It is widely recognised that B2B marketing has a number of inherent differences from its B2C counterparts, largely due to its complexity: complex products, complex markets, complex decision-making processes and complex routes to market.
This is often reflected by the longevity and embedded relationships between B2B agencies and their clients. The learning curve can be a long and steep one and agencies often end up acting – in effect – as extensions of their clients’ marketing functions, integral to their marketing architecture, rather than simply a supplier.
Cicero is no exception, with clients in extremely diverse and complicated sectors such as: membrane filtration systems, IT-enabled information services, government-funded multi-site agencies, biotechnology, computer-based testing, or profiled metal building envelope systems; often with client relationships that span decades.
This helps to drive insightful strategy, effective creative and high quality implementation necessary to drive real marketing ROI.
People working in marketing communications have always had a strong propensity to try to bring a degree of science to a field characterised by subjectivity and a lack of regulation. This can on occasion cross the line into pseudo-science and jargon, a phenomenon that is particularly prevalent in B2B marketing.
In its most extreme forms, the meaningless waffle and pseudo-academic ramblings of the marketing shamans’ serves only to add further layers of complexity to what is already a complex area. Lesser mortals often feel unable to challenge this plethora of models, theories and paradigms, and we have the marketing equivalent of the emperor’s new clothes!
What this results in is layers of complexity and confusion, which not only bog down action but create unnecessary cost when we should be looking to generate maximum return on every marketing pound spent.
Sometimes it’s important to get back to basics, and remember some of the key principles of best practice in marketing communications. The principles of single-mindedness and differentiation have always been central to effective communications and in B2B markets, where there are often high levels of product parity and commoditisation, these guiding principles are crucial in building brands.
Agencies sometimes lose sight of the fact that they are not management consultants, that they do not know more than their clients about their business and that their most important function is to construct incisive creative communications that deliver real tangible marketing ROI.
At Cicero, we embody this belief in our philosophy of simply business’. We look to deliver simple, refreshing and effective solutions.
None of