What is the point of patents? Reassessing patents within the marketing discipline and exploring their strategic benefits for SME exporters

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reassess patents utilisation within the field of marketing, specifically focusing on SMEs within the international context. Globally, the number of patent applications and patents granted continues to grow every year. Traditionally held assertions that dominate the marketing literature are that patents are primarily used for protection and they provide an accurate reflection of innovation. This study challenges these conventions. Design/methodology/approach – To gain a better understanding of this important under-researched area, an explorative qualitative study of UK exporting SMEs is conducted. A series of 19 in-depth interviews explores SME exporting practitioners’ views on the nature and value of patents within international marketing strategy. Findings – For SME exporters that patent their innovations, the findings indicate that the function of patents is not normally protection through litigation, but instead for strategic marketing purposes. Research limitations/implications – The empirical research is an in-depth qualitative study of SME exporters, and as such, the findings cannot be generalised across all exporters. Fresh insights gathered from this primary research, coupled with the extant literature, lead to the proposal of a future research agenda. To guide future studies, this paper suggests a new multidimensional method of measuring innovation, generalisable across different firm sizes and types. It also recommends that research should include patents as an intangible asset within international branding capabilities; this can provide validation of future frameworks. Practical implications – This study bridges thinking around traditionally held views of patent protection and the realities of how SME managers perceive the usefulness of international patent protection. Managers of exporting firms should strategically manage patents as part of their branding efforts. Originality/value – There is a perceptible deficiency of international marketing research into understanding SME patents and the benefits they can provide. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first marketing study to explore the use of strategic patenting for SMEs in the international context.