How to Increase Brand Awareness for Small Businesses in Ireland

This report investigates the critical issue of brand awareness for small-scale businesses operating in Ireland. It begins by establishing the significance of branding in the current business environment, emphasizing its role in differentiating products, building customer trust, and fostering business growth. The report delves into the challenges faced by Irish SMEs in building brand awareness, including limited resources and intense competition. It then explores various strategies to enhance brand visibility, such as leveraging internet and social media marketing. The research methodology includes an examination of both primary and secondary data sources, employing both qualitative and quantitative analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic. The findings highlight the current state of small businesses in Ireland and identify specific issues related to brand awareness. Finally, the report concludes with recommendations for small businesses to improve their branding efforts and suggests avenues for future research.

Running head: BRAND AWARENESS
How can small scale businesses increase brand awareness more
effectively in Ireland
Name of Student
Name of the University

2
BRAND AWARENESS
Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................5
1.1 Background............................................................................................................................5
1.2 Rationale................................................................................................................................5
1.3 Problem statement...............................................................................................................10
1.4 Aim, objectives and research Questions..............................................................................10
1.5 Research Structure...............................................................................................................11
2. Literature Reviews.....................................................................................................................12
2.1 Branding..............................................................................................................................12
2.2 Brand Positioning................................................................................................................14
2.3 Brand Awareness.................................................................................................................16
2.4 Benefits of branding in small businesses.............................................................................19
2.5 Brand awareness theories....................................................................................................22
2.6 Internet Marketing...............................................................................................................27
2.7 Social Media marketing.......................................................................................................29
Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................34
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................34
3.2 Method Outline....................................................................................................................34
3.3 Method Philosophy..............................................................................................................35
3.4 Approach of research...........................................................................................................36

3
BRAND AWARENESS
3.5 Research Design:.................................................................................................................37
3.6 Procedure of data collection................................................................................................38
3.6.1 Data Sources: Secondary data and Primary data..............................................................38
3.6.2 Data Techniques: Qualitative data technique and Quantitative data technique................38
3.7 Population and the sample:..................................................................................................39
3.7.1 Sampling technique..........................................................................................................40
3.7.2 Sample Size:.....................................................................................................................40
3.8 Ethical considerations:.........................................................................................................40
3.9 Research limitations:...........................................................................................................41
3.10 Time Horizons:..................................................................................................................42
3.11 Summary:...........................................................................................................................43
Timeline.........................................................................................................................................43
Chapter 4: Data Findings and Analysis.........................................................................................44
4.1 Quantitative Analysis...........................................................................................................44
4.2 Qualitative analysis..............................................................................................................56
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations..............................................................................59
5.1 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................59
5.2 Recommendation.................................................................................................................60
5.3 Future Work.........................................................................................................................61
References......................................................................................................................................62

4
BRAND AWARENESS
Appendices....................................................................................................................................70
Appendix 1: Interview with 1st manager....................................................................................70
Appendix 2: Interview with 2nd manager...................................................................................72
Appendix 3: Interview with 3rd manager...................................................................................74

5
BRAND AWARENESS
1. Introduction
1.1 Background
Brand has been the central part of the way organization do business. It has been the
communication tool that helps in connecting with their customers in the market. According to
Cawsey and Rowley (2016), brand has been a visible symbol that represents the nature of
business in mind. A company’s brand is a symbol of trust and quality to the customers of the
values of company. There have been small businesses entering into the Irish market that have
been helping in promising employment to many individuals. However, there has been problem in
scaling up their small business in the market. Therefore, some strategies need to be implemented
in the market so that small businesses can be scaled up. Branding has been an important and
integral part of the company in the market. The globalization of the economy has been changing
with years. The growth in competition and environmental changes have been position in the
small scaled companies. Businesses need to prosper their basic challenges in the market. As
research done by Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson (2012), small businesses have been facing
challenges in the market. This research has been done on Irish small scale business to enhance
their brand awareness in the market.
1.2 Rationale
The use of brand value help in providing a smart approach in development of small businesses in
the market. The economy of the Ireland has been based upon the SMEs in their market.
Therefore, SMEs plays an important role in contributing to revenue of country. Different
strategies need to be implemented in the market. The brand strategy of companies need to be
revised in order to gain competitive advantages in the market.

