Mitchell, Hutchison y Quinn, 2013 PDF

Journal of Marketing Management, 2013
Vol. 29, Nos. 11–12, 1367–1393, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2013.798672
Brand management in small and medium-sized

(SME) retailers: A future research agenda
Richard Mitchell,University of Brighton, UK
Karise Hutchinson, University of Ulster, UK
Barry Quinn, University of Ulster, UK
Abstract Recently, an emerging body of literature has advocated the importance

of branding to small and medium-sized (SME) retailers. Nonetheless, this
discourse has ignored the complexities and idiosyncrasies of retail branding.
The aim of this paper is to provide a new theoretical understanding of brand
management by SME retailers. In order to achieve this aim, the paper integrates
the brand management, SME branding, and retail branding literature, and offers
a conceptual framework for SME retail branding. A number of propositions
are included that aid understanding of brand management in SME retail
organisations. It is anticipated that these propositions will help shape future
empirical research in this area. Further in-depth research into the application
of branding within the SME retail context would address a significant gap in
academic knowledge. In doing so, it would also provide important insights for
management practice.
Keywords brand management; SME; marketing; retailing
Introduction
Brands and the management of brands have emerged as key areas of practitioner and
academic literature, not only in the field of marketing but across a divergent number
of market sectors (de Chernatony, 2009) and within organisations of multiple sizes
(Berthon, Ewing, & Napoli, 2008; Krake, 2005). The brand revolution, described
as almost ‘Copernican’, saw the brand emerge as a key strategic and financial asset
within firms across different market sectors (Kapferer, 2008). Academic research has
developed the themes of brand management and brand consumption, particularly
within competing philosophical paradigms in the marketing arena (Louro & Cunha,
2001). As a result, the brand is now considered as one of the most undefinable,
paradoxical concepts within the marketing realm (de Chernatony, 2009).
Recent work has advocated that branding is a subjective phenomenon reflective of
particular organisational or sector-specific industrial contexts (Berthon et al., 2008;
Gabbott & Jevons, 2009). The disparity of brand management between small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large organisations (LOs) has been widely
noted in the literature (e.g. Berthon et al., 2008; Mowle & Merrilees, 2005; Spence
© 2013 Westburn Publishers Ltd.

1368 Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 29
& Essoussi, 2010). The pivotal role of branding in small-business development is

particularly important in considering SME marketing activity (e.g. Berthon et al.,
2008; Boyle, 2003; Carson & Gilmore, 2000; Gilmore, Carson, & Grant, 2001;
Inskip, 2004; Krake, 2005; O’Dwyer, Gilmore, & Carson, 2009; Ojasalo, Natti, &
Olkkonen, 2008; Opoku, Abratt, Bendixen, & Pitt, 2007; Simpson, Padmore, Taylor,
& Freckhall-Hughes, 2006; Wong & Merrilees, 2005). Prior work has noted that
even for small businesses with limited resources, strong brands can become valuable
organisational assets, which enable SMEs to compete in a crowded marketplace
characterised by symbolic consumption (Abimbola & Kocak, 2007).
In recent times, the retail sector has undergone institutional changes whereby
manufacturers have moved into the retailing arena via vertical integration of
supply networks, leading to the development of in-house specialist marketing
expertise (Alexander & Doherty, 2009). For retail organisations, strong brands
are now considered important to the sustainability of business in both domestic
and international markets (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004; Kent, 2003; Moore &
Birtwistle, 2004). Furthermore, prior research has shown that retail SMEs who
operate a strategy of unique marketplace specialism are inherently more successful
(Jamal, 2004; Kent, Denis, & Tanton, 2003; Megicks & Warnaby, 2008; Omar
& Fraser, 2011). While research has identified overt brand management practice
and consumption within the retail industry (e.g. Burt, 2000; Hollenbeck, Peters, &
Zinkhan, 2008), the focus has been the large retail organisation (Burt & Carralero-
Encinas, 2000; Doyle, Moore, Doherty, & Hamilton, 2008; Moore & Birtwistle,
2004) rather than the context of retail SMEs.
There are both practical and academic arguments for particular attention to be
given to branding within the retail SME context. First, the fiscal importance of
the SME retail sector in the UK (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,
2008; Smith & Sparks, 2000), and the importance of branding in general terms
to retail organisations, warrants attention to be given to the nature of branding in
an SME retail context. Second, given the inherent differences between the practice
of marketing in SMEs and larger organisations (Carson & Gilmore, 2000), and
the differences in organisation and management between the manufacturing and
retailing sectors, including pace of retail change, locus of decision making, and
nature of the retail product (Burt & Sparks, 2002), academic understanding would
be enhanced through the development of new theories and insights to explain the
particular characteristics of retail SME brand management. In short, there are clear
limitations in the wholesale adoption of theories developed in other contexts to
explain processes in SME retail brand management, where unique industry sector
norms and characteristics come into play.
The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework of SME retail brand
management that will help to provide a basis for future empirical research studies
on this subject. In order to do so, the paper will first review the relevant theoretical
frameworks in the literature relating to retail branding, brand management, and SME
brand development. Second, it will evaluate the relevance of prior theories with
reference to retail practice and the organisational size construct. Third, the paper
will present a conceptual framework and research agenda centred on a number of
key research propositions to guide future empirical research on SME retail branding.
The academic value and contribution of this paper derives from the attention
given to the peculiarities of firm size (i.e. SME) and industry contexts (i.e. retailing).
While the broader branding and SME literatures are of themselves limited in their
Mitchell et al. Brand management in SME retailers 1369
applicability to the SME retail context, it is the integration of key themes from
these literatures with the sector-specific retail literature and retail branding sector
characteristics that should allow for the development of propositions and insights
that are particularly unique to the SME retail branding context.
Literature review
It has been stated that branding research, theory, and practice is characterised by
ambiguity, subjectivity, and disparity (Brown, 1995; de Chernatony, 2009; Goodyear,
1996; Heding, Knudtzen, & Bjerre, 2008; Louro & Cunha, 2001; Wood, 2000).
As a result of this ambiguity, interest has recently grown around the need to provide
structure to this sphere of the marketing discipline. One mode of achieving this has
been through the use of taxonomies of brand management. Notable examples in
this regard include Goodyear (1996), Heding et al. (2008), and Louro and Cunha
(2001). The value of such scholarly endeavour is not only to trace the historical
development of brands, but to help contrast the branding approaches to organise
the chaos presented within the disparate branding literature and to help further the
theoretical development of new brand management typologies (Heding et al., 2008).
This array of divergent brand management perspectives are summarised in Table 1.
As presented in Table 1, Louro and Cunha’s (2001) dynamics of brand
management are used to structure an integrated literature review around the themes
of brand management focus, brand definition, brand roles, dimensions of brand
management, performance metrics, and brand management structure. Therein, the
discussion will consider relevant research by academics in the fields of brand
management, SME, and retail branding.
Brand management focus

