從策略觀點看B2B品牌之操作- 以某LED公司為例

Abstract

在台灣產業升級之路上，長久以來的呼籲之一就是建立品牌，擺脫代工之微利。然而品牌的建立遠非為企業創造知名度或對顧客承諾那麼簡單，而是一種建立企業靈魂並在企業內外都富有感染力地向所有夥伴傳播，以便使顧客真正獲得品牌所承諾所有價值的過程。品牌在B2C市場的重要性無庸置疑，甚至在B2B市場也日益重要，但是B2B行銷中品牌作用的研究仍然十分稀少。 伴隨著全球化和超競爭的出現，幾乎在所有領域都存在過量的選擇性。為適應這些變化，B2C公司數十年前已經開始透過品牌化讓顧客感受到價值與營造競爭優勢，但許多的B2B公司仍然認為這種努力沒有必要。基於最近B2B品牌管理已經越來越受到全球研究者和實務人士的關注，本研究擬從台灣目前處於紅海競爭困境之LED產業切入，透過B2B品牌成功案例來探討LED製造公司之品牌化問題，進而思考B2B企業品牌的未來前景。

For some years now, as Taiwan has endeavored to upgrade its industries, there have been calls for Taiwanese firms to focus on brand-building, so that they can escape from the contract manufacturing ghetto with its low profit margins. However, building a strong brand involves more than just enhancing the firm’s name recognition or making commitments to customers; it requires building up the “soul” of the enterprise, and ensuring that this unique company spirit “infects” all of the firm’s employees and all of its partner companies, to ensure that customers really do obtain the value that the brand undertakes to provide. There can be no doubt about the importance of branding in the business-to-consumer (B2C) market, and brands are now becoming increasingly important in the business-to-business (B2B) market as well; however, so far very little research has been done on the role of branding in B2B marketing. With the impact of globalization and “hyper-competition,” almost all sectors are now characterized by a situation in which people are spoilt for choice, with a very wide range of options to choose between. In response to this changing environment, several decades ago B2C firms had already begun using branding to enable customers to appreciate the value of their products and services, and to build competitive advantage. However, many B2B firms continue to take the attitude that there is no real need for them to make an effort at branding themselves. In light of the fact that, recently, B2B brand management has begun to attract more attention from researchers and practitioners around the world, the present study uses a case study of B2B brand management in the Taiwanese light emitting diode (LED) industry, which is currently experiencing vicious, “red sea” competition, to explore the branding-related issues affecting LED manufacturers, and to try to shed light on the future outlook for brand development in the B2B sector.