Business-to-signature-story-to-Business

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this master paper is to explore if different Business-to-Business brands sit on signature stories using David Aaker ́s four criteria defining a signature story. Methodology: The study’s qualitative methodology consists of finding different Business-to- Business brands and analyzing these if they are sitting on a signature story. To explore if Business-to-Business brands have signature stories, the chosen brands will be analyzed through David Aaker ́s four criteria defining a signature story. Furthermore, except the study ́ s qualitative method, this study will also be conducted as an exploratory study. Findings: The research found that only four Business-to-Business brands out of 16 fulfill Aaker ́s four criteria defining a signature story. Moreover, three out of these four brands tend to communicate their stories through videos which could be a factor why they fulfilled Aaker ́s four criteria. Lastly, when talking about signature stories in Business-to-Business brands, their signature stories tend to not be “once upon a time” stories but focusing more on their history. This means that the definition of signature stories tends to differ from Business-to-Business brands and Business-to-Consumer brands. Original/value: The paper is first of its kind to analyze Signature Stories from a Business-to- Business perspective, from both Aaker ́s four criteria concerning signature stories and the papers own matrix regarding signature stories and external communication. Keywords: Explore, Signature stories, Business-to-Business brands, Storytelling, Intriguing, Authentic, Involving, Strategic Message. Paper Type: Research paper