Two features of brand management focus are found to be common across a number
of branding taxonomies (Heding et al., 2008): brand and customer centrality. This is
illustrated in Figure 1.
Brand centrality runs from a tactical orientation to a strategic orientation. This
ranges from a tactical adaptation of brand meaning stemming from product features
(Low & Fullerton, 1994) or consumer-based associations (Keller, 1993) to a more
strategic outlook whereby brand identity (i.e. the corporate brand) takes on a greater
significance to the firm, evident in the projective, relational, and emotional paradigms
(de Chernatony, 2001; Grossman, 1998; Moller & Hallinen, 2000; Urde, 1994,
1999). Customer centrality refers to the extent to which consumers are involved in
the brand creation process (Louro & Cunha, 2001). A strong customer orientation
(multilateral) refers to those branding approaches which see the consumer as the
receiver and, ultimately, the (co)creator of brand meaning (Boyle, 2007; Keller, 1993;
Schmitt, 1999). On the other hand, a firm centric (or unilateral) focus refers to how
the firm acts as the sole creator of brand meaning through managerially created brand
associations (Christodoulides, 2008).
Within the retail literature, traditionally the focus of brand management practice
was placed upon the development of differentiation through private labels (Hoch
& Banerji, 1993). Similar to the product paradigm, this focus was primarily
1370
Table 1 Brand management dynamics.
Product Projective Relational

paradigm paradigm Adaptive paradigm paradigm Emotional paradigm
Brand Brand Marketing mix Brand identity Brand image Proximate, Intimate brand
Management management evolving brand relationships
Dynamics focus relationships
Brand definition Logo, legal Identity system, Image, shorthand Proximate Relationship intimacy,
instrument company device, risk relationship story-telling, myth
reducer, added development, creation,
value, value personality, communities, brand
system evolving entity customer–customer
triads
Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 29
Brand roles Product-centric Firm-centric roles, Consumer-centric Symbolic partner, Social role, brand as a
roles, supporting corporate-level roles facilitating co-configuration bond between
communication, identity, cost decision making, of proximate customers, other
advertising, and leadership, reducing risk, evolving firm customers and firm;
legal protection competitive provision of customer brand as symbolic
advantage emotional value relationships representation of
subculture of
consumption
Dimensions of Marketing Organisational Brand image, brand Organisational Brand heritage, brand
brand programme, strategy, brand elements, strategy, brand community
management brand elements identity charter, marketing identity charter, management, brand
as residual brand elements, programme brand image, heritage,
decision marketing brand history, experiential
programme brand elements, marketing
marketing programme
programme
(Continued)
Table 1 (Continued).
Product Projective Relational

paradigm paradigm Adaptive paradigm paradigm Emotional paradigm
Performance Product based Brand based Consumer based Process based Socially based
metrics (financial (internal- (customer (balance score measures (at
perspective) perspective) perspective) cards) macro-community
level)
Brand Functional, Corporate level, Functional, Customer Customer
management product/portfolio umbrella product/portfolio management, management,
structure management, portfolio, management, co-production of pro-sumer brand
product/market product/market product/market brand identity, management,
entrepreneurial co-production of
brand brand identity
management
Source: Adapted from Louro and Cunha (2001).
Mitchell et al. Brand management in SME retailers
1371
Figure 1 Brand management focus.

Source: Adapted from Louro and Cunha (2001)
Brand Centrality
Tactical Orientation
Product Adaptive
Paradigm Paradigm
Customer Centrality
Unilateral Multilateral
Projective Relational
Paradigm Paradigm
Brand Orientation
tactical in nature with emphasis placed on product attributes (e.g. price, quality) to
induce brand switching (Cox & Britain, 2003; Kwon, Lee, & Kwon, 2008). Over
time, the development and use of private labels became more strategic (Pellegrini,
1993), which led to a more holistic retail branding focus on the interaction
of consumers with environmental components (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004). With
reference to the work of Mitchell (1999), it is evident that to date retailers’
actions have followed the underlying principles of the projective (Burt & Sparks,
2002), relational (Rowley, 2006), and emotional brand paradigms (Helman & de
Chernatony, 1999), increasing both brand and customer centrality (Burt & Sparks,
2002).
While research in the broader brand management and retail literatures has drawn
upon evidence from large organisations, for SMEs, it is evident that the focus of
brand management is centred on a tactical survival mentality (Carson & Gilmore,
2000). This is usually linked to marketing activity that has worked in the past,
resource levels, cost effectiveness, and marketing network competencies (Gilmore
et al., 2001). For SME owner managers, the focus of brand activity is more often
based around projecting singular messages, such as a service or product innovation.
This focus, in turn, is strongly influenced by the subjectivity tied to the owner
manager’s current and personal goals (Spence & Essoussi, 2010).
Brand definition
In the field of brand management, there are several definitions of branding,
dependent upon the paradigmatic approach adopted. Within the product paradigm,
the brand is defined by product attributes such as logos, slogans, features, and other
identifiers. In contrast, the projective paradigm takes the view that product attributes
do not represent sustainable brand attributes (Simoes & Dibb, 2001), but rather
consumers define branding as a holistic firm-wide identity system (Urde, 1999).

