Branding is of the essence in present times. Businesses today are more than manufacturers or suppliers of products and services. Similarly, consumers in these times consider and expect more from a product or a company than mere features and benefits. Companies that understand the significance of branding are always a step ahead. This is what branding is about, actions or the strategy that improves the perceived value of a brand or product line. This in return does not only increase the sales, but give birth to everlasting consumer loyalty. But for firms with limited resources and expertise, such as SMEs and Startups, executing conventional branding strategies is often out of the question. Online and novel branding strategies have a lot of potential to aid such small and new firms. The objective of this thesis is to study online and other novel branding strategies that SMEs or small companies can utilize to better brand themselves and look into the issues such companies face in their branding processes. In order to achieve this, the most relevant literature and frameworks were followed to critically look at the focused strategies and couple it with real time study of the branding methods followed by two companies (TeamUp Oy and PitchMe Inc.). The final outcome of this report is that online and novel branding strategies are critical for all types and sizes of businesses. The use of such new approaches despite being slow, can aid branding of a product or a service regardless of the firm lacking huge financial resources. In Finland, where the market consists of large numbers of SMEs and ever growing number of Startups, the attitude towards the concept of branding needs to change. So, it is pivotal for all companies to consider branding as a key component of their business processes. Whether SME, Startup or large organizations. The outreach of internet and mobile technology is limitless, and when this is coupled with offline efforts, positives results are inevitable.
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