eThesis - Kauppakorkeakoulun sähköiset gradut

The corporate brand prominence in global FMCG companies' branding strategy - A multiple case study of Finnish market perspective

Research Objectives - Branding strategies and corporate branding increasingly attracts academics interest; however as it is a new trend among fast moving consumer good companies to engage into corporate branding practices there is a lack of in-depth academic research on the topic. The purpose of this study is to examine the role that the corporate brand plays in the global fast moving consumer good companies' branding strategy and the underlying reasons for it. The theoretical part of the research aims at introducing the most common branding strategies focusing in more detail on the corporate branding literature as well as discusses the branding strategies for FMCG industry, proposing a theoretical framework for the study. In the empirical part, the role of the case companies' corporate brand together with their practices for corporate branding is examined. The results of the study result in a revised theoretical framework.

Research Method - The empirical part of the study was conducted through qualitative research based on a multiple case-study design, including in-depth data from four case companies. The case companies were global fast moving consumer good companies operating on the Finnish market. Data was collected from multiple data- sources; semistructured interviews from the case company representatives were included as the primary data source and textual and visual material, such as company websites, documentary materials, marketing expert interviews, TV commercials and product packaging's of the case companies, served as secondary data sources. For the analysis of data, qualitative data analysis methods were used.

Main Findings - The fast moving consumer good companies have recently started paying attention to their corporate brands and engaged into corporate branding practices. The main focus nevertheless remains on the individual product brands,resulting in a use of mixed configurations of branding strategies. One of the main reasons why the corporate brand prominence has started to occur also in the FMCG industry originates from the consumer behavior; they demand to know about the corporations behind the product brands. Building the corporate brand is a long-term project, which requires involvement from the senior management and support of the entire corporation. The research findings show that engaging in corporate branding activities add value to the corporations in multiple ways. In addition even though most companies in FMCG industry engage into corporate branding by a more permanent, long-term endorsement plan, also shorter promotional campaigns may result in successful outcomes.

Keywords - Branding strategy, corporate brand, product brand, fast moving consumer goods company, global company, Finnish market