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Towards a client-based brand equity model for selected business-to-

business services

Presentation · September 2012

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25059.96802

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Pieter Steenkamp Frikkie Herbst

Cape Peninsula University of Technology FLAME University
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TOWARDS A CLIENT-BASED BRAND EQUITY MODEL FOR
SELECTED BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS SERVICES

P. Steenkamp, F. J. Herbst and J.C. de Villiers

 Key Concepts
• Brand defined
– A brand resides in a consumer’s mind. It is a
consumer’s perception (brand image) and attitude,
which comprise the tangible and intangible (attributes,
benefits and psychological/emotional) associations
that are used to identify and differentiate an offering
(adapted, Keller, 1993: 2-5). For a consumer a brand
contains a promise of performance and value, which
allow consumers to project their self-image (Keller,
2008: 8; Chiaravalle & Schenck, 2007: 34-35).
 Key Concepts
• Brand management
– The process of managing an organisation as a brand
and an organisation’s brand(s) in order to preserve
and enhance brand equity (Interbrand, 2007: 17)

• B2C vs. B2B

• Product vs. service
• Individual brand vs. organisation brand
 Research Problem
• There is no comprehensive and accepted
brand equity model for B2B services
– Generic B2C branding model used for B2B
services
• May lead to suboptimum brand building strategies
 Conceptual Question
• What does research literature tell us about
brand equity, branding models and B2B services
branding?
 Key Branding Models

Figure 1: Aaker’s brand equity model Figure 2: Keller’s customer-based brand equity model
Source: Aaker (1991: 270) Source: Keller (2008: 60)
 Key Branding Models
Reduced Marketing
Costs
Trade Leverage
Attracting New
Customers
Brand • Create Awareness
Loyalty • Reassurance Provides Values to
Time to Respond to Customers by
Competitive Threats Enhancing Branding Objective
Customer’s: Stages of Brand
Development at Each Stage
Anchor to which •Interpretation/
Other Associations •Processing of
can be Attached Information 4. Relationships Intense,
Brand Familiarity/Liking •Confidence in the What about Resonance active loyalty
Signal of Purchase Decision you and me?
Awareness •Use of Satisfaction
Substance/
Commitment
Brand to be
Considered 3. Response Positive,
What about you? Judgments Feelings accessible
reactions
BRAND Reason-to-Buy
EQUITY Differentiate/Position Provides Values to
Perceived Price Firm by Enhancing: 2. Meaning Points of parity
Channel Member
Quality Interest What are you? Performance Imagery and difference
Extensions •Efficiency and
Effectiveness of
Marketing Programs
•Brand Loyalty
•Prices/Margins Deep, broad
Help Process/ 1. Identity
•Brand Extensions Salience brand awareness
Retrieve Information Who are you?
•Trade Leverage
Brand Reason-to-Buy
•Competitive
Associations Create Positive Advantage
Attitude/Feelings
Extensions

Other
Proprietary Competitive
Advantage
Brand Assets

Figure 1: Aaker’s brand equity model Figure 2: Keller’s customer-based brand equity pyramid
Source: Aaker (1991: 270) Source: Keller (2001: 17)
 Key Branding Models
Building brand equity (asset) in
consumers minds

• Is a summative model of best practise for branding

• Includes a majority of concepts of Aaker’s brand equity
model
• Includes concepts of three industry proprietary brand
equity models

Figure 1: Aaker’s brand equity model Figure 2: Keller’s customer-based brand equity model
Source: Aaker (1991: 270) Source: Keller (2008: 60)
 CBBE Model

Figure 2: Keller’s customer-based brand equity model

Source: Keller (2008: 60)
 Questions Regarding Applicability
of CBBE Model to B2B Context
• Keller claims CBBE model applicable to B2B
sector, but not comprehensively validated
• Kotler and Keller (2006: 210-212) mention
distinct differences between consumer and
business markets
• Kuhn et al. (2008: 41) doubts the applicability of
some of the CBBE model’s building blocks for
B2B context
 Questions Regarding Applicability
of CBBE Model to B2B Context
• CBBE model summative model of best practise for
branding in consumer markets
– B2C (FMCG) not B2B
– Products not services
– Individual brands not organisation brands
Fast moving consumer goods

