The main purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of switching costs, quality of alternatives and customer-employee rapport on the development of B2B brand equity. The process of brand equity development is captured in this study through the hierarchical effects between four dimensions of brand equity. The study contributes to branding research by demonstrating that besides the cognitive factors, as for example switching costs and quality of alternatives, the affective factors such as customer-employee rapport have significant impact on B2B brand equity.