Investigating relationship types for creating brand value for resellers

This study investigates different types of brand-reseller business relationships, in order to explain how a) real-time, b) collaborative and c) mutually beneficial relationships drive brand value creation in a competitive market. Using data collected from Indian reseller firms selling branded products, this paper extends our existing knowledge of different types of relationships useful for business-to-business marketing practitioners. Brand managers can use these three different types of business relationships to create superior brand value for resellers, thus improving their brands’ perceived competitiveness. Specifically, the findings show that brands that engage in real-time and collaborative relationships are regarded by resellers as having higher brand value in comparison to brands that only focus on mutually beneficial relationships.