A literature review and future agenda for B2B branding: Challenges of branding in a B2B context

The existing body of research knowledge on brand management has been predominantly derived from business-to-consumer markets, particularly fast moving consumer goods and has only recently started to expand in other contexts. Branding in business-to-business markets has received comparatively little attention in the academic literature due to a belief that industrial buyers are unaffected by the emotional values corresponding to brands. This paper provides a critical discussion of the fragmented literature on business-to-business branding which is organized in five themes: B2B branding benefits; the role of B2B brands in the decision making process; B2B brand architecture; B2B brands as communication enablers and relationship builders; and industrial brand equity. Drawing on the gaps and contradictions in the literature the paper concludes by proposing an agenda for future research.

Research highlights► Academic inquiry on the subject of B2B branding is limited, fragmented and inconclusive. ► Five broad areas have been highlighted as requiring further systematic and rigorous research. ► Benefits and role of B2B brands; brand architecture; B2B brands as relationship builders; and industrial brand equity. ► Future research directions are identified to further our understanding of how branding can be applied in a B2B context.