Vision

 

Products, brands and their relationship

What’s the difference between a product and a brand? Well, I for one believe that a product is the embodiment of the brand. The brand itself is a collection of values, such as the value innovative. Because the contemporary trend is the development of an experience economy, today’s complex consumer is not satisfied by the product itself. Today’s consumer is looking for narrative around a product. This narrative, of which the brand is a summary through its values, is sold to the consumer in more and more creative ways: from celebrity endorsement to event marketing around the product.



Marketing: not solely a sales supportive function

Marketing within modern companies is much more than solely a supportive function of sales. Marketing can be effectively used as input for the new product development process within organizations. Marketing orientation can even lead to the result that new applications are found for the current solutions which a company offers, and thereby leading the new business development process.


Business marketing vs. Consumer marketing

Marketing takes place within the professional environment, where the customer of a company is another company. This is generally referred to as business marketing. Business marketing has some substantial differences once compared to consumer marketing. However business marketing could learn from consumer marketing, and vice versa. To gain a better understanding of what these differences are and how this learning could take place I put together the following literature review, listing research gaps, or in other words areas where business marketing could learn form consumer marketing. Take a look.




The role of the product Brand in the b2b environment

The role of the product brand within the b2b is different when compared to the b2c environment. Branding and brand building is different within the b2b environment. Currently product brands of the “professional products” are merely names, used for clients to discriminate within the product portfolio. The narrative we find within the consumer product brands is lacking within the b2b environment for no apparent reason. Making product brands more effective within the b2b realm is a remaining challenge.


Top of page