Business-to-business Brand Management
Contents
Introduction
. Literature review on brand identity
. Defining B2B service brand identity
. Research methodology
. Scale development
. Analysis
Introduction
the early 1990s brand identity has been the subject of
increased academic interest (Aaker, 1991,1996; Aaker & Joachimsthaler,
2000; Alsem & Kostelijik, 2008; Beverland, Napoli, & Lindgreen, 2007;
Beverland, Napoli, & Yakimova, 2007; de Chernatony, 1999; de Chernatony,
McDonald, & Wallace, 2010; Kapferer, 1997, 2004; Keller, 1998,2003;
Madhavaram, Badrinarayanan, & McDonald, 2005). Organizations that present a
cohesive, distinctive and relevant brand identity can create preference in the
market place, add value to their offer and command premium prices. Building
brand identity also fosters trust, facilitates differentiation and helps
customers' identification with the brand. More broadly, developing a B2B brand
has a positive effect on perceived quality, helps build customer loyalty,
increases company power in the distribution network, drives sales volume and
revenue whilst adding to balance sheet value in the event of sale.
Consequently, research providing brand identity management insight has the
potential to be of considerable academic and managerial interest.several brand
identity frameworks have been published in the B2C literature only a small
number of studies have considered brand identity in a B2B context. The
development and validation of B2B related frameworks is of particular note
given the unique characteristics of B2B markets.characteristics include
multifaceted supply chain relationships, a complex selling process to a
decision making unit, highly customized solutions, a smaller number of more powerful
clients, high value transactions and the predominance of personal selling which
places a greater emphasis on managing the human resource which implement the
brand strategy.research contributes to the dearth of empirical research on
brand identity in a B2B service context by developing a valid, reliable and
parsimonious B2B service brand identity scale. The scale provides a
psychometrically sound way to measure and reveal the construct's
dimensionality. To date, the nascent B2B brand identity literature has been
conceptually orientated and so our inquiry intends to address this gap given it
is empirically informed.paper opens by reviewing the conceptualization and
dimensionality of brand identity with the latter providing the basis for
exploring the content domain of B2B service brand identity. It then explains
the methodology followed to collect data through a postal survey and the
analysis procedures to establish the psychometric properties of the scale.
Concluding remarks highlight theoretical contributions, managerial implications
and limitations.
. Literature review on brand identity
frameworks that conceptualize brand identity have been
published. These appear to have been developed predominantly with B2C brands in
mind (Table 1).
1 Current dimensions of brand identity
Dimension of identity
|
Kapferer (2004)
|
Aaker (1996) Aaker and Joachimsthaler (2000)
|
de Chernatony (2006)
|
Physique
|
ü
|
ü
|
|
Relationships
|
ü
|
|
ü
|
Vision
|
|
ü
|
ü
|
Reflection (external)
|
ü
|
|
|
Personality
|
ü
|
ü
|
ü (emotional aspects)
|
Culture
|
ü
|
|
ü (& vision)
|
Self image (internal)
|
ü
|
|
|
Organization
|
|
ü
|
|
Symbol
|
|
ü
|
|
Positioning
|
|
|
ü (functional aspects)
|
Presentation
|
|
|
ü
|
(1996) advances the Brand Identity Planning System comprising
product, the organization, a person and a symbol perspectives whilst Aaker and
Joachimsthaler's (2000) Band Leadership Model augments Aaker's (1996) work via
the inclusion of 'brand essence' and 'elaboration of brand identity'. Building
on earlier work (de Chernatony, 1999), de Chernatony (2006) regards vision,
culture, positioning, personality, relationships and presentation as components
of brand identity whilst Kapferer's (2004) Hexagonal Identity Prism model
conceptualizes brand identity via facets of personality, culture, self-image,
reflection, relationship and physique.these frameworks have been widely
referenced in the academic literature they have not been subject to empirical
investigation. From a scale development perspective, the current frameworks are
problematic. It is unclear how some dimensions e.g. 'product' or 'organisation'
(Aaker, 1996) could be scaled given they are so broadly conceived. It is also
debatable if some dimensions such as 'elaboration of brand identity' (Aaker
& Joachimsthaler, 2000) or 'presentation' (de Chernatony, 2006) are
activities or constructs with the former being unsuitable for scaling. The
logic underpinning some frameworks is also open to discussion. Kapferer (2004)
considers self-image and reflection facets of brand identity. These consumer
based constructs appear to be at odds with the consensus of opinion that brand
identity is an 'input' (cf. de Chernatony, 2006). These scholars' frameworks
appear to have been generically developed. Whilst de Chernatony and Aaker's
work may have some service brand applicability as they account for internal
stakeholders and the organization/symbol respectively these frameworks, in
their entirety, do not account for the distinctive challenges service branding
brings. This specifically relates to the pivotal role employees play for
