Corporate branding in SMEs - Differences between Finland and USA

Abstract

Objectives of the Study

The study aims to find new perspectives to branding by studying the role of country of origin in the branding process. The focus is specifically on SMEs that operate in software B2B markets. The first objective is to define a framework for corporate branding in SMEs. The second objective is to find out empirically whether country of origin has influence on this process. The final objective is to identify how the branding processes actually differ between Finnish and US case companies.

Research Methods

A qualitative approach was considered suitable for the research as it enables finding and examining profound and deep knowledge. A semi-structured interview method was used to carry out the data collection. Altogether eight companies were interviewed, including three software companies in both Finland and USA, as well as one advertising agency in each country. Coding was used to break down the data into themes that were analyzed in detail.

Findings

The main finding of the study is that country of origin does affect the corporate branding process in software SMEs. The results indicate that the branding processes of Finnish and US case companies differ from each other in such ways that can’t be explained with other reasons than their country of origin.