The adaptive paradigm defines the brand from the perspective of consumers (de
Chernatony & Dall’Olmo Riley, 1998a; Wood, 2000), whereby they interpret brand
messages to form a set of brand associations for brand meaning (Berthon, Hulbert,
& Pitt, 1999; Keller, 1993). Taking this into account, the relational paradigm defines
the brand as the bond between customer and firm (Fournier & Yao, 1997), which acts
as the main source of brand differentiation (Fournier, 1998). However, in contrast,
the emotional paradigm places emphasis upon the intimacy of brand–consumer
bonds (Cova & Cova, 2002), which can form brand communities (Fournier, Sele,
& Schogel, 2005; Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001).
For retailers, brand definition likewise has evolved over time. Traditionally, private
labels (Steiner, 2004) provided retailers with organisational distinctiveness and
delivered value through economies of scale. Store image, reflected in the retailer’s
ability to add value to customers through the practice or process of retailing
(Burt & Carralero-Encinas, 2000) also emerged to form the basis of brand equity
(Ailawadi & Keller, 2004; Collins-Dodd & Lindley, 2003; Kotler, 1973; Linquist,
1974; Martineau, 1958). However, as retailer marketing expertise has become more
sophisticated, retail brands are now developed and communicated to consumers via
the store environment, unique merchandise, and other external branding activities
(Barnes & Lea-Greenwood, 2010; Burt & Sparks, 2002; Martenson, 2007). Thus,
a number of brand management dynamics within the retail industry can be
identified, including product branding (Kwon et al., 2008), alongside more corporate
approaches to branding (Burt & Sparks, 2002). In this definition of retail branding,
emphasis is placed upon a corporate firm-wide identity, integrating product mix and
store image (Kent, 2003, 2005 2006, 2007; Kent & Stone, 2007).
In the SME marketing literature, the definition of branding is positioned within
marketing practice and is highly dependent on industry norms. In this regard,
the owner manager observes, adapts, and adopts the customs of behaviour of
competitors in his/her sector (Carson & Gilmore, 2000). Prior work has shown
that brand identity has been either singular for service-led industries (e.g. Berthon
et al., 2008; Wong & Merrilees, 2005) or multiple for product-led industries
(Ojasalo et al., 2008; Spence & Essoussi, 2010). Given the haphazard ad hoc
approach to SME marketing, the relative influence of industrial norms, and the
owner manager’s creativity (Abimbola, 2001), a combined approach to the dynamics
of brand management aforementioned is evident. Importantly and directly related to
this paper, product-led studies into SME branding have observed that, in co-branding
relationships, larger manufacturer brand identity often supplants the smaller brand’s
identity (Ojasalo et al., 2008). For retailers who inevitably distribute brands that
carry a higher brand awareness in domestic and international markets, the question
of how product brand identity is defined in the overall retail brand package remains
unanswered.
Role of brands
The mutually dependant, functional, and symbolic roles of brands to both consumers
and managers are evident in the broader brand management literature (Berthon
et al., 1999). In essence, the role of the brand has evolved from a legal instrument
in support of the communication function to encompass firm identity, corporate
culture, and the alignment of firm resources in delivering value to both producer
and consumer (Hatch & Schultz, 2003; Keller & Lehman, 2003, 2006; Vallaster &
de Chernatony, 2005). With reference to the relational and emotional paradigms,
the brand is specifically utilised as a mutually beneficial link between the firm and
customer (Harrison & Hartley, 2007).
While in principle the retail brand fulfils many of the roles cited within brand
management research (Berthon et al., 1999), a number of further distinct brand
functions are evident in the retailing literature. First, notable economies of scale may
be achieved through development of own-label merchandise (Varley & Rafiq, 2004),
which in turn can increase retail power within distribution channels (Alexander &
Doherty, 2009; Burt & S. Davis, 1999). Second, branding through retail image can
facilitate international retail growth via low-risk entry modes such as franchising
(Doherty & Quinn, 2002; Quinn & Doherty, 2000, Swoboda, Zentes, & Elsner,
2009). Third, retail branding through store image offers consumers a distinct
shopping experience, which in turn provides a point of difference in a highly
competitive sector (Davies, 1992) – critical given the growth in multichannel
shopping (Grewal, Gopalkrishnan, & Levy, 2004). Fourth, retail experiences can
be aligned within overall brand strategy, as evidenced by manufacturers who have
entered the retailing arena in the form of brand-scapes (Doyle et al., 2008;
Hollenbeck et al., 2008; Kozinets, Sherry, DeBerry-Spence, Duhachek, Nuttavithisit
& Storm, 2001, 2004; Pettinger, 2004; Sherry, 1998), where the retail store becomes
a experiential space of brand associations (Ponsonby-McCabe & Boyle, 2006).
It has been found that brands also perform both symbolic and functional roles for
SME owner managers (Mowle & Merrilees, 2005). From a functional perspective,
brands allow SMEs to maintain a logo-based identity. In addition, brands perform
the role of coordinating marketing programmes around singular messages from the
owner manager (Spence & Essoussi, 2010). With regard to the symbolic role of
branding in SMEs, Abimbola and Kocak (2007) argue that the brand may be viewed
as an organisational asset, emulating a projective approach to brand management.
This supports the work of Krake (2005), which found that brands act as shorthand
devices for a firm’s stakeholders (i.e. employees and customers), through which the
personality, passions, and expertise of the owner manager are communicated.
Dimensions of brand management

In view of Table 1, it is evident that a variety of brand management dimensions
characterise each branding paradigm. For instance, the product paradigm is
characterised by brand decisions as residing within the product development process
(Katsanis, 1999), and brand value is created based upon managerial perceptions of
the unique product attributes salient to consumers (Bath & Reddy, 2001; Knox,
1994; Knox & Freeman, 2006), whereas the core dimension of brand management
within the projective paradigm is to align all firm resources and activities to
communicate a clear brand position (A. Aaker, 1997) to all firm stakeholders, thereby
establishing a consistent brand identity (Holt, 2004; Schmidt & Ludlow, 2002).
In contrast, according to the adaptive perspective, brand associations are formed
by consumers (Keller, 1993) through the cyclical adaption of brand positioning
(Tuominen, 2007). The dimensions of the relational paradigm are centred upon the
maintenance of organic brand bonds negotiated between the firm and customer over
time (Heding et al., 2008). Similarly, the scope of the emotional paradigm focuses on
the evolving intimacy between customer and firm (Thompson, Rindfleisch, & Arsel,
2006) whereby brand narratives, heritage, and myths are (co)created throughout the
organisation with consumers and among groups of consumers (Brown & Patterson,
2006; Gobe, 2001; Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001).
For retailers, brand management dimensions have previously focused around
price-induced switching (Grover & Srinivasan, 1992), product brand-based
segmentation (Lockshin, Spawton, & Macintosh, 1997), product innovation (Varley
& Rafiq, 2004), and strategic fit with overall retail brand position. Nevertheless, the
retail literature has also identified the management of environmental components
as dimensions of retail brand management (Davies, 1992; Martineau, 1958;
Mazursky & Jacoby, 1986). Taking into account Ailawadi and Keller’s (2004) retail
brand components (i.e. access/location, price, promotion, brand assortment, within
category assortment, cross category assortment, atmospherics, and service), it is
evident that contemporary retail brand management encompasses branding through
the integration of private-label strategy, environmental design, and marketing
communications (Burt & K. Davies, 2010). Indeed, as the variety of retail branding
dimensions have increased, there is evidence of projective (Burt & Sparks, 2002;
Kent & Stone, 2007; Mitchell, 1999), relational (Rowley, 2006), and emotional
(Cova, Pace, & Park, 2007; Helman & de Chernatony, 1999) brand management
by retailers.
Within SMEs, prior work has shown that brand management dimensions are
focused around one particular message akin to the owner manager’s perception
of firm brand identity (Spence & Essoussi, 2010). Furthermore, these marketing
programmes are usually mediated by tactical, short-term marketing practices based
around the scarcity of resources available to the owner manager (Carson & Gilmore,
2000) and the marketing practice of competitors (Simpson et al., 2006). Moreover,
prior work has noted that, often, word of mouth (WOM) is the primary means
by which SMEs generate brand awareness (Abimbola, 2001; Berthon et al., 2008;
Bresciani & Eppler, 2010; Coca-Stefaniak, Parker, & Rees, 2010; Goldberg, Cohen,
& Fiegenbaum, 2003; Horan, O’Dwyer, & Tiernan, 2011; Keller, 1998; Krake,
2005; Mowle & Merrilees, 2005; Ojasalo et al., 2008; Spence & Essoussi, 2010;
Wong & Merrilees, 2005; Yeh, Miozzo, & Vurdubakis, 2006). Indeed, it has been
found that the majority of SME brand awareness building occurs around the WOM
generated by the actual practice of firm activities (Wong & Merrilees, 2005). Most
recently, research in this area has focused on how ICT developments such as social
media and Web 2.0 methods of building positive WOM can be adopted by owner
managers within the SME context (Bresciani & Eppler, 2010).
Brand performance metrics