service brands. It is also unclear how applicable these frameworks are in B2B
markets which also present unique marketing challenges.brand identity research
is starting to emerge within the B2B literature. Beverland, Napoli, and
Lindgreen (2007) draw on Aaker and Joachimsthaler's Global Brand Leadership
Framework to postulate an Industrial Global Brand Leadership Framework which is
intermittently referred to as 'brand identity'. These scholars contest brand
identity is built around five capabilities. These are relational support,
coordinating network players, leveraging brand architecture, adding value and
quantifying the intangible. Brand identity was regarded in this study as
"the key words or phrases that sum up the core values of the brand".
Equating brand identity with words or phrases simplifies the construct's
complexity and detracts from its rich and multidimensional nature. In another
study, Beverland, Napoli, and Yakimova (2007) identify key attributes business
marketers can use to build a strong brand identity. These attributes include
product, services, logistics, adaptation and advice which are referred to as
the "basis", "forms" or "pillars" of brand
identity. Arguably such an approach confuses brand identity building and brand
positioning which the branding literature regards as distinct but related
constructs where the former influences the latter. Instead, Beverland, Napoli,
and Yakimova do not appear to consider brand identity (the means) per se but
the positioning (the ends) of brands around product benefits, levels of
service, logistics or by being adaptive and providing advice.
. Defining B2B service brand identity
on the corporate identity work of Hatch and Schultz (2000),
de Chernatony (2006), considers brand identity as "the distinctive or
central idea of a brand and how the brand communicates this idea to its
stakeholders". In what could be considered a somewhat abstract definition,
Kapferer defines brand identity as "specifying the facets of the brands'
uniqueness and value" whilst Aaker regards brand identity as "...what
the organisation wants the brand to stand for in the customer's mind" or
more simply put "how strategists want the brand to be perceived".
Aaker's (1996) work raises several points. First, brand identity emanates from
the 'organization'. It is not a consumer or client side construct. Second,
within the organization, the "strategist" plays a pivotal brand identity
role. Third, brand identity is visionary in nature. Considering the construct
as visionary is consistent with both de Chernatony and Aaker and
Joachimsthaler. The latter researchers regard brand identity as the
"vision of how that brand should be perceived by its target
audience". However, several issues materialize from Aaker and
Joachimsthaler's definition. For example, these authors refer to a
"vision" but do not elaborate on whose vision this actually is. This
is a benefit of Aaker's (1996) work insofar the vision lies with the
"strategist". Furthermore, it may be more appropriate to define brand
identity in the context of stakeholders and not an audience. Broadening the
scope of the construct's definition in this way overcomes a limitation of
Aaker's (1996) work which appears to be customer centric.(1996) and Aaker and
Joachimsthaler's (2000) work was considered particularly useful in terms of
specifying brand identity due to the clear, concise and unambiguous way the
construct has been defined. This helps specify the 'domain' of the construct
and so lay the foundation for subsequent scaling. Furthermore, Aaker's (1996)
work provides some sampling frame guidance in the form of the brand
"strategist" i.e. a senior marketer. Consequently, guided by this
rationale we define B2B service brand identity as the strategist's vision of
how a B2B service brand should be perceived by its stakeholders. The next
section explores the domain of the B2B service brand identity construct within
the parameters of the aforementioned definition.on the literature review B2B
service brand identity is a multidimensional construct and its facets in a B2B
service context are:
· Marketing culture
· Client relationship management
· Corporate visual identity
· Integrated marketing communications
· Brand personalitybrand identity
scholars such as Aaker, Joachimsthaler, de Chernatony, Kapferer have noted the
important role 'culture' plays in building brand identity. However, culture
refers to a category of constructs and not a construct with the former being
unsuitable for scaling procedures. Consequently, Webster's marketing culture
work was considered a pertinent form of culture for three reasons. First,
guided by Desphande and Farley's organizational culture research, Webster notes
how a marketing culture "refers to unwritten policies and guidelines which
provide employees with behavioral norms". The logic being, such behavioral
norms support the desired brand identity via greater behavioral consistency at
the 'service encounter'. Second, marketing culture refers to the importance an
organization places on the marketing function. Consequently, a stronger
marketing culture fosters an organizational climate that facilitates the
implementation of marketing initiatives. Third, whilst more product orientated
brands can also look to proactively manage their organization's culture, the
marketing culture literature was developed specifically with services in mind.
