It came up in a conversation I was having last week with a head of marketing that there isn't enough 'theatre' in B2B marketing. Is it a case that B2B marketers get stage fright when it comes to trying off-the-wall campaigns? Or is it more the case that a B2B audience just isn't interested in the razzle dazzle?
Posted by: Victoria Clarke on 18 February 2011
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I think historically B2B
Posted by anonymous on 25 February 2011
I think historically B2B companies have thought of their audience too much as a job title and not a person. B2C campaigns are edgier because they can target the individual whereas if you're only targeting a title it becomes more professional and aware of business repercussions. I think that's beginning to change now, I've seen more off the wall campaigns from B2B companies - we did Scally Rally last year and that was nuts! Also loving the work by Parasol (IT contractors with great site). Is it mainly marketing solution providers that are breaking the boundaries though? What about recruitment? They're a prime candidate for marketing to the person not the title, any examples?
I think it's always been a
Posted by Stephen Mills on 26 February 2011
I think it's always been a bit of a myth that B2B campaigns are "boring and functional". Or at least anymore so that the consumer equivalents. B2B campaign have a similar mix of the dull, the functional and the inspired as consumer. And I think this has been the case for a long time. Great examples of B2B “off the wall” can go back to “No FT, No Comment” and several Economist campaigns. And just check out almost any DHL adverts, FedEx Pigeons, quite a few Cisco adds over the years. I could go on and on (and often have when people call b2b boring!).
In consumer land, for every Guinness –esq advert there’s least a dozen Werther's Original-esq and for every Cadbury’s Gorilla there’s countless Ferrero Rocher’s ambassadors.
Stephen/Abi - you're both
Posted by Victoria Clarke on 28 February 2011
Stephen/Abi - you're both right, creative B2B campaigns are definitely on the up. You only have to look at all the great entries we get sent for our Awards programme each year. I'd love to hear about any case studies from B2B brands that have demonstrated cool or quirky creativity in their 2011 campaigns. Oh - and Stephen - loving the sweet analogy. There might be theatre in B2B, but there sure as hell ain't enough confectionery! Sweetie-themed DM anyone?
Many thank Victoria. I guess
Posted by Stephen Mills on 2 March 2011
Many thanks Victoria. I guess it takes Allsorts of B2B campaigns to be really successful – everything from (Malt)teaser campaigns to innovative and Smart(ies) ideas, including Refresh(ers) of past campaigns. Some are Bounty be successful causing a real Ripple in the market while others raise little more than a Wispa. Or is that a load of Humbug(s) :-)
Well, I do think that B2B
Posted by anonymous on 4 March 2011
Well, I do think that B2B marketers can get stage fright and often you're all right, it's a question of mindset. However, when B2B organisations adopt a more creative and strategic approach there is a real opportunity to really stand out from the competition. We've just undertaken a campaign from a software house based in Japan who were really willing to be more creative, they operate in a traditionally conservative market and the results have been really worthwhile for them.
Would love to hear more info
Posted by Victoria Clarke on 4 March 2011
Would love to hear more info about creativity in international B2B case studies - do get in contact.
In my experience, B2B
Posted by Vanessa Cheal on 12 May 2011
In my experience, B2B audiences aren’t as interested in the razzle dazzle as everyone else – they’re *more* interested. Because there’s the perception, true or otherwise, that daring B2B campaigns are few and far between, a slightly off-the-wall approach will often make a greater impression in a B2B context than it would in B2C. Last year we helped a technology client become the talk of the Gartner Outsourcing Summit by transforming their stand into a jungle of foliage, edible ants and oven-baked tarantulas. (The campaign theme was sustainable growth.) Not necessarily as appetising as your last post Stephen, but it certainly gave their brand awareness a Boost!
