Inovação e marcas: a perspectiva dos gestores em estudo de casos múltiplos no Triângulo Mineiro

Abstract

There are many studies that deal with innovation and brands separately, however, there are few studies relating both themes, requiring a greater integration between brand management and innovation management. Focusing on innovative brands, this study aims to identify what an innovative brand is from the perspective of companies’ managers from Triângulo Mineiro and describe how they manage innovative brands. Based on this general objective, three specific objectives were defined: (1) to identify the characteristics of an innovative brand for innovative business managers from Triângulo Mineiro; (2) to compare the characteristics of an innovative brand for innovative business managers from Triângulo Mineiro with the characteristics of an innovative brand from the consumers’ perception, identified in the paper developed by Silva, Paula and Paula (2017); and (3) to describe how innovative business managers from Triângulo Mineiro manage the innovation of their brands. In order to do that, a qualitative, descriptive, paradigmatic, interpretative research was carried out, developing multiple case study (YIN, 2010), with the participation of five innovative companies, headquartered or subsidiary in the region of Triângulo Mineiro, from four economic industries: telecommunications, information technology, manufacturing of chemicals and electricity. As data collection procedures, individual interviews with managers of these companies and information available on their websites were used. The interviews were transcribed and submitted to classical content analysis (BAUER, 2002). Based on a bibliographic review of innovation and brand management, a codification framework system was constructed, consisting of 16 categories subdivided into 99 subcategories. Through thematic analysis (BARDIN, 2011), the following categories were established: definition of innovation; characteristics of innovative brand according to the perception of consumers; reasons for innovation; relationship between brands and innovation; existence of an area responsible for the innovation process and its location; dissemination of the innovation process in the organization; mechanisms for developing an organizational culture to stimulate new ideas and implementation strategies; type of innovation implemented as to its degree of novelty; reasons for using incremental / radical innovation; strategies to reduce time, costs and risks associated with innovation; relationship between the company and the market; brand strategies; association of innovation with brand personality; end-user integration strategies in the innovation process; system of rewards for the consumer in the innovation process; and reconciliation of brand heritage with innovation. The results obtained are presented in each category, generating theoretical and managerial contributions that, eventually, can be applied or adapted to other organizations in their process of innovation and brand management.