The logic being that building and nurturing a supportive marketing culture was
regarded as a particularly effective way of managing the variability humans
bring to service branding.
marketing
sale procurement marketimportance of brands developing customer relationships has
been noted by several brand identity scholars such as Aaker, Joachimsthaler, de
Chernatony, Kapferer. Aaker considers the brand-customer relationship as the
"bottom line" in driving and enhancing brand identity programs whilst
Aaker and Joachimsthaler outline how "one goal of the brand should be to create
a relationship with its customers". Relationships comprise a facet of
Kapferer's Brand Identity Prism whilst de Chernatony notes how the
relationships staff have with each other, customers and other stakeholders
underpin brand identity. The importance of relationships are reiterated within
the B2B brand literature where scholars such as Campbell et al. refer to
relationships as the "cornerstone of industrial marketing".important
role building and managing client relationships plays has been noted in the broader
B2B brand literature. Consistent with Kotler and Keller, several scholars
highlight how relationships perform a crucial role for B2B brands due to the
interpersonal nature of the market and complex selling process. van Riel, de
Mortanges, and Streukens outline how in markets where products are complex or
high in value, as is frequently the case in B2B markets, buyers expect
value-adding relationships to enrich their buying experience. Lynch and de
Chernatony augment these scholars' views suggesting meaningful relationships in
B2B markets are built on both functional and emotional values which help drive
competitive advantage.the B2B context of this research it may be more
appropriate to refer to client relationship management as opposed to customer
relationship management to make explicit the B2B focus of this
research.scholars refer to symbolism, symbols or logo when introducing their
brand identity frameworks. Aaker outlines how "a strong symbol can provide
cohesion and structure to an identity and make it much easier to gain
recognition and recall". The value of symbolism, in particular logos, is
echoed by Aaker and Joachimsthaler who argue logos are most important when they
create a visual metaphor that helps simplify the process of communicating
complex brand benefits. Although not explicit in Kapferer's work, it is not
unreasonable to extend the logic of his physique dimension to service brands
via tangibles such as logo and other organizational nomenclature.particularly
important role corporate visual identity plays at service brands has been noted
by other branding scholars. de Chernatony outlines how for service brands,
physical cues such as the logo, clothes employees wear and premises are
particularly important as they help distinguish a brand. Keller also observes
that, due to the intangible nature of service offerings, 'symbols' can be used
by the brand owner to convey the brand identity in a more concrete and real
manner. These views are consistent with the broader service marketing
literature which notes how service brands frequently try to 'tangibilize' their
offering through 'symbolism'. As can be seen from the above, brand identity
scholars tend to use the terms 'symbol' or 'symbolism' and 'logo'
interchangeably with the latter falling under the domain of the corporate
visual identity literature.limited number of B2B scholars have embraced
corporate visual identity from a broader perspective as initially developed in
the B2C literature.and Axelsson acknowledge the role of premises and employees
play in building a B2B brand whilst Kotler and Pfoertsch consider the efficacy
of metaphor as a vehicle for conveying brand values, attributes or personality.
