Corporate Brands Buildings of SMEs in B2B Environment in the UK - Dissertation Example

Consumers need to believe in the brand and put their trust in it. Furthermore, the importance of corporate brands increases in corporate marketing and small industries. These industries rely on few investors and customers. Since the revenue is low compared to bigger MNCs (Multinational Corporations) they need to build their corporate brand in order to remain trustworthy and thrive in the market (Inskip, 2004). There are various factors that can be attributed to the importance of corporate branding.

Corporate branding provides an identity to the business; logo and slogans become the face of a business and a representation of the business’s image (Bernstein, 2003). Strategic corporate branding also means better customer relationships and increased trustworthiness. Apart from that, strong corporate brands also come across as polished, professional, and successful entities. It sends signs of high value and quality. SMEs provide employment opportunities as well as drive competition and innovation in many sectors.

Also known as micro-enterprises, these SMEs are growing at a fast pace in the United Kingdom. According to reports by the Federation of Small Businesses (2012), the average number of businesses in the UK has crossed 5 million markets and out of them, around 99.9 percent are SMEs. SMEs have been employing more than 14 million people and the combined turnover for the year 2012 was 1500 billion Euros. From the above statistics, it is clear that SMEs have been playing an important role in the overall business environment in the United Kingdom.

Thus, they are the backbone of the economy in the United Kingdom. Thus, it is extremely important that the steady growth of the businesses is maintained. The influence of internal and external forces is much more pronounced in SMEs compared to bigger companies (Davies and Chun, 2002). These include customer markets, business infrastructure, and company characteristics. However, in the case of small companies, the influence of business managers is much more than bigger organizations. Similarly, the distribution of finances, external shareholder categories, and investor management are different in small and bigger enterprises.

Small enterprises work in a much closer environment. Thus, it can be said that the policies and marketing campaigns followed by bigger organizations might not work for SME's brand building (Berthon, Ewing, and Napoli, 2008). Comparing with consumers, B2B companies have their own decision-making processes and purchasing habits. In terms of their purchasing decisions which are depended on facts and needs, the world of B2B products is seen as more complex. The reason why B2B companies prefer corporate brands rather product brands and the dynamic environments (competitive advantages and product innovations) will be discussed.

This makes an interesting and insightful topic for further research and development. Chapter 2: Outline of the Research Problem The research deals with the marketing and brand building of corporate SMEs in the B2B environment in the United Kingdom.