Disneyland in B2B? Toward Physical Brand Worlds in Industrial Marketing

Abstract

About 60 years ago, Walt Disney recognized that “entertainment spaces such as amusement parks could be used not only to sell popcorn and candy floss, but toys, collectibles, and motion pictures, as well as—and, we would argue, most importantly—a corporate brand image” (Kozinets et al., J Retail, 78: 17–29, 2002). Walt Disney is said to be one of the pioneers of brandscaping, the act of transforming a brand itself into a physical location (Riewoldt, Brandscaping: Worlds of Experience in Retail Design. Erlebnisdesign für Einkaufswelten. Basel, Boston, MA: Birkhauser-Publishers for Architecture, 2002). These brand worlds, like flagship stores or brand museums, are evident in B2C on many occasions nowadays and provide visitors with a unique brand experience. Academic research has been carried out, even if on a small level. In industrial marketing in contrast, these brand worlds have not been subject to academic research so far. This paper lays the foundation for future research on the topic of brand worlds in industrial marketing. It is based on a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis of the B2C literature, as well as practical examples. The authors suggest a set of variables and categories to give a first overview on which forms of brand worlds already exist in industrial marketing and how they could be distinguished.