Taking a broader perspective, Keller and Lehmann consider the importance of
names, logos, symbols, packaging and slogans as part of a B2B brand building
process.integrated marketing communications has not been identified in the
relevant literature as a dimension of brand identity, several scholars outline
the important role marketing communications play in mobilizing brand identity.
Aaker and Joachimsthaler note "a key step in implementing a brand identity
is communicating it to organisational members and partners" whilst Aaker
considers marketing communication a critical part of brand identity "execution".
When introducing his framework, de Chernatony makes reference to
"presenting the brand to stakeholders" where 'presentation' is
synonymous with marketing communications.role marketing communications plays in
B2B markets has been noted in the relevant literature for some time with
Mudambi highlighting how B2B brands must communicate the value of their brands
to a range of stakeholders if they are to leverage their full potential. Kotler
and Pfoertsch note B2B encounters are complex interactions affected by multiple
stakeholders organizations' communicate with. Consistent with de Chernatony et
al. recommend marketers' consider all stakeholders that might influence a
customers perception when devising their communications strategy.terms of
communication focus, B2B brands focus on the organization and not specific
product lines. This is a function of the extensive brand lines most B2B
organizations have. Blomback and Axelsson elaborate on this point by
emphasizing how B2B communications should look to convey organizational
abilities and opposed to focusing on a given brand line's benefits. Han and
Sung suggest that to create brand value, B2B organizations need to develop
marketing communications that augment their corporate brand as opposed to
focusing on a range of line brands.personality is the salient dimension of
several brand identity models. Aaker's 'brand-as-person' perspective
"suggests a brand identity that is richer and more interesting than one
based on product attributes" whilst de Chernatony's notes how brand
personality "brings the brand's emotional values to life". Kapferer's
Identity Prism also considers personality as a brand identity facet that
"shows what kind of person it would be if it were human" with Aaker
and Joachimsthaler arguing that if a brand identity has been developed without
personality it has been too narrowly conceived.contends brand personality tends
to be less important for B2B brands. The reason being their clients have,
unlike consumer markets, comparatively fewer psychological and social needs.
This is consistent with de Chernatony who notes emotionally influenced
decisions are rare in industrial markets. This perspective is grounded in the
logic that organizational buying behaviour is predominantly informed by a
rational decision making process.rational perspective is contrary to an
increasing body of knowledge which outlines the salient role emotional in
addition to functional aspects of branding play in B2B markets. Emotions
relating to trust, confidence and comfort in addition to pride, peace of mind,
security, reassurance, reputation and responsiveness provide examples. This
more balanced perspective acknowledges decisions are made by humans who have
individual preferences, orientations and dispositions with regards to their decision
making processes. The logic for this development in the literature draws on the
affect heuristic literature which highlights humans' tendency to justify
emotional decisions rationally.role emotion plays in decision making has
evolved more recently in the B2B literature. Blomback and Axelsson outline how
earlier parts of the decision making process are influenced by first
impressions from sales representatives, trade fairs and so forth. Adopting a
more contextual approach, Lynch and de Chernatony note the influence of emotion
depends on a range of organizational and individual factors. These include
product type and purchasing situation in addition to personal characteristics
and the individual's level of involvement in the decision. More recently, Campbell
et al. outline how brand personality alignment plays an important role in
channel partner selection. Consequently, the importance of developing an
emotional connection via brand personality appears to be extending from
consumer to business markets and obtaining increasing scholarly support.by the
above brand identity literature, the domain of brand identity was regarded as
spanning marketing culture, client relationship management, integrated
marketing communications and brand personality. With the domain of the
construct explored, it was necessary to obtain data to develop the scale.
