Tough task ahead for new chair of CIM

The appointment of Andrew Harvey as the Chair of CIM makes him the third person in a row with a B2B background to have filled the role. In this context one would have thought the CIM would be rich in resources for B2B marketers, but my searches on the website, admittedly only of the public areas as I’m not a member, suggest otherwise. I found two reports dating from 2002: ‘Marketing Theory in Business-to-Business Organisations?’ by Gary Reed, Vicky Story, Jim Saker, of Loughborough University Business School, and ‘B2B Research’ by JA Consulting. The former mentions the word ‘brand’ just once, and the latter not at all. Meanwhile CIM recommends the 2001 book ‘B2B Marketing’ by Steve Minett who says: “Firstly, B2B marketing is primarily driven by technology, whereas B2C tends to be driven by fashion (in its very broadest sense). Secondly, in B2B the buying decision is often taken by a group, or in relation to a group, and takes place in the context of a rational discourse (the decision has to be justified, often against quantifiable criteria – this is rarely the case with B2C).” I think Minet’s belittling of B2C is misguided and betrays a misunderstanding of the importance of brand-building in B2B. It’s true that CIM are contemporary in offering a course on social media tailored to B2B and it should be relatively easy to repurpose their one on mobile marketing too. However their most recent publication ‘Social Media Benchmark’, published on 15th February, only covers Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube thus leaving out large tracts of the social media landscape. In summary I think a review of CIM’s B2B content, especially in relation to brand and social media, is well over-due given its importance as a sector to UKPLC, so let’s hope Andrew Harvey rises to the challenge during his tenure.

While the CIM is the world’s largest body within the marketing industry, Andrew Harvey should not rely on its heritage but look to bring the organisation up to speed with latest developments and trends. The growth of B2B marketing means that the CIM should now look to grow its offering for this audience. Just a third of CIM members are B2B marketers, so one of Andrew Harvey’s key focuses should be to increase this membership by providing services, representation and training in this sector. Although the CIM already offers training, it is not tailored to suit the needs of B2B marketers. The CIM should now look to provide course content that will equip them with the tools to market their products and services effectively. The industry continues to change and the CIM needs to provide equal support for both B2C and B2B marketing professionals through training and encouraging best practice. The appointment of Andrew Harvey as chair should signal a further move toward the CIM not only representing its members, but accurately reflecting the industry in which they work.