Hasta La Creative!

Having worked with many b-to-b brands over the years — from medical device providers to investment banks — I’ve heard the following types of questions at the beginning of an assignment: “We know brand matters for the likes of Coca-Cola and Heinz, but why should brand matter to us?” or “All of our buyers follow rigorous procurement processes, so what is a brand going to do for us?” The answer: Brand should matter to b-to-b organizations. Aligning a b-to-b organization around one story and expressing it in a consistent manner throughout every touch point is key to generating more business.

Blurring the line between b-to-c and b-to-b

A newer question has come up of late: “Should b-to-b brands pay attention to consumers?” A few b-to-b marketers, such as Cisco and Intel, have made great efforts in reaching out to consumers, but what is the value of doing this? According to our new B2BNow study, having strong consumer relevance gives b-to-b brands a 10% increased chance of being in a business decision-maker’s consideration set. Also, pure b-to-b brands that business decision-makers feel most connected to see a 12% increase in consideration compared with brands decision-makers are not connected to.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

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