3. Research methodology
target population consisted of all UK IT Service
organizations due to the market's highly competitive nature and B2B focus. The
relatively undifferentiated nature of most organization's offer places an
increased importance on brand differentiation in a market which is largely
driven by standards based technical protocols. The sampling frame consisted of
3241 named senior 'marketing' executives working in the UK's B2B IT services
sector that was obtained from the One Source database hosted at the British
Library. When contact details for a marketing executive were not available the
Chief Executive Officer was selected. This decision was informed by the view
that B2B service brand identity is a strategic activity and the CEO would be
well placed to comment on such issues. A random sample of 2200 executives was
drawn frame who received the final survey by postal mail. Acompleted sample of
421 represented a 19% response rate. Whilst lower than the expected 28% for
executive level research this was considered sufficient for subsequent scale
development. The completed sample was randomly split into calibration (n = 211)
and validation (n = 210) samples. The calibration sample was used to develop
the scale whilst the validation sample was used to verify the scale
dimensionality and establish its psychometric properties.
. Scale development
operationalize B2B service brand identity, scale development
procedures were guided by the extant scaling literature. With service brand
identity defined and a priori dimensionality postulated, it was necessary to
generate a pool of items that scaled each dimension. A total of 119 items were
generated from the literature that sampled the domains of the five postulated
dimensions. Table 2 provides details of the relevant literature used to scale
each dimension.
Table 2 Source of B2B service brand identity scale items
Dimension
|
Measurement focus
|
Items culled/adapted from
|
Marketing culture
|
Importance placed on marketing
culture.
|
Webster (1995; 1993; 1990), Kotter and Heskett (1992)
|
Corporate visual identity systems
|
Importance placed on Corporate
visual identity.
|
Simoes et al.(2005), Stuart
(Stuart, 1999), Melewar & Saunders (1998, 2000), Van den Bosch et al
(2006), Baker and Balmer (1997)
|
Integrated marketing communications
|
Degree to which marketing
communications is integrated
|
Reid (2005) Duncan and Moriarty
(1997), Ewing and de Bussy (2000), Low and Lamb (2000)
|
Customer relationship management
|
Fournier (1994), Roberts, Varki,
and Brodie (2003), Iacobucci et al.(1995), Sirdeshmukh et al. (2002), Aaker,
Fournier, and Brasel (2004), Boon and Holmes (1999), Sin et al.(2005)
|
Brand personality
|
The strength, favourability and
uniqueness of the brand personality association.
|
Keller (2003)
|
with the scaling literature multiple items were developed for
each dimension.initial pool of items was then subject to an expert panel
review. The panel consisted of three leading brand academics and three senior
consultants working at global brand agencies based in the UK3. Each panel
member was asked to rate the extent they thought each item 'represented' the
domain of service brand identity. Panel members were also invited to suggest
new items to enhance content validity. A series of pretests with MBA students
working in the IT services sector then followed to assess participants'
understanding of questions. This step was informed by face validity concerns.
The survey was then piloted with fifty individuals randomly selected from the
sampling frame to obtain response rate estimates and 'test run' the survey
process. This expert panel, pretests and pilot resulted in the initial pool of
119 items being reduced to 50. This represented the service brand identity
items in the final survey.
5. Analysis
, item-to-total and scale reliability estimates were obtained
to assess the internal consistency of the scale and remove 'garbage' items.
Cronbach alphas for each subscale ranged from 0.83 to 0.89. These reliability
estimates exceeded 0.7 and indicated potential item redundancy cf. attenuation
paradox. Given the early stage of scale of development all items were retained.
Items that persistently affected the psychometric qualities of the scale would
be removed at a later stage. With 50 items and a calibration sample size of 211
the data set was considered suitable for exploratory factor
analysis.suitability of the dataset for exploratory factor analysis was further
established through the Bartlett's Test of Sphericity (x2 = 6248.8, p<0.000,
df= 1035) and KMO (0.908).calibration sample was subject to principal
components analysis with PROMAX rotation (oblique) as there were theoretical
reasons for expecting the dimensions to correlate.decision rules were used to
identify underlying factors. Factors needed eigen values greater than 1, single
items factors were eliminated given the need to develop multi item measures
whilst the number of factors extracted should account for 50%-60% of the
variance explained. Guided by these criteria a five factor, 20 item solution
which accounted for 56.2% of the variance was selected (Table 3).
