBM, achieving a dramatic turnaround during the 1990s, Sam Palmisano’s task was to strengthen the synergy and technology of the organization so that it would work for their customers. Palmisano’s strategy was based on a new value proposition: On demand. The core idea was that IT systems would include customers and suppliers, information and computer resources and would be available on demand when needed. All IBM business units were charged with delivering this value proposition. In addition, the business model was transformed into that of a service company where hardware is only the starting point of a business relation.

 

5.5 Siemens                                         

–       Siemens’s new value proposition and business organization Siemens One, with focus on cross-business leverage, proved that cross-business communication works. This new brand-minded leadership transformed the world’s largest electrical engineering and electronics companies, and one of the oldest industrial brands to a corporate power house through cross-selling initiatives.

 

5.6 Lenovo                                          

–       Lenovo’s attempt at building a global brand fromChina was successful after the integration of the IBM PC division. By overcoming cultural barriers and streamlining operational processes, Lenovo filled its brand image with new values. The possibility is strong that Lenovo will define new product categories and expand its brand leadership into new regions in the near future

 

5.7 Tata Steel                                                    

–       Tata Steel has fulfilled its set corporate goals and has been very successful in branding commodity steel inIndia. By segmenting, focusing, and streamlining operations, Tata has become the preferred supplier in the region. The next big challenges are already on the horizon; global reach with global branding.

 

 

Chapter 6: Branding Pitfalls

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody”

Bill Cosby

 

Chapter 6: Beware of Branding Pitfalls

6.1: Pitfall No.1 a Brand Is Something You Own

6.2: Pitfall No.2 Brands Take Care of Themselves

6.3: Pitfall No.3 Brand Awareness vs. Brand Relevant

6.4: Pitfall No.4 Don’t Wear Blinders

6.5: Pitfall No.5 Don’t Let Outsiders Do Your Job

 

Chapter 6: Beware of Branding Pitfalls

Pitfalls in B2B branding are unlikely to be anticipated by newcomers to the branding effort. Beware of the following pitfalls in order to ensure that branding initiatives will reap results

–       One of the most common misconceptions of branding is that companies believe that they “own” the brand. No matter what the business and its corporate executives would like their brand to be, brand reality is always defined by the customer’s view.

–       Some companies think that brands take care of themselves. If companies let their brand asset deteriorate, the overall company performance can suffer. We recommend proactive brand management through brand differentiation or pure re-branding.

–       A company may not have their priorities set if it is overrating the importance of brand awareness instead of focusing on brand relevance. Managing touch-points and messages effectively and targeting the right customers and stakeholders can assure efficient use of funds and management time.

–       Many businesses mistakenly base their branding strategies solely around the internal image of their brand. This type of wishful thinking may lead to lack of objectivity. By gaining customer input, it can determine the current brand image, and also discover what is needed to do to make the brand more relevant.

–       Advertising agencies and consultants may do their job by assisting in developing a holistic brand approach but the company should determine its own brand identity.

–       The essence is to learn from failed branding efforts of B2B companies that jumped into branding without considering the whole range of brand creation and steering.

 

 

Chapter 7: Future Perspective

“The art of prophecy is very difficult, especially with respect to the future.”

–       Mark Twain (1835-1910)

–        

Chapter 7: Future Perspective

7.1: Corporate Social Responsibility

7.2: Branding inChina

7.3: Design and Branding

7.4: Lovemarks and Brand Leadership

 

In our constantly changing business environment of new technologies, globalization and market liberalization, alert companies are presented with great opportunities. Winning companies will disrupt old practices and initiate new ones to exploit major trends. The following trends should be watched and incorporated into your company’s thinking and business action:

–       B2B branding and brand management will become increasingly important, and the future of brands is the future of business, probably the only major sustainable competitive advantage. Companies that are going in this direction are on the right track.

–       Branding and social responsibility seeks to create a just and sustainable world by favoring companies that promote more responsible business practices, innovation and collaboration.

–       Branding inChinais in a stage of leap-frogging into the world market. For decades,Chinahas enjoyed a dominant place in world manufacturing because of its low-cost labor. Chinese businesses today are pursuing aggressive branding strategies involving internal growth or acquiring foreign brand icons and managing them. Both approaches could lead to world success.

–       Design and branding are increasingly important tools for differentiation.

• Relevance,
• Simplicity, and
• Humanity – not technology – will distinguish brands in the future.

–       Lovemarks go beyond branding – brands that have managed to reach far beyond mere brand recognition and loyalty. Their customers “do care about them” and have internalized the brand.

–       To be successful in the B2B world, a holistic branding approach is required. It should cover everything from the development and design, to the implementation of marketing programs, processes, and activities that are intersecting and interdependent. Marketing and brand management will be critical to a company’s success in future.

 

 

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7