Traditionally, brand management performance (otherwise known as brand
management metrics) is measured through valuation of brand equity (D. Aaker &
Biel, 1993; Feldwick, 1996). Brand equity is defined as ‘the additional value (i.e.
discounted cash flow) that accrues to a firm because of the presence of a brand name
that would not accrue to an equivalent unbranded product’ (Keller & Lehmann,
2006, p. 745). Feldwick (1996) notes three overarching approaches to brand equity
measurement, including measures of the financial value of the brand, quantitative
measures of consumer loyalty, and measures which seek to understand the beheld
consumer brand image (brand associations). Within the product and projective
paradigms, firm-centric measures are utilised such as gains in market share (Low
& Fullerton, 1994) and holistic value-added by branding (Urde, 1999). In contrast,
within the adaptive, relational, and emotional paradigms, consumer-based brand
appraisal is utilised. Examples of this include consumer-based brand equity (Keller,
1993), individual customer value (Slater & Narver, 2000), and brand relationship
quality (Fournier, 1998).
Brand performance measurement represents a significant research lacuna within
the retail literature (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004; Burt & K. Davies, 2010). Private-
label brand performance measurement focuses on how well own-brands recover
the associated fixed and variable costs of private-label brand development programs
(Hoch & Banjeri, 1993). Examples of such measures include retail sales figures, share
of product category, and profit margin. In this, retailers evaluate the opportunity
cost of trading private-label brands in comparison to manufacturer brand equivalents
(Raju, Sethuraman, & Dhar, 1995). However, there remains a lack of knowledge on
store image and corporate retail branding measures in theory and practice (Ailawadi
& Keller, 2004).
Tied to the symbolic and functional roles of brands discussed above, Spence and
Essoussi (2010) suggest that brand equity for SMEs is not formally measured in the
same way as large organisations (Kapferer, 2008). Prior research has noted that SMEs
do not evaluate brand performance through formalised methods such as quantitative
brand equity measures or scorecard-based analysis (Spence & Essoussi, 2010; Wong
& Merrilees, 2005). More often, brand performance is measured intuitively by owner
managers (Wong & Merrilees, 2005) according to a ‘what is working’ approach
(Inskip, 2004). As a result, SME branding approaches are dependent on a colloquial,
introspective approach to performance assessment (Krake, 2005).
Brand management structures

The organisation of brand management structure has been found to impact upon the
success of the brand (Low & Fullerton, 1994). Indeed, researchers have reached a
consensus that the low-level portfolio structure, typified by the adaptive and product
approach, is inadequate (Christodoulides, 2008; Low & Fullerton, 1994; Tuominen,
2007). A strategic approach to brand management calls for brand responsibility to
exist at a higher level of the organisation, so that brand identity can be translated from
the overall vision (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001; Hatch & Schultz, 2003). While the
relational paradigm advocates responsibility for brand management at all levels of the
organisational structure (Boyle, 2007), the emotional paradigm suggests that brand
communities can perform many of the roles of the traditional brand manager, and,
as such, management should be organised around a means to facilitate, not manage,
these groups (Fournier et al., 2005).
In contrast, retail brand management structure is identified as an important
dynamic of retail branding. Within the private-label approach, brand development
was firmly placed within product development departments, which emerged (in a
UK context) in the early 1970s (Omar, 1999; Temperley & Kirkup, 2000). The
responsibility of product development teams rested with product positioning, design
and management of an overall marketing mix around the brand, identification of
product category gaps, consumer segmentation, and packaging decisions (Varley and
Rafiq, 2004). However, retail brand image management structure was configured
across product development, buying functions, store management, and creative
consultants (Kent, 2003; Tungate, 2006) to present a co-ordinated and consistent
retail experience. Corporate retail brand management structure remains a relatively

under-researched area within the retail branding literature. While this has been
addressed to some extent in the broader brand management literature, given the
notable differences in the retail context (Burt & Sparks, 2002; Dawson, 1994), more
work is necessary to determine the nature of brand management structure, especially
within SME retailers.
Finally, but perhaps most importantly, a major theme emanating from the SME
branding literature is the primacy of the owner manager as the focal point within
SME branding projects. This is a multifaceted role whereby the SME owner manager
can be one or more of the following: an adopter of formal or informal branding
strategy; an interpreter of the classic marketing question ‘what is a brand?’; an intra-
organisational catalyst of brand management practice; a source of brand creativity;
a source of brand personality; and/or a facilitator for the success of the SME brand
(Krake, 2005).
Spence and Essoussi (2010) mark this brand management structure as a major
advantage in that brand management remains flexible, adept to specialisation,
dynamic and responsive to consumer needs. Wong and Merrilees (2005) also
identified internal marketing competencies as a precursor to their conceptual model
of SME brand orientation. The influence of marketing, and specifically branding,
networks has been noted as an unexplored area of SME brand management structure
(Rocks, Gilmore, & Carson, 2005).
A conceptual framework of SME retail brand management