3 Exploratory factor analysis factor loadings, eigen values,
variance extracted and Cronbach's alpha (calibration sample, n=211)
|
Factor loadings
|
Commu-nalities
|
|
E&CF
|
CVI
|
BP
|
CC
|
HRI
|
|
IT 97. Our employees will help
clients in a responsive manner
|
0,85
|
|
|
|
|
0,68
|
IT 91. Our organization makes an
effort to discover our clients' needs
|
0,82
|
|
|
|
|
0,67
|
IT 35. Our organization responds to
our clients' needs
|
0,82
|
|
|
|
|
0,69
|
IT 2. Our top management is
committed to providing quality service
|
0,81
|
|
|
|
|
0,74
|
IT 10. Our employees as essential
part of organization
|
0,79
|
|
|
|
|
0,67
|
IT 4. Our employees focus on
clients' needs, desires and attitudes
|
0,75
|
|
|
|
|
0,73
|
IT 98. CRM -Our organization fully
understands the needs of our key clients by learning from them
|
0,69
|
|
|
|
|
0,75
|
IT 14. Our organization places an
emphasis on hiring the right people
|
0,68
|
|
|
|
|
0,71
|
IT 53. The font we use is an
important part of our visual identity
|
|
0,96
|
|
|
|
0,69
|
IT 47. Our logo is an important
part of who we are
|
|
0,80
|
|
|
|
0,73
|
IT 55. The corporate visual
identity is helpful in making our organization recognizable
|
|
0,79
|
|
|
|
0,77
|
IT 61. The associations making up
our brand personality are extremely positive.
|
|
|
0,84
|
|
|
0,68
|
IT 62. Our clients have no
difficulty describing our brand personality
|
|
|
0,79
|
|
|
0,56
|
IT 59. Our brand personality has
favorable associations
|
|
|
0,79
|
|
|
0,68
|
IT 107. The people managing the
communications program for our organization have a good understanding of the
strengths and weaknesses of all major marketing communications tools
|
|
|
|
0,81
|
|
0,70
|
IT 118. Our organization's
advertising, PR and sales promotion all present the same clear consistent
message to our stakeholder
|
|
|
|
0,76
|
|
0,71
|
IT 94. Our organization has
established clear business goals related to client relationship management
|
|
|
|
0,72
|
|
0,62
|
IT 93. Our employee training
programs are designed to develop skills required for acquiring and deepening
client relationships
|
|
|
|
|
0,88
|
0,71
|
IT 15. Our organization provides
skill based training to front-line employees
|
0,76
|
IT 3. Our organization regularly
monitors employees' performance
|
|
|
|
|
0,80
|
0,68
|
Eigen value
|
14.44
|
4.92
|
2.02
|
1.96
|
1,53
|
|
% of Variance
|
33.57
|
10.69
|
4.39
|
4.2
|
3,33
|
|
Cronbach's
α
|
0.91*
|
0.78*
|
0.78*
|
0.75*
|
0,81*
|
|
. 1. B2B service brand identity
measurement model
five factors were labeled employee & client focus,
corporate visual identity, brand personality, consistent communication and
human resource initiatives. The decision to use an oblique rotation was
corroborated by the final component correlation matrix which indicated the
factors were positively and significantly correlated (p<0.05).AMOS V16.0.1
the confirmatory factor analytic model was estimated via the Maximum Likelihood
method (Fig. 1).with the structural equation modeling literature (Chen, Curran,
Bollen, Kirby, & Paxton, 2008; Fan & Sivo, 2005) a range of indices
were used to asses model fit. The measurement model demonstrated broadly
satisfactory levels of fit across all samples. Across the calibration
validation and full samples, GFI and CFI were 0.93, 0.92, 0.95 and 0.96, 0.96,
0.97 respectively. The RMSEA was 0.05 for all samples (Table 4).
