The Interorganizational Dynamics of Brand Alliances

The objective of the research is to put in evidence the interorganizational dynamics of brand alliances. More specifically the aim of the paper is to identify the business-to-business interactions within brand alliances through the governance adaptations that occur during a period of time. We show that these governance adaptations result from external (competitive pressure, value perception by consumers and customers) as well as internal forces (objectives and expectations of the partners, network positions, resources of the partners). Consequently the level of stability in the long run of brand alliances can be linked to organizational factors. To do our demonstration we propose an analytical framework that combines IMP concepts with theoretical works on dynamics of strategic alliances. The methodology follows the case study approach, with an empirical application to two examples of brand alliances: a certification brand with a banana brand on the Fair Trade market, and an association brand with a processed pork brand on the health food market.