E-branding strategies of internet companies: Some preliminary insights from the UK

This study explores the e-brand building and communication strategies of a small sample of UK-based internet companies, including a few with significant international brand profiles. It contributes by providing rare empirical insights into the e-branding phenomenon, which complement the extant, mainly anecdotal, best practice literature. Analysis results suggest a widespread appreciation of the importance of e-branding, and a prevalence of collaborative and customer-centric e-brand building strategies, including co-branding and affiliating with established online and offline brands, distribution partnerships, content alliances and personalised e-mail contacts. The examined internet companies also seem to have employed a variety of traditional, offline methods and leading-edge online tools in communicating their key e-brand values and promoting their online platforms and offerings. These communication vehicles included newspapers, radio, magazines, television, public relations, trade events and promotions, personalised e-mail notifications, affiliate programmes with other websites and banner advertisements. It further emerged that a few of the study companies had taken major steps towards internationalising their e-brands, and had responded appropriately to the concomitant localisation/adaptation challenges. The managerial and future research issues raised by these preliminary findings are discussed.