Brand Management : A qualitative study on branding in a SME

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how branding is exercised in a SME and to develop a model for how SMEs can implement branding. This means that we will especially focus on aspects that are important for a SME when building and strengthening a brand.   Background When looking at the concept of brand management, the wide range of literature gives examples of corporations such as Nike, Coca-Cola, and Apple who have been successful in the field. It rarely talks about how SMEs deal with branding, if at all. Brand management in SMEs has been widely overlooked, despite that a vast majority of the companies are SMEs. There are as mentioned obstacles when working with brand management in SMEs, but the existing literature is mainly focusing on how larger organizations should implement brand management and the benefits of doing so. We argue that there is lack of existing literature on how SMEs should implement branding.   Method To fulfill the purpose, a qualitative method was chosen. The study was done within a SME, Triumf Glass, where eight people were interviewed in a semi-structured way. This was done to investigate how branding is excercised in a SME. Conclusion The outcome of the study is a model that describes the process we believe to be necessary for a SME to go through when building and strengthening its brand. The model consists of the phases brand essence, brand reflection and brand strategy which result in brand equity.