In current turbulent business environments, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to innovate but also to remain competitive and sustainable. This poses a significant challenge, as turbulence is emerging as ‘the new normal'. The Covid-19 crisis also highlighted the pressing need for companies to develop sustainable brands, even if most SMEs cannot afford branding strategies or brand managers. To address these challenges, the project aims to create a theoretical framework of Interactive Network Branding (INB) as a business strategy of SMEs, for generating relevant innovations and tackling sustainability in collaboration with partners. The outcomes of this project will have the potential of promoting a scientific renewal of research on SMEs. As a result, the project will help Finnish SMEs recover from the crisis by using research-based tools to strengthen their branding and networking capabilities, thereby improving their competitive prospects.

2023

2027