Corporate identity : a business-to-business perspective

A large number of products and services have almost identical physical specifications and performances. Corporations have traditionally used branding as a tool in order to differentiate and gain competitive advantage. However, it is only during recent years the interest towards branding within business-to-business has gained attention. The concept of corporate branding has received substantial attention due to the fact that the products and services are generally more complex and demand greater flexibility within industrial markets. In order to create a successful corporate brand it is crucial to understand the corporate identity. The identity consists of the corporate personality and how it is communicated. To be able to express the corporation as intended, towards all stakeholders, it is vital to have a solid appreciation of the corporation’s personality and how it is communicated. This thesis covers how corporate identity is used within business-to- business, which also is the purpose of the thesis. The focus is on the intended corporate brand personality and how it can be implemented. In order to reach our purpose we have conducted a case study on an Italian corporation that produces and supplies single portion food solutions towards the hospitality industry. Our main findings are that in order to generate initial interest it is crucial to have a sincere personality. Furthermore, it is also vital to be competent in order to generate continuous re-buys. When implementing the corporate brand personality, product category, package, price and attributes are the most important drivers in order to generate re-buys. Moreover, the country of origin is the most important driver in order to create added value regarding the quality of products. The director of sales is a vital driver regarding networking and communicating with clients.Validerat; 20101217 (root