6
BRAND AWARENESS
As research done by Eid and El-Gohary (2013), SMEs have been making enormous changes and
contribution in the economy of Ireland. The government of Ireland has able to recognize SMEs
to be key drivers of the nation’s economy. The Irish Times has revealed that Ireland has been
home to 230,000 SMEs. These SMEs have contributed over €10 billion to the Exchequer
annually. Along with this, Irish SMEs have able to provide employment to over 900,000
individuals in the country. There have been approximately 20 SMEs per 1000 inhabitants in
Ireland. In regard to this, the EU has developed 10 principles for supporting the growth of SMEs
in Ireland (Olins 2017). These principles are Entrepreneurship, Responsive Administration,
Finance, Skills and Innovation, Internalization, 2nd Chance, Think Small First and Public
Procurement and State Aid and Single Market Environment.
Figure 1: New SME lending (2010-2018)
(Source: Morrison 2013)
The above figure 1 represents annual gross new lending to non-financial, non-real estate SMEs
since 2010. Annual lending in Q1 2018 totaled € 3.7 billion has been unchanged from previous
report. According to Q1 2018, new lending has been 2.7 per cent higher than Q1 2017 and 31 per
cent higher than Q1 2016 (Morrison 2013).

7
BRAND AWARENESS
Figure 2: New SME lending by sector
(Source: Hirvonen, Laukkanen and Reijonen 2013)
The above figure 2 represents annual gross of new lending trends for six main non-financial,
non-real estate sectors. The Primary Industries and Whole sale, Retail, Trade and Repairs sector
have been consistently showing the highest level of new leading. As compared to Q1 2017,
annual new lending in Q1 2018 has increased in two sectors namely Primary Industries (11
percent) and Hotels and Restaurants (3.7 per cents). Annual declines in gross new lending have
happened in Manufacturing (-26.5 per cent), Construction (-12.6 per cent), Wholesale, Retail,
Trade and Repairs (-6.4 per cent) and Business and Administrative Services (-5 per cent)
(Hirvonen, Laukkanen and Reijonen 2013).

8
BRAND AWARENESS
Figure 3: Credit outstanding to SMEs by sector
(Source: Burns 2016)
The figure 3 represents credit outstanding to SME by sector. As of Q1 2018, total non-financial,
non-real estate outstanding credit has been € 16.2 billion. Outstanding credit in the Primary
Industries and Wholesale, Retail, Trade and Repairs sectors stood at e3.6 billion each, above that
of Hotels and Restaurants which amounted to € 2.6 billion. Manufacturing and Business and
Administrative Services have lower levels of outstanding credit at e1.3 billion each while the
lowest stock of outstanding credit of the sectors shown is found in the Construction sector at €
0.5 billion. As commented by Burns (2016), brand care has been a brand affirmation and brand
audit execution. Brand affirmation has been related to limit of customer for attesting past
prologue to the brand when given brand as some knowledge. Brand care has been going about as
displaying thought that are used for evaluating customer's data about nearness of brand. Building
brand care has been helping in ensuring potential customers knowing classes in which brand
battles. Brand care can be referenced as worth model and each and every other focus of brand.

9
BRAND AWARENESS
As research done by Eggers et al. (2017), there have been different points of interest of stamping
for free endeavors joining addition in power demand premium expenses and extended bit of the
general business. Stamping helps in growing the customer base of associations in the market.
The use of checking helps in giving better opportunity to allowing customers about their
organizations and things in the market. Cawsey and Rowley (2016) revealed that publicizing
addresses a tremendous test for owners of SME's. Expends (2016) acknowledge this figure is
75% of SME's. In any case a segment of the central focuses inborn in SME's can be used to
extend bit of the general business and checking sufficiency. These great conditions consolidate
flexibility, speed of reaction and an eye for conditions.
A brand helps in teaming up with effect on clients, laborers and various accomplices. There have
been various ways by which brand has had the choice to interface with their customers. These
are known as brand contact centers. Contact point has been the interface of thing, organization
and brand with customers and accomplices for bringing their care up in the market. It has been
considered with the brand contact point model as it might help in growing brand care as
customers notice brand before acquiring decisions. The touch point model has been supporting
separating all pre-obtaining, during acquiring and post-buying experiences (Eggers et al. 2013).
It has been critical for contemplating the brand contact point model as it has been helping in
extending brand care as customers have been seeing brand before buying decision. As suggested
by Seyfang and Haxeltine (2012), another model has been gotten from different natural advances
and adjusting purchaser lead. Christopher and Peck (2012) looks at about lead of customer can
be explained by a winding model that assistants in beginning with an affiliation and winding
expands itself, the more the client gets attracted to brand and thing. The cycle proceeds from
joint effort to duty, by then to speculation, talk and proclivity to organize. If a customer

