Abstract: Brand strategy is an important part of enterprise strategy, which is one of the key factors influencing firm performance. Researches have focused on large-scale enterprises, while not enough attention has been paid to small and medium-sized enterprises both in theory and practice. From the perspective of resource-based theory and brand system management, using the cross-section data from 2015 China Employer-Employee Survey (CEES), this paper explores the relation between brand strategy choice and firm performance. The results suggest that brand strategy choice has a significant positive impact on firm performance, which is rather significant for export firms, foreign firms and labor intensive firms. The choice of multiple brands has a negative effect on firm performance, while the effect is more significant for domestic firms and non-export firms. On the basis, this paper puts forward the corresponding countermeasure proposals for small and medium-sized enterprises including establishing independent brand, optimizing the brand structure as well as nurturing the core brand to achieve greater cost-effectiveness.
Key Words: Brand Strategy; Firm Performance; Survey Data; Empirical Analysis