BRANDING THE BUSINESS MARKETING OFFER: EXPLORING BRAND ATTRIBUTES IN BUSINESS MARKETS

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

Zain JafriSana Ashraf

Brands are increasingly viewed as offering a crucial point of differentiation and a sustainable form of competitive advantage for business-to-business marketers

Brands in B2B

Important role in decision making

Consideration for purchase

Justifies price premiums

Engage in favorable word-of-mouth

Significance in B2B

Challenges

Lag behind in research

Rational consumers

Branding- a new concept in B2B

Cash flow benefits

Points-of -Difference

Raise barriers to

entry

Corporate reputation

Network Power

Benefits

Five components of Business Marketing offer

Product

Three ways to conceptualize the product

Tangible “thing”

Benefits to buyers1. High performance products with little services and adaptation2. Ingredient products

Product innovation

Valued by extrinsically oriented business customers

Services

Augment product

May be the only offering

To build service capabilities

• Ability of suppliers to manage their supply chain

• meet the demands of just-in-time production schedules

• minimize customer production disruptions

“Delivery of the productto the customer”

Classic Definition…

Evolved Concept…“Consists primarily of capabilities

rather than tangible things”

• Provide order and material traceability

• The ability to cooperate with other network partners in order to deliver offers to customers

Logistics

Marino NZ&

Wal Mart suppliers

Adaptation

Making Changes to any element of the offering

Different from Innovation

Critical for Buyer’s with Complex need.

Relationship building and long-term satisfaction

Airbus/Boeing&

Microsoft’s ERP

Advice

To Increase Customer Understanding

Identify New Opportunities

Changes the Way of doing things.

Conclusion

Framework to Construct Unique Brand Identity

Difficult to Imitate

Creates a difference in the buyers mind.

Alternate Framework to Kapferer’s brand identity prism

Criticism

Capability of the Firm?

Product Level or Corporate Level?

Are these the only elements for Brand Identity?