Title: Using Brand management to establish network relations: How SMEs can work with brand management in order to establish and develop corporate reputation and legitimacy in network relations in a B2B context Authors: Aasberg Pipirs Julius & Carlsson Christoffer Level: Master thesis, 30hp Keywords: Brand management, SME, Legitimacy, Corporate reputation, Network relations Background: Given the crucial role SMEs play in the modern society it is vital that knowledge is evolved that can be used to support and grow these businesses. Using brand management practices SMEs could establish and develop corporate reputation and legitimacy in network relations, which could result in higher chances of long-term survival in a B2B context. Research Question: How does working with brand management among SMEs establish, and develop, corporate reputation and legitimacy, and how do these three concepts affect the process of establishing network relations in a B2B context? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to first investigate how SMEs, in a B2B context, work with brand management and how this can establish and develop corporate reputation and legitimacy. Finally the authors wants to see how these three concepts affect the process of establishing network relations. Method: Based on an abductive research approach, a qualitative research method will be used to study six Swedish SMEs that operate in a B2B context. Primary data will be based on semi-structured interviews with managers at each company. Theoretical Framework: The current literature concerning SME brand management is presented followed by its linkages towards establishing and developing corporate reputation and legitimacy. Finally previous research concerning, the process of establishing network relations among SMEs, its relevance for SMEs, and how brand management, corporate reputation, and legitimacy could affect this process, is presented. Findings & Conclusions: Brand management offers SMEs the tools to communicate and interact with various types of stakeholders, which connects the organization to its external and internal environment. By combining this tool with a dedication of always performing above expectations, SMEs stands to efficiently establish and develop corporate reputation and legitimacy. These two constructs essentially acts as the foundation of that which network relations are built upon.

The generation of Millennials is becoming a very important segment in today's beauty market, because of their large size, purchasing power and engagement on social media. The Millennial consumers are heavy buyers of beauty products, but heavy buyers are not always loyal to the beauty brands. The concept of what is considered beautiful constantly changes, and there is an aspect of trendiness to the use of cosmetic products. Brands launch new products on a regular basis to follow fashion and because the product lifecycle often is short, and purchasing what is trendy right now might not leave much room for loyalty, as other brands or products are soon trendier. There are constricting views on whether it is possible to achieve brand loyalty among Millennials. Many question the possibility of gaining brand loyalty among this generation, others state that while they could possibly be loyal, this usually only lasts for a short period of time. Although several attempts to establish whether Millennials are in fact brand loyal have been made, few have looked at how marketers view brand loyalty when marketing to Millennials. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to add understanding of how companies in the beauty industry can work to create brand loyalty among Millennials, through a case study of the world leading beauty company, L'Oréal. This exploratory study takes on an inductive research approach, as it aims to add understanding in the field of brand loyalty among the generation Millennials. In order to answer the research questions, five semi-structured interviews were conducted on marketers who are experts in the field of marketing towards Millennials. The results of this study showed that the generation Millennials is an important target group in the beauty industry of today, due to their large size and strong power of choice. There is a congruence between the Millennial self-image and brand image, which proves the importance of a positive brand image. The findings also showed that it is important for companies to speak the language of Millennials but still keep a coherent balance among brands. Offering an experience to Millennials makes them more perceptible to brand loyalty, if the experience is positive, and co-creating brand personalities can help in this endeavor as well. Other valuable findings showed the importance of authenticity and credibility together with of a full range brand portfolio, due to lower incentives to switch between brands. This study contributes with understanding to how marketers in the beauty industry can work towards achieving brand loyalty among the generation Millennials, by giving examples of how five experienced marketers at L’Oréal works with this challenge. Furthermore, the results of this study contribute to the research gap and are applicable in the research area of brand loyalty in the beauty industry. The study uncovered that digital marketing works without paid media, but paid media without digital marketing is not an option. Therefore, one of our recommendations to companies in the beauty industry is to always use digital media while marketing towards the generation Millennials.

