摘要：Although, today the successful ingredient branding strategies are often proved and examined beyond doubt, a management theoretical study is still lacking. Therefore, the aim of the study is to examine whether ingredient brands can be seen as a company’s strategic resource at all. This study comprises the elaboration of the Ingredient Branding strategy in terms of the resource-based view of the firm. Because the value of a resource depends on the ability to manage this value appropriately, it has to be asked whether the brand management of an Ingredient Brand is one of the company’s core competencies. The following argumentation in the paper shows that Ingredient Brands fulfill all requirements of the resource-based view by fostering organizational success. Furthermore, it becomes clear that its brand management consequently is one of the company’s core competencies. From a management theoretical stand point, the resource-based view is an appropriate theory to explain the phenomenon of ingredient branding in the Business-to-Business sector between a supplier and an OEM.