Following the review of the literature, a conceptual framework for the study of
SME retail brand management is presented in Figure 2. The framework specifically
Figure 2 A conceptual framework of SME retail brand management.
The Retail Brand

(industry norms,
customer centric focus,
product and service)
SME
Branding/Marketing Brand Management
Characteristics Dynamics
(owner manager, (structure, focus,
resource constraints, definition, dimensions,
competencies, performance)
networks)
SME Retail
Brand
Management
Table 2 SME retail brand management research propositions.
Brand management
area Proposition Key factors
SME retail brand focus Proposition One – SME retailers will • Owner manager
display various levels of brand • Industry norms
centricity based upon the owner • Entrepreneurial
manager’s vision of the brand and nature of SME
understanding of what constitutes branding
branding
Proposition Two – The level of
customer centrality within SME
retail branding will depend on the
owner manager’s awareness of
customer-based brand
associations
SME retail brand Proposition Three – SME retailers • Owner manager’s
definition will have a variety of brand definition
definitions around product and
service dimensions, which may be
dependent on the owner
manager’s prior experience,
education, and industry norms
SME retail brand roles Proposition Four – The retail brand • Owner manager’s
will play a variety of roles for the organisational goals
SME retailer, including functional
and symbolic roles
SME retail brand Proposition Five – SME retail owner • Internal SME
management managers will create brand capabilities and
dimensions meaning, across a number of resources
brand dimensions, using a limited • Owner manager
pool of creative resources internal creativity
to the company • SME marketing
characteristics
Proposition Six – Word of mouth will
be the primary means by which
retail SMEs build brand
awareness.
SME retail brand Proposition Seven – SME retailers • Nature of retail
management will measure brand performance branding
performance informally and based upon a • SME competencies
measurement number of indicative measures, and capabilities
such as sales
SME retail brand Proposition Eight – SME retail brand • Influence of the
structure structure is characterised by a owner manager
flexible, dynamic approach, where • Networks
the role of the owner manager
and marketing networks are key
considers the influence of SME characteristics and retail industry context, and
incorporates key tenets of the brand management literature.
There are three core dimensions to the framework. The first dimension focuses
on the SME marketing environment, which has been found to have a significant
impact upon the brand management function (Carson & Gilmore, 2000; Ojasalo
et al., 2008; Spence & Essoussi, 2010). The second dimension considers the industrial
norms of the retail sector, and how the complex interplay of product and service
elements impacts upon the management of retail brands (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004;
Kent, 2003). The third dimension incorporates the well-developed theories of brand
management (e.g. Heding et al., 2008; Louro & Cunha, 2001). In order to set out
a research agenda based upon this conceptual approach (Yadav, 2010), a number of
research propositions have been developed and are presented in Table 2.
The following discussion will now consider each theoretical dimension through a
number of propositions that may serve as stimuli for further research investigation.
Brand focus of retail SMEs

Proposition One: SME retailers will display various levels of brand centricity based
upon the owner manager’s vision of the brand and understanding of what constitutes
branding.
Within the context of SME branding, a number of studies have highlighted various
levels of brand centrality (e.g. Krake, 2005; Wong & Merrilees, 2005). Others
within the field have argued that brand centricity is a highly relevant concept for
SME retailers, given that SME branding often encompasses the endowment of an
owner manager vision within the firm (Krake, 2005; Spence & Essoussi, 2010),
and that organisational brand identity development is a contemporary concern for
retailers (Burt & K. Davies, 2010; Martenson, 2007). Due to the prohibitive resource
commitments of strategic branding (Urde, 1999), the level of projective brand activity
will be dependent on the resources available to the organisation.
Therefore, a first point of investigation should centre upon the levels of brand
orientation. As a starting point, how brand orientated (Urde, 1999) are retail SME
owner managers? Is the focus of brand management centred on a tactical survival
mentality, or is it more strategic in nature? What relative levels of scarce resources
are committed to branding within small retail firms? How much does brand identity
impinge upon everyday decision making? One application of this may be small
family firms who can be conceptualised as possessing a strong brand culture based
on the value of ‘familyness’ (Habbershon & Williams, 1999). However, it remains
unclear as to how retail SME family firms engender this brand value throughout the
organisation.
Furthermore, the management structure within small firms, that is, the centricity
of the owner manager, will play a key role in the adoption of strategic formalised
approaches to branding within the small retail organisation. It may also be proposed
that the owner/entrepreneur’s experience and education will greatly impact upon
the level of branding orientation, and consequential competence in implementing a
corporate brand culture within the retail organisation (Inskip, 2004). Kent (2003)
argues that a corporate approach to retail branding is foremost within the retail
industry generically. Within the retail industry, for example, the work of Bridson
and Evans (2004) suggests that brand-orientated firms within the fashion retailing
sub-sector are inherently more successful. Future research therefore should examine
the relative influence of retail sub-sectors on the overall approach to branding. Can
differences in the level of brand orientation be elicited between sectors such as
fashion, food, or electrical goods for example? What is the influence of industry
sector norms on the decision making of small retail firm owner/entrepreneurs?
Proposition Two: The level of customer centrality within SME retail branding will
depend on the owner manager’s awareness of customer-based brand associations.
Empirical evidence from the SME literature suggests that customer centricity
is low, given the limited resources available to the firm. Despite this, the work
of Mitchell (1999) suggests that retail branding is inherently customer centric,
given the emotional, experiential, and communicative links between retailer and
customer, in addition to the complexity of the retail brand offering results in a
vast array of message sources which inherently can be interpreted differently by end
consumers (Kozinets et al., 2001). Furthermore, levels of brand adaptation will also
be influenced by the owner manager’s propensity to absorb brand feedback from
consumers. As suggested by various studies into SME branding, the brand often
centres upon the owner manager’s ability to absorb brand feedback based upon daily
interactions with customers (Horan et al., 2011; Krake, 2005; Mowle & Merrilees,
2005). This represents a manifestation of what is considered to be an entrepreneurial
approach to SME marketing (Culkin & Smith, 2000; Hill, 2001a, 2001b; Stokes,
2000). In this regard, owner managers adapt brand associations to match what they
interpret to be the salient needs and wants of consumers.
Given the highly reactive/tactical nature of the small firm’s marketing approach
(Carson & Gilmore, 2000), a paradox emerges: the tactical nature of SME marketing
activity juxtaposed against the need to protect retail brands strategically, which
require a vast level of resource commitment to create (Doyle et al., 2008). It is
therefore postulated that the level of tactical brand adaption will be dependent on
the owner/entrepreneur’s strategic brand orientation and, in the first instance, the
resource commitment allocated to the building and nurturing of small retail brands.
With these issues in mind, questions remain as to the levels of customer centrality
within SME retailer organisations. How often do owner managers change or adapt
their brand messages? What strategies do SME owner managers use in practice to
alter or adapt their brand messages? What variables encourage or indeed compel
small retail firms to adapt their brand messages? Furthermore, what is the influence
of consumers upon brand identity with SME retail organisations?
SME retail brand definition

