Managerial Perspective on Brand Identity Fit in Co-branding: The Case of Global Brands in Turkey

Conference: The 6th International Conference of Marketing, Strategy & Policy 2022

Dates: 8-11 November 2022

Abstract:

In co-branding, partner brands decide on the partners they would form an alliance together before they engage their resources. There are several factors that influence the partner brand selection and later the outcomes of the co-branding (Paydas Turan 2021). There are few studies which studied the importance of brand identity fit in co-branding which has impact on the success of the brand alliance (Xiao and Lee 2014, Suri et al. 2011). Moreover, there are not many studies that explored the topic from the managerial perspective. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of brand identity fit in co-branding from the perspective of marketing managers. The study builds on brand alliance literature, resource-based view to explore the utilisation of marketing resources and capabilities by brands in the context of co-branding formed by global and local brands. The topic is explored by analysing three case studies from Turkey. A multiple case-design, qualitative analysis and thematic analysis are used to collect and analyse the data of the study. The findings show that brand identity fit is a critical criterion in partner brand selection of global brands. Furthermore, brand identity fit becomes a more important criterion in the partner brand selection if the brands will have a long-term brand alliance. However, for some global brands customer segment fit plays a more important role than the brand identity fit on the outcomes of the brand alliance.

Findings of the study would help marketing managers of the brands to understand the role of brand identity fit on the outcomes of the brand alliance, to prevent the risks that might occur during the brand alliances due to brand identity fit, and to make better partner brand choices in their future brand alliances. The study contributes to brand identity literature and identifies the critical brand selection criteria in co-branding.

Source: Manual