The mechanism of market driving with a corporate brand

The purpose of this book has been to analyse the mechanism of the market driving approach carried out by a global organisation with a corporate brand. Market driving is a new organisational approach to strategy that implies shaping the structure of the markets and behaviours of market players in a way that enhances the competitiveness of a firm. Global companies with strong brands - IKEA, The Body Shop, Benetton, Dell, Amazon.com, Starbucks, Virgin - have not only dramatically changed the ways we shop, our tastes and preferences but also influenced the industry standards. There is, however, no academic literature on how branding can be used for a proactive approach to markets. In this book, I have analysed the ability of a firm to use the corporate brand as a major intangible resource for market driving. The case study of IKEA in three markets - Russia, China and Poland - has been carried out using in-depth interviews with managers, store employees and suppliers. It has been shown that corporate branding provides a company with a powerful alignment mechanism for marketing processes and value amplification, allowing it to create a leap in stakeholder value.