Proposition Three: SME retailers will have a variety of brand definitions, around
product and service dimensions, which may be dependent on the owner manager’s
prior experience, education, and industry norms.
In terms of brand definition, prior work within the domain of brand management
has highlighted a multitude of managerial and consumer-based perspectives to the
question ‘What is a brand?’ (Heding et al., 2008; Wood, 2000). Indeed, the seminal
work of de Chernatony and Dall’Olmo Riley (1998a, 1998b) found that various
views as to what constituted branding existed amongst specialist practitioners. The
review of the literature has identified a paradigmatic approach to brand definition
(Louro & Cunha, 2001), which is consistent with recent work in establishing
branding as a distinct area of interest within marketing discourse (Heding et al.,
2008). Within the field of retailing, three perspectives have emerged which define
the retail brand: private label (Steiner, 2004), store image (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004),
and corporate branding (Burt & Sparks, 2002).
Various studies have attempted to address the ‘What is a brand?’ question from
the perspective of the SME. For example, Spence and Essoussi (2010) investigated
branding within four SME firms in the consumer goods marketplace. They concluded
that branding constituted a ‘reductive’ concept in which an overall vision was broken
down into one or two brand associations. Similarly, Krake (2005) described brand
definition from a funnel-based SME perspective. More recently, the work of Horan
et al. (2011) stated that branding was a multifaceted concept for service industry SME
firms.
Notwithstanding this, within the disparate context of the SME retailer (Omar &
Fraser, 2011), brand definition is yet to be explored empirically. Moreover, branding
within retailing involves elements of both product branding and service branding
(Ailawadi & Keller, 2004; Burt & K. Davies, 2010; Kent, 2003). Therefore, a key
question remains in the first instance as to how owner managers define the SME
retailer brand (Berthon et al., 2008) as this permeates through the brand function.
How is this definition then translated in terms of the day-to-day operations of the
retail organisation?
SME retail brand roles
Proposition Four. The brand will play a variety of roles for the retail SME, including
functional and symbolic roles.
Limited evidence exists within the present literature to showcase the roles of
branding to SME owner managers. Prior research has noted the multifaceted roles
of brands within LO retailers and manufacturers (e.g. Berthon et al., 1999). SME
research suggests that, for small firms, the brand may perform a multitude of roles
which are based on the owner manager’s subjective organisational goals (see, e.g.,
Hutchinson, Quinn, & Alexander, 2005, 2006). In addition, the work of Wong
and Merrilees (2005) suggests that in different industrial situations, the brand may
perform functional (for product firms) or symbolic roles (for service firms). Indeed,
given that retail encompasses elements of both product and service production (Kent,
2003), what roles do SME brands perform?
SME retail brand dimensions

Proposition Five: SME retail owner managers will create brand meaning across a
number of brand dimensions, using a limited pool of creative resources internal to
the company.
Within the brand management literature, the dimensions of the brand manager have
moved from marketing mix management (Louro & Cunha, 2001) to establishment
of firm-wide brand identity (Urde, 1999) to adaptation to consumer-based brand
associations (Keller, 1993), customer brand relationship management (Fournier,
1998), and finally to emotional brand management (Gobe, 2001; Travis, 2000).
Similarly, in retailing, brand management dimensions have evolved from private
label switching (Steiner, 2004) to customer experience management (Holbrook &

Hirschman, 1982; Schmitt, 1999) to corporate branding communications (Burt &
Sparks, 2002). Furthermore, evidence within the literature suggests that retailers have
been successful in adopting the underlying principles of both relationship branding
(e.g. Rowley, 2006; Turner & Wilson, 2006) and emotional branding (Helman & de
Chernatony, 1999). These dimensions enable companies to form a number of brand
associations, which make up the meaning of the brand to consumers (Kapferer, 2008).
From an SME perspective, marketing can be associated with entrepreneurial or
innovative traits (Hill, 2001a; 2001b; O’Dwyer et al., 2009). Despite this, SME
branding is considered to be based upon push marketing strategies, where the SME’s
focus is on communicating the organisation’s brand significance through activities
such as personal selling (Ojasalo et al., 2008). Brand associations are owner manager
based (Spence & Essoussi, 2010) and are communicated through WOM generated by
business practice (Mowle & Merrilees, 2005). Therefore, brand meaning is usually
limited within the SME and based upon one (for service industry SME brands), or a
few (for product SME brand) brand associations. A common approach is to engender
the vision and personality of the owner manager in implementing a firm-wide brand
identity (de Chernatony & Segal-Horn, 2001; Horan et al., 2011; Inskip, 2004;
Krake, 2005). However, the retailer brand is inherently complex, involving a mixture
of both product and service characteristics (Kent, 2003). For example, the product
mix within the retailer can consist of many brands which send out various messages to
consumers (Varley & Rafiq, 2004). Additionally, service aspects of retail branding can
engender both functional and symbolic brand meanings due to the interactive nature
of retail exchanges (Mitchell, 1999). Therefore, future research studies should seek
to ask how do SME retailers form brand associations? How are these associations
communicated? What is the basis of brand equity within SME retailers – product
mix, retail image, firm brand meaning, or a combination of these?
Proposition Six: Word of mouth will be the primary means by which retail SMEs build
brand awareness.
It is argued that some dimensions, which are closely linked with brand building in
large organisations, are unrealistic within a small firm context. For example, large
advertising campaigns, ICT-facilitated brand relationship building, and aspects of
corporate branding may fall out of the remit of the SME due to capability restrictions
(Inskip, 2004; Krake, 2005; Spence & Essoussi, 2010). That is not to say that these
forms of brand communication mediums are the sole means by which brands can be
built. SME retailers may utilise brand-building techniques such as in-store customer
service provision to maintain a competitive brand edge. This is reinforced by the
findings of previous research that suggests that SMEs attempt to generate WOM
based on showcasing their distinctive business offering (Wong & Merrilees, 2005).
Additionally, SMEs may concentrate brand-building practice on exploits that are
observable in their return on investment and have provided perceived benefits to the
organisation (Inskip, 2004). Moreover, prior work within the field of SME branding
has highlighted the importance of owner manager personality as a conduit to a firm-
wide organisational identity (Krake, 2005). Similar to the principles of corporate
branding, this can lead to value through the alignment of organisational resources
(Hatch & Schultz, 2003), with the delivery of a distinctive marketplace identity
(Aaker, 1997).
SME retail brand performance measurement

