Relation between ingredient co-branding value and OEM’s loyalty: an analysis in Italian energy industry

Available studies mostly consider ingredient co-branding as targeted to final customers only. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that this strategy can have an impact on buyerseller relationships, as well. A model including three antecedents (i.e. perceived co-branding value, seller’s brand image, and seller’s responsiveness) of Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM) loyalty toward the component’s supplier is suggested and tested within the industry for energy components. The analysis of the 95 usable answers received from OEMs, supports the model and highlights the specific impact of the perceived cobranding value. For the first time the role of co-branding has been separated from branding value in OEM’s buying process and findings demonstrate that industrial buyers are more loyal when they perceive a high co-branding benefit. Finally, this study provides important implications for future researches.