Entry level motor vehicle

Short-term insurance

Pure service
Pure product

Airline (flight)
Restaurant

SERVICE
PRODUCT

Figure 2.1: Product-service spectrum

Figure 2.1: Product-service spectrum

Source: developed from Kotler & Keller, 2006: 403-404
 Research Objective
• to develop a brand equity model, as
strategic brand management instrument,
to guide the branding process for B2B
services
 Primary Research Question
• What would constitute a brand equity
model, as strategic brand management
instrument, for B2B services?
Secondary Research Questions
• Which of the brand-building blocks and sub-
dimensions of the CBBE model are relevant to
B2B services?
• Which of the brand-building blocks and sub-
dimensions of the CBBE model are not relevant
to B2B services?
• Which other brand-building blocks and sub-
dimensions may be relevant to B2B services?
From B2C: CBBE to B2B: CL-BBE Model
From B2C: CBBE to B2B: CL-BBE Model
From B2C: CBBE to B2B: CL-BBE Model

?
 Other Research Questions
• Are the brand-building blocks and sub-
dimensions of brand equity any different for an
owner-buyer to that of a professional (employee)
buyer?
• Which conclusions can be drawn and which
guidelines can be suggested to improve
strategic brand management for B2B services?
 Delimitation of Research
• The short-term insurance services industry
• Organisations located within Cape Town
Metropole, South Africa
• B2B service demand-side client
organisations of insurance service
providers
• Owner-buyer (small) and professional
buyer (medium-sized) businesses
 Research Design and Methods
Pilot & Study 1 Study 2

Conceptualisation

Research design: Exploratory

Research philosophy: Empirical applied research:

Interpretivist approach

Research discourse: Induction (theory building)

Research tactic: Basic qualitative & sample survey:

cross sectional research
Data collection

Research technique In-depth interviews

Sampling

Sampling design Non-probability sampling

Sampling technique Convenience random

Instrument Questionnaire: open-ended and

structured questions
 Research Design and Methods
Pilot & Study 1 Study 2

Conceptualisation

Research design: Descriptive

Research philosophy: Empirical applied research: Positivistic

approach
Research discourse: Deduction (theory testing)

Research tactic: Cross sectional (sample survey)

Data collection

Research technique Face-to-face interviews

Sampling

Sampling design Probability sampling

Sampling technique Simple random

Instrument Questionnaire: structured questions

 Research Design and Methods
Pilot & Study 1 Study 2

Conceptualisation

Research design: Exploratory Descriptive

Research philosophy: Empirical applied research: Empirical applied research: Positivistic

Interpretivist approach approach

Research discourse: Induction (theory building) Deduction (theory testing)

Research tactic: Basic qualitative & sample survey: Cross sectional (sample survey)
cross sectional research
Data collection

Research technique In-depth interviews Face-to-face interviews

Sampling

Sampling design Non-probability sampling Probability sampling

Sampling technique Convenience random Simple random

Instrument Questionnaire: open-ended and Questionnaire: structured questions

structured questions
 Sampling
• Population – small and medium-sized B2B
organisations within Cape Town Metropole, South
Africa
• Sample unit - each organisation in sample frame
• Sample frame - organisation contact list
• Sample size – Study 1 = ? Study 2 = ?
(350 for a population of 1500 and a sample size of 400 for a
population size exceeding 5000)
• Sample element - person in organisation
responsible for short-term business insurance
purchase decision e.g. purchaser, general manager,
financial manager, director, CEO or MD
Methods of Analysis and Ethics
• Qualitative: thematic coding/ indexing
• Quantitative: descriptive statistics

• All ethical requirements of the USB will be

adhered to e.g informed consent etc.
 TOWARDS A CLIENT-BASED BRAND EQUITY MODEL FOR
SELECTED BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS SERVICES

P. Steenkamp, F. J. Herbst and J.C. de Villiers

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