This thesis investigates the dimensionality of brand value from the consumer perspective and tests how value dimensions relate to loyalty at the brand level. Firstly, a novel conceptualisation of perceived brand value is offered based on consumption values theory. Five dimensions are deployed to constitute the brand value scale; functional value, economic value, social value, emotional value and epistemic value. These dimensions are then tested in a holistic model to assess i) the reliability and validity of the scale, ii) the impact of brand leadership and corporate image on relative value dimensions, and iii) the segregated influence on value dimensions on repurchase intentions and positive word-of-mouth. Qualitative and quantitative methods are used to collect data from the high-technology market segment in Saudi Arabia owing to the country’s strong economic situation along with the accelerated penetration of high-tech brands into the Saudi market. First, four rounds of focus group discussions with university students conducted to confirm and enhance existing scales of brand value dimensions and developing new scale for the epistemic value construct at brand level. A self-administrated questionnaire was developed from both literature and focus groups and content and face validated by academics and subject matter experts. Then, 1020 questionnaires were distributed to several college-level schools in the city of Jeddah, 771 were returned, and 510 completed responses were used for final analysis. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses used to validate the dimensionality and reliability of the integrated scale of brand value. Structural equation modelling techniques applied to test the conceptual model and research hypotheses. Twenty-one items are retained to represent five dimensions of brand value scale and fourteen out of sixteen hypotheses are accepted. Thus, findings of empirical research confirm theory in that i) consumers perceive value of brands from multiple perspectives, ii) brand associations significantly contribute to value of brands, and iii) value dimensions encourage brand loyalty at dissimilar levels. At academic level, researchers can use the developed scales to study the mutual relationships between other brand associations and various dimensions of brand value. The newly developed measure of epistemic value can also be used to examine the impact of added high-tech features on aspects of consumer behaviour e.g. consumer-brand relationship. At managerial level, brand managers can use the developed scale to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their brands. According to the relevant importance of functional, economic, social, emotional and epistemic values to customers, loyalty programmes and customer relationship management can be tailored to match consumer needs. Finally, market segmentation can adapt value-based strategies to tap into new markets more successfully.

The thesis analyses marketing strategy of Axe brand which belongs to portfolio of brands of Unilever. Theoretic part contains basic information about issues connected to brand such as it's importance, basic concepts and building brand's value. Particular sections include the questions of marketing management and marketing mix. The aplicational part introduces the market od deodorants and basic trends on this market. This part describes the strategy of Axe in Czech Republic and the market where the brand is struggling it's position for. Attention is given to marketing activities in 2006 - 2007 and their results and effects on the position of the brand among others.

An important concept that has undergone several transformational turns is brand management. A brand name is essential for business operation because all other factors that contribute to the success of businesses rotate around it. The value that accrues to global companies as a result of the proper management of a brand cannot be over emphasized. Toyota is one of the most successful brands in the global market, and the brand success goes beyond the automobile industry. Among the various auto companies in Ghana, Toyota has emerged as one of the big players. This thesis focuses on how companies can create value through proper management of their brands; using the case of Toyota Ghana limited. The work here was to find out the brand management strategies of Toyota and how these strategies have contributed to its success. Several strategies for managing brands were discussed in this work. The findings were that, successful brand management impacts positively on the company's market share.

Nowadays business environment becomes more and more competitive; companies are forced to enhance their position through strengthening of their marketing strategies and brand management. To build a brand and to develop brand management is a huge challenge for Taiwanese original design manufacturers (ODMs) or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as they focus more on contract manufacturing. The thesis identifies main strength and weakness of Taiwanese original design manufacturers (ODMs) or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Moreover, the study focus on the path and development of Taiwanese notebook and PC manufacturers Acer and ASUS and how they can enhance their position in the competitive business world by adopting brand management.

The purpose of the research is to explore what brand equity is, examine different approaches to brand evaluation and study the current situation on the high tech market. The subject of the research is the value of brand as measure of efficiency of company's performance.

The dissertation deals with analysis of marketing communication Company Profile. The aim is primarily to describe, evaluate and compare with the competition, the current operation of the bank's marketing communications and propose any innovation or change.

This thesis analyses marketing strategy of international company Groupe SEB that operates on the market of small domestic appliances and cookware. The company strategically manages portfolio of several international and regional brands. In my work I speak about the theoretical background of the international marketing principles and focus on the analysis of the marketing strategy of each brand with concrete examples and comparison.

The master thesis named "Corporate identity and corporate image of PRIM" analyses the current position of brand PRIM on the watch market in the Czech Republic whereas the main focus is on the description of its corporate identity elements and the brand management strategy. The thesis consists of two main parts - theoretical and practical. The theoretical part defines the concept of corporate identity, corporate image, as well as strategic planning and strategic brand management. The practical part comprises of the ELTON firm's presentation and analysis of the Czech watch market including the description of typical Czech customer. The major attention is paid to the evaluation of PRIM's corporate identity elements and its strategic brand management. At the end of the practical part, there is a presentation of my own proposals for possible improvements of the current brand strategy and consideration of the possibility of expansion into the foreign market.