(Branding Activities: The Survey of A SME’s Which Coffee Chain in Turkey)

Abstract

Purpose – With economic growth and angry competition in our country, SMEs to produce only goods and services and present them to the market is not enough for they can continue their existence. Market conditions are also constantly changing due to globalization and changes in customer expectations. Due to the change in consumer expectations and strong competition, SMEs need to maintain their presence, create brand value and strong brand image of their products. Brand is shortly an instrument which conveys the source, quality, benefits difference from its equivalent of the goods and services through the logo, the name and the symbol. Companies' the works and the messages is perceived by the customers creates the brand image. The study was conducted in order to see the success of SMEs operating in service sector in branding studies and The Brand “Kahve Diyarı” is selected as a reference enterprise in this study. Design/methodology/approach – We implemented in-depth interview and survey through the convenience sampling method as the research methods and 305 participants' views were tested. Findings – The Kahve Diyarı brand became an important actor in the coffee industry with the effect of growth in a short time. On the other hand, in the light of the results, it has been determined that the brand image created by Kahve Diyarı branding studies has strengths and weaknesses. Discussion – The participants ' thinking about the brand is in favor of the brand, albeit with a small difference. Due to the determinations in the findings, it was concluded that the brand was partially successful and also proposals were presented it in this regard.