Proposition Seven: SME retailers will measure brand performance informally, based
upon a number of indicative measures such as sales.
Brand performance measurement is usually based upon establishing the value of
brand equity within large organisations (Kapferer, 2008). A number of brand equity
methods have been utilised by manufacturers in order to appraise brand management
performance (Louro & Cunha, 2001). A key research gap is the development
of accurate means of customer-based brand equity (Heding et al., 2008; Keller
& Lehmann, 2006). Within the domain of retailing, however, if store image is
considered to be a component of retail brand equity (as proposed by Ailawadi &
Keller, 2004), then a significant gap in knowledge remains on the measurement of
the image less retail product. Compounding this issue, within an SME context, owner
managers do not measure brand equity formally (Berthon et al., 2008); informal and
indirect measures, such as sales, are used. As such, future research should investigate
the methods, effectiveness, and accuracy of such SME retail brand equity measures.
SME retail brand structure
Proposition Eight: SME retail brand structure is characterised by a flexible, dynamic

approach, where the role of the owner manager and marketing networks are key.
Structurally, the SME is disparate from the LO (Shuman & Seeger, 1986). SMEs
are generally simpler in structure, with the role of the owner manager being
multifunctional (Carson & McCartan Quinn, 1995) and significant to marketing
practice across all types of small businesses (Hill & Wright, 2001). According to
Carson and Gilmore (2000), this in practice results in the owner manager relying on
their own experience of marketing in initiatives in general, that is, what has worked in
the past. The entrepreneur’s perception of the value of branding will dictate whether
the organisation actively pursues branding as a core strategy (Inskip, 2004; Lassen,
Kunde, & Gioia, 2008), and the primacy of the owner/entrepreneur is paramount in
the brand management of small-business organisations (Krake, 2005; Ojasalo et al.,
2008). In particular, the work of Krake (2005) describes the multifaceted role of the
owner or entrepreneur as brand manager within a small-business context.
Linked to this, the owner manager’s experience or education has also been found
to impact upon the branding approach undertaken (Mowle & Merrilees, 2005;
Ojasalo et al., 2008). Indeed, and linked to proposition five, the owner manager’s
values and beliefs set the agenda through which brand identity is established and
developed (Spence & Essoussi, 2010). Notwithstanding this work, a number of
questions remain unanswered within the context of SME retailers. In broad terms,
how does the structure of the retail SME impact upon the brand management
function? Do SME retail owners/entrepreneurs adopt branding as a formal or
informal marketing strategy? What do retail owners/entrepreneurs understand by the
term ‘branding’? How does experience or education impact upon brand management
within a retail context?
Further, marketing networks are utilised in order to overcome competency and
resource constraints (Carson, Gilmore, & Rocks, 2004; Gilmore et al., 2001).
As previously discussed, the ever-increasing complexity of disparate branding
approaches has exposed a number of branding competency gaps, especially within

the small retail firm setting (see, e.g., Kent, 2003; Rowley, 2006). It is therefore
proposed here that marketing support networks will be important to SME retailers
as they seek to design, build, and nurture strong brands. However, this area remains
relatively unexplored, especially within a retailing context (Berthon et al., 2008).
Future research should, then, focus on providing insights into the nature and role of
SME retail branding networks.
Discussion
This paper has provided a conceptual framework to aid the understanding of
SME retail brand management by drawing upon theoretical and synergetic themes
emerging from the SME marketing, retail, and brand management literatures.
In addition, a research agenda has been developed, which has identified key
propositions to guide future empirical research in this area. It is proposed that
the approach taken to brand management by SME retail firms will depend upon
a combination of factors internal and external to the firm, including the influence
of the owner/entrepreneur and key decision makers within the firm, the resources
allocated to brand management, the marketing networks surrounding the firm, and
industrial/sector norms. Whilst these factors are commonly cited as being generally
characteristic of SMEs, the interplay between such generic factors and the branding
approaches employed by retail SMEs is worthy of further investigation.
From the propositions presented in this paper, a key theme is the role of the
owner manager in formulating the meaning of branding within the retail SME
setting, organising branding within the firm, and deciding upon approach taken to
branding. It is proposed that the form and nature of branding in retail SMEs is
constituted around the owner manager’s vision of the brand, their understanding of
what constitutes branding, and their awareness of customer-based brand associations.
Branding may perform a multitude of roles, which, from a management point
of view, are aligned to the subjective business goals of the owner manager. The
overall approach to branding may be typically characterised as flexible, dynamic,
and informal, where word of mouth plays a key role in creating brand awareness.
This attention given here to brand management by SME retailers extends existing
dominant theoretical perspectives (adaptive, projective, relational, and emotional)
that have been developed in the wider branding literature. In examining the
implications of these perspectives for SME retail branding practice, the generic
characteristics of SMEs and the retail sector norms must be taken into account.
Contemporary retail branding is considered as holistic and invariably complex
(Ailawadi & Keller, 2004; Kent, 2003) and as such, could be viewed as a heavy
burden on the limited resources of SME retailers. However, there are opportunities
for retail SMEs to adopt strong branding practices through internal brand building
and the experiential and service aspects of branding, the close customer interface and
embeddedness of the retailer in the local community, the development of possible
synergies between manufacturer brands and the SME retail environment, and the
utilisation of marketing support networks.
In principle, the rationale for SMEs to develop brands is well documented
within both the wider brand management literature and the SME branding
literature (Abimbola, 2001; Berthon et al., 2008; Keller, 1998; Spence & Essoussi,
2010). SMEs in general operate in the same marketplace as LOs characterised by