10
BRAND AWARENESS
recognizes properties of brand, the customer will submit and attracts with the brand. Öztamur
and Karakadılar (2014) shows that customer contact with brand that is happening through a
mechanized touch point. Customer used to amass data about explicit brand from friend and
family. To begin with, the buyer gets attracted with the brand.
Therefore, this research has helped in analyzing the issues faced by SMEs in Ireland. Various
issues faced by the SMEs have been discussed in the research. Various strategies for increasing
the brand name of SMEs in the market have been reflected.
1.3 Problem statement
The main problem discussed in research has been related to scaling up brand awareness
of small scale businesses in the Ireland. There have been increase in the number of SMEs in the
Ireland. As discussed SMEs have been contributing a lot to the nation’s economy. Therefore,
SMEs have been playing an important role in the economy of the nation. However, SMEs have
been facing difficulties in maintaining their business in the market. Small businesses are not able
to gain brand awareness in the market due to their small size (Burns 2016). Therefore, this
research will first find out the current state of small businesses in the market of Ireland.
Secondly, the issues faced by the small businesses related to their brand awareness in Ireland.
The research will provide strategies to improve brand awareness of small businesses in Ireland.
1.4 Aim, objectives and research Questions
The aim of research has been focused on how can small scale businesses increase brand
awareness more effectively in Ireland.
Following are the research objectives:
 To identify the current state of small businesses in Irish market

11
BRAND AWARENESS
 To identify issues faced in small business related to brand awareness in Irish market
 To recommend strategies for enhancing brand awareness in the small business in Irish
markets
Following are the research questions:
 What is current state of small businesses in the Irish market?
 What issues are faced in small business related to brand awareness in Irish market?
 How to enhance brand awareness in the small business in Irish markets?
1.5 Research Structure
Figure 1: Research structure
(Source: Created by author)
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapter 3: Research methodology
Chapter 4: Data findings and analysis
Chapter 5: Comclusion and Recommendations

12
BRAND AWARENESS
2. Literature Reviews
2.1 Branding
As commented by Adegbuyi, Akinyele and Akinyele (2015), branding has been used for
differentiating one products from another. It has been a combination of different products with
distinct identity that helps in adding values to the product. Branding has been an important part
of operations done by organizations in the market. As per research done by Ahmad, Ahmad and
Bakar (2018), 74% of businesses comprises of small scale business. However, majority of them
are not able to access their branding in the market. Most of the public in Ireland does not know
about many small businesses in the country. As commented by Sharma, Chrisman and Gersick
(2012), branding has been both social and economic construct.
As research done by Adegbuyi, Akinyele and Akinyele (2015), the process of branding
has been focused on differentiating goods and services from its competitors. Branding has been
acting as a promise of consistency and quality of consumers in the market. It has been the
perceived benefits of customers that used to offer by companies in the market. Business
organizations have been looking for their branding of products and services in the market to gain
competitive advantages in the market over their competitors. Klijn, Eshuis and Braun (2012)
commented that objectives of branding has been based upon the marketing strategy followed by
the business organization. The brand value of these companies have been low in the market due
to which different these companies are not able to gain competitive advantage in the market.
These SMEs play an important role in the economy of the Ireland. Most of the companies in the
Ireland are small scale based in the market. Therefore, small business sector need to be improved
in the market so that they can contribute more in the country economy. However statistics shows