Table 4 Measurement model fit indices
|
χ2
|
df
|
χ2/df
|
B-S p
|
GFI
|
AGFI
|
IFI
|
TLI
|
CFI
|
RMSEA (90% CI)
|
C
|
127.27
|
80
|
1.59
|
0.16
|
0.93
|
0.90
|
0.96
|
0.95
|
0.96
|
0.05 (0.04-0.07)
|
V
|
133.96
|
80
|
1.68
|
0.08
|
0.92
|
0.88
|
0.96
|
0.95
|
0.96
|
0.05 (0.04-0.07)
|
F
|
162.36
|
80
|
2.03
|
0.02
|
0.95
|
0.93
|
0.97
|
0.96
|
0.97
|
0.05 (0.04-0.06)
|
=calibration sample (n=211), V=validation (n=210) and F=full
sample (n=421)item loadings on their hypothesized dimensions for the
calibration, validation and full samples ranged from 0.62 to 0.95, 0.50 to 0.98
and 0.55 to 0.97 respectively. The smallest t= 6.7 (p < 0.001) represented
highly significant item loadings across all samples. Across all three samples
the average dimension correlation was r = 0.57 with the smallest t= 3.77. This
indicated a strong inter-action effect between dimensions.assess the internal
consistency of the five B2B service brand identity subscales the validation
sample was used to calculate composite reliabilities. All composite
reliabilities exceeded the recommended level of 0.6; employee & client
focus (0.89), corporate visual identity (0.77), brand personality (0.75)
consistent communication (0.73) and human resource initiatives (0.75).scale's
construct validity was assessed next. Given the item pool had been subject to
expert panel review the scale was considered face valid whilst the domain of
each dimension had been extensively sampled to enhance the scale's content
validity. Three tests demonstrated convergent validity. First, all average
variance extracted values were greater than 0.5. Second, the smallest item test
statistic was greater than 1.96 (t=6.7; a = 0.001). Third, all standardized
factor loadings were greater than 0.5. Discriminant validity was assessed in
three ways. First, the x2 for the unconstrained five factor model was
significantly lower than the x2 of each constrained model. Second, all
estimated confidence intervals (+/- two standard errors) for each dimension
correlations did not contain the value 1. Finally, with the exception of the
brand personality and consistent communications correlation, the variance
extracted estimates were greater than the square of the correlations for each
pair of dimensions. However, the previous discriminant validity tests show that
forcing a four factor model results in a deterioration of model fit whilst
there are no theoretical reasons for assuming brand personality and marketing
communication-related items should be combined. The result of this analysis was
a five dimensional, 15 item B2B service brand identity scale (Table 5).
5 Final B2B service brand identity scale
Our organization treats each
employee as an essential part of the organization Our employees will help
clients in a responsive manner Our organization makes an effort to discover
our clients' needs Our organization responds to our clients' needs Our top
management is committed to providing quality service
|
Corporate visual identity
|
The font we use is an important
part of our visual identity Our logo is an important part of who we are The
corporate visual identity is helpful in making our organization recognizable
|
Brand personality
|
The associations making up our
brand personality are extremely positive Our clients have no difficulty
describing our brand personality Our brand personality has favorable
associations
|
Consistent communications
|
The people managing the
communications program for our organization have a good understanding of the
strengths and weaknesses of all major marketing communications tools Our
organization's advertising, PR and sales promotion all present the same clear
consistent message to our stakeholders
|
Human resource initiatives
|
Our employee training programs are
designed to develop skills required for acquiring and deepening client
relationships Our organization regularly monitors employees' performance
|
Conclusion
is the first study of its kind that has adopted a grounded
approach to B2B service brand identity scale development. Guided by the domain
sampling model and the extant scaling literature this research has developed a
parsimonious, valid and reliable B2B service brand identity scale. As a result
of this scale development our research has empirically demonstrated, in the
UK's B2B IT service sector, B2B service brand identity is a second order
multidimensional construct comprising five dimensions. These are employee and
client focus, visual identity, brand personality, consistent communications and
human resource initiatives. The eclectic range of disciplines these dimensions
span highlights the broad theoretical roots of service brand identity which
give rise to the construct's multidisciplinary nature.of the service brand identity
scale can facilitate subsequent theoretical development in marketing and other
research domains. Marketing scholars can apply the scale to assess the
construct's influence on a range of endogenous variables such as brand
performance, revenue or reputation. Variables such as employee satisfaction or
labor turnover can also now be treated as endogenous variables as part of a
full structural model. Applying the scale in this way facilitates the
development of theoretically grounded and empirically informed insights in a
range of business related disciplines.a philosophical perspective, this
research moves the existing brand identity research paradigm from a conceptual
to an empirical domain. This has been achieved by developing a theoretically
informed and empirically validated scale with associated dimensionality. By
doing this, our research challenges and advances the existing research paradigm
where more conceptually orientated models predominate (Aaker, Aaker &
Joachimsthaler, de Chernatony, Kapferer).positive and highly significant
dimension correlations indicate service brand identity is a holistic construct
driven by synergistic dimension relationships.is more appropriate to consider
service brand identity as a synergistic network (Fig. 2).