expressive and symbolic consumption, crowded marketplaces, and rapid diffusion
of innovation (Abimbola & Kocak, 2007). Moreover, branding enables SMEs to
maintain entrenched, distinctive marketplace resources, which enable reputation
building, innovation, and market-based assets (De Chernatony & Dall’Olmo Riley,
1999; Abimbola & Kocak, 2007). Significantly, prior work has shown that retail
SMEs who operate a strategy of unique marketplace specialism are inherently more
successful (Kent et al., 2003; Omar & Fraser, 2011).
Theoretically, SME retail branding presents both a challenge and supplement to
existing theory within the three literature strands discussed within this paper. The
retailing context presents the first challenge, as retail branding differs in scope from
wider brand management theory. Indeed, retail branding encompasses bundles of
services, processes, and product brand elements, such that the retailer itself becomes
the epitome of added value, that is, the brand (Burt, 2000; Burt & Sparks, 2002;
Mitchell, 1999).
Similarly, the SME adds a further level of disparity, which confirms the need
to develop research specific to this area. As a starting point, it is widely accepted
that theory which is developed from the perspective of the LO, as is the case
with the majority of brand management theory, does not ‘fit’ the SME situ
(Carson & McCartan-Quinn, 1995). Compounding this issue, empirical evidence
within the field of manufacturer SME branding has shown that the SME situ
introduces context-specific differences within the brand management system across
the brand management dynamics (Louro & Cunha, 2001) presented within this
paper.
Moreover, from a marketing theory perspective, the focus on the SME represents
a significant contribution to the field, given the importance of SMEs to the economy,
and that a considerable proportion of marketing occurs within the SME situ (Hill,
2001a). Whilst the wider contribution to theory of SME marketing management
has been recognised (Carson & Gilmore, 2000; Nwankwo & Gbadamosi, 2011),
nevertheless SME branding remains a relatively under-researched area. Indeed, it may
be argued that, given the interconnected nature of SME retailing to communities
(Omar & Fraser, 2011), a significant amount of retail branding operates within the
context of the SME.
Conclusion
By linking together the SME and the retailing contexts, a number of research
propositions and questions have been developed. This paper welcomes the
exploration of these propositions through further empirical work. Given the paucity
of research to date conducted within the retail SME branding context, there is
a strong argument for the adoption of interpretive, qualitative methodologies.
This reflects more generally calls within the SME marketing literature for an
understanding of the SME in its own unique subjective context and the view of
the SME as a unique marketing institution, which undertakes marketing in an
unstructured way based on a number of managerial, institutional, industrial, and
network-based factors (Carson & Gilmore, 2000; Culkin & Smith, 2000; Filis, 2002;
Gilmore et al., 2001; Hill & McGowan, 1999; Hill & Wright, 2001; O’Dwyer et al.,
2009).
It may be proposed that the field of branding is best suited to interpretivistic

inquiry, given the multiplicity of definitions and understandings of the ‘brand’
(Gabbott & Jevons, 2009). Furthermore, previous research into retail branding
has adopted holistic methodologies grounded firmly in the interpretivist tradition.
Managerially based research has used case studies to investigate the role of the brand
as a vehicle for retail organisational growth (Fernie, Moore, Lawrie, & Hallsworth,
1997; Hutchinson et al., 2005; Kent & Stone, 2007; Moore & Birtwistle, 2004),
while other innovative interpretative methodologies, such as ethnography, have been
adopted recently (Hollenbeck et al., 2008). In-depth research into the application of
branding within the SME retail context would address a significant gap in academic
knowledge. It would serve to highlight the potential approaches and strategies that
can be employed by SMEs, despite the perceived barriers to brand implementation
facing smaller organisations. In doing so, it would also provide important insights for
management practice.
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About the authors

Richard Mitchell is a senior lecturer in retailing at the School of Service Management,
University of Brighton, UK. After nine years of industry experience, occupying various
capacities within the retail industry, his research interests lie at the SME marketing interface,
especially SME brand management. Richard recently completed his PhD from the University of
Ulster in the area of SME retail brand management. He has presented his research at a number
of national and international conferences, and published in journals such as the International
Journal of Retail and Distribution Management.
Corresponding author: Richard Mitchell, University of Brighton, Faculty of Education and

Sport, School of Service Management, Eastbourne Campus, Darley Road, East Sussex,
BN20 7UR.
T +44 (0) 1273 643667
E r.j.mitchell@brighton.ac.uk
Karise Hutchinson is a lecturer in the Department of Business, Retail and Financial Services,
Ulster Business School, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. She holds a PhD from the
University of Ulster. The overall focus of her research is the retail industry and SMEs. Her most
recent research has focused on rural retailing, branding, and supplier relationships. Her work
has been presented at international conferences, and published in journals such as the Journal
of International Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management, the International Marketing
Review, International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, and the Journal
of Small Enterprise and Development.
T + 44 028 70123054
E kc.hutchinson@ulster.ac.uk
Barry Quinn is professor of retail marketing in the Department of Business, Retail and Financial
Services, Ulster Business School, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. He received his PhD
from the University of Ulster on the internationalisation of retailing. His areas of expertise
include internationalisation and retail marketing. He has published widely in journals such as
Journal of International Marketing, the International Marketing Review, International Journal
of Retail and Distribution Management, European Journal of Marketing, and the Journal of
Strategic Marketing.
T +44 (0)28 70124168
E b.quinn@ulster.ac.uk
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Journal of Marketing Management, 2013

Vol. 29, Nos. 11–12, 1367–1393, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2013.798672

Brand management in small and medium-sized

Abstract Recently, an emerging body of literature has advocated the importance

Keywords brand management; SME; marketing; retailing

© 2013 Westburn Publishers Ltd.

& Essoussi, 2010). The pivotal role of branding in small-business development is

Brand management focus

Table 1 Brand management dynamics.

Product Projective Relational

Product Projective Relational

Figure 1 Brand management focus.

consumers define branding as a holistic firm-wide identity system (Urde, 1999).

Dimensions of brand management

Brand performance metrics

Brand management structures

retail experience. Corporate retail brand management structure remains a relatively

A conceptual framework of SME retail brand management

Figure 2 A conceptual framework of SME retail brand management.

The Retail Brand

Table 2 SME retail brand management research propositions.

Brand focus of retail SMEs

SME retail brand definition

SME retail brand roles

SME retail brand dimensions

label switching (Steiner, 2004) to customer experience management (Holbrook &

SME retail brand performance measurement

SME retail brand structure

Proposition Eight: SME retail brand structure is characterised by a flexible, dynamic

approaches has exposed a number of branding competency gaps, especially within

2010). SMEs in general operate in the same marketplace as LOs characterised by

It may be proposed that the field of branding is best suited to interpretivistic

About the authors

Corresponding author: Richard Mitchell, University of Brighton, Faculty of Education and

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