Strong Brands in Negotiations

Strong brands are crucial for industrial companies and, in their role as brand representatives, the employees of an organization contribute significantly to strengthen the brand. However, industrial purchase decisions depend on negotiations, which have a strategic dimension. As a result, brands have a dark side. The brand image is important information for the counterpart, from which expectations arise. These are the basis for negotiation strategies. If a negotiator delivers the brand promise through brand-congruent behavior, the counterpart can exploit the party. This approach has not yet been discussed in literature. Hence, with the examination of the effects of brand-congruent behavior on negotiation outcomes, this abstract and a currently conducted empirical study are the first attempt to narrow this research gap. This abstract is intended to explain the theoretical foundation and the methodology of the study. Furthermore, the abstract offers a discussion of potential implications for brand and negotiation management.