. 2. The B2B service brand identity
network.
service brand identity in this way is consistent with the
view that a holistic approach to B2B brand marketing should be adopted (Kotler
& Pfoertsch). When considered holistically, the B2B service brand identity
network integrates internal (employees, managers) and external (clients,
upstream members of supply chain) perspectives. This tells us to reflect
internal and external orientations as opposed to focusing on the former.managers
can build B2B service brand identity they need to understand what dimensions
make the construct manifest. This research provides clear guidance on what
constitutes B2B service brand identity (dimensions) and what activities (items)
comprise those dimensions. The framework's dimensionality provides managers
with the conceptual apparatus to delineate B2B service brand identity whilst
the underlying scale items provide managers with specific activities to
structure and mobilize their early thoughts around each dimension.managers
embark on a B2B service brand identity building programme they need to consider
an eclectic range of activities. Regarding B2B service brand identity as being
synonymous with visual identity ignores the multidimensional nature of the
construct. When conceiving and building B2B service brand identity managers
need to find answers to questions such as 'Are we focusing adequately on our
employees' and clients' needs? What type of brand personality do we wish to
develop? How consistent is our marketing communications? How can we use the
font, logo and other visual identity aids as part of our overall service brand
identity? What human resource initiatives do we have in place to support our
desired service brand identity? Only when such questions are addressed will
managers be considering the breadth of issues that span the domain of B2B
service brand identity.applying this B2B service brand identity scale managers
now have a tool for auditing and tracking their service brand identity. If used
over a period of time the results from such measurement enable man-agers to
assess the effectiveness of the service brand identity management and so take
corrective action where necessary. The parsimony of the scale is intended to
facilitate such practical applications.integrated nature of B2B service brand
identity implies man-agers should carefully orchestrate all dimensions of B2B
service brand identity to capitalize on the construct's symbiotic
characteristics. Only when managers approach B2B service brand identity
development holistically will they realize the construct's full benefits.
Whilst positive correlations highlight how dimensions synergistically 'feed'
off one other, it is important managers consider the adverse effect of
positively correlated dimensions. A neglected B2B service brand identity
dimension could act as a millstone and burden other dimensions.planning and
building B2B service brand identity it is crucial those responsible for brand
take the initiative to build strong cross functional relationships with their
human resource counterparts. Brand marketers' need to encourage those
responsible for human resources to recruit, induct, train and reward
individuals who will help propagate the desired B2B service brand identity via
their behavior. This point is consistent with the view that for service brands,
functional alignment between marketing and human resources is particularly
important and takes on increased importance, given that human resource managers
tend to be comparatively unaware of strategic marketing activities. Encouraging
greater functional alignment between brand and human resource also follows
other scholars' who advocate the need for B2B brands to actively engage
employees in the brand building process.with all research, limitations exist
which should not be ignored. This research has focused on B2B IT services in
the UK. It is debatable if the findings presented here generalize to other
markets, sectors or countries.
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