An integrative action research (IAR) on a value co-creation story: Developing a branding strategy through agency-client relationship between Solstitium Management Consultancy Firm and Seed Zone

• Main Author: Caday, Kathryn P.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Branding (Marketing); Marketing
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_manorg/107; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_manorg/article/1131/viewcontent/A_Value_Co_creation_Story__Developing_a_Branding_Strategy_through_Redacted.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The point of concentration of this action research pivotally centers on the processes of branding and marketing strategy development that marketing agencies contribute. Such contribution leads to agencies refusing the tag of “advertising agencies” and instead repositioning themselves as strategic partners for clients. They aim to place themselves as ideas companies or solution providers (Keegan et al., 2017). I establish in this action research the synergy of Solstitium Management Consultancy Firm (SMCF), the agency, and Seed Zone, the client, in developing a branding strategy that propels the client to direct the brand of Seed Zone to be a more sustainable player among SMEs in the fast-changing market environment. The narrative of this synergy illustrates the processes by which SMCF poses a strategic partnership with Seed Zone as SMCF develops a branding strategy that contributes to the growth of the client’s enterprise. We present SMCF as not a hub of ideas that simply addresses the needs of the client for his branding and marketing communications, but as a partner ready to provide solutions to achieve meaningful outcomes. In the aspect of the partnership between SMCF and Seed Zone, I present in this action-research paper its significant inclination to the agency-client relationship (ACR), and within that, the process of value co-creation (VCC). The active participation of SMCF and Seed Zone is in the arena of ACR where their cooperation facilitates the agreement on a vision, and the execution of the action plan. The branding strategy of Seed Zone developed together by both parties is the co-created value. I examine and integrate the service-dominant (S-D) logic in the VCC process while contextualizing it in ACR as SMCF offers services rather than tangible goods. The primordial premise of S-D logic points out that customers are co-creators of value, and the process of VCC accentuates the importance of interaction and dialogue in the customer-supplier relationship (Payne et al., 2008). In the setting of this action research, Seed Zone and SMCF are the customer and supplier respectively, and frequent conversations are the main means of interaction where the process of value co-creation transpires. The lean startup (TLS) approach of SMCF and Seed Zone, on the other hand, values the involvement of the customer in business development. Both the VCC process and the co-created value itself in the ACR of SMCF and Seed Zone are vital in each of their business development directions as the inflow of learnings, data, knowledge, and the capture of value to and from the two parties advance their organizational innovations (Frederiksen & Brem, 2017). Throughout the ACR between SMCF and Seed Zone in the process of VCC, SMCF applies a productive style of project management while demonstrating a stance of proactivity and service quality in delivering results. Seed Zone displays trust in the agency at the full length of the relationship, and satisfaction with the agency’s overall performance. The narrative of this action research is an observation of how relationship quality in ACR forms. The concluding part of the action research summarizes the interlinks of S-D logic in the process of VCC throughout the ACR of SMCF and Seed Zone as lean startups. The interplay of these concepts contributes to the broad knowledge and practice of marketing.