B2B Branding in the Business-to-Business Context: A Literature Review

Abstract

Business-to-Business (B2B) branding has existed for over four decades. Nevertheless, the changes in the economy and the environments have raised the awareness of firms operating in the B2B industry about the importance of branding for their success. Conversely, brand management strategies in the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) market considerably differ from the B2B industry even though most of B2B branding models are based on B2C ones. Thus, the purpose of this study is to review the body of literature of B2B branding to figure out if B2C brand models still work for B2B market. The review reveals two classification of B2B branding literature: (1) Applicability of B2C brand equity models in the B2B context and (2) Network-focus B2B branding models. Therefore, this study recommends conducting more studies on B2B branding from network approach and also from small firms perspectives. Finally, this study advances the literature by underlining the importance of developing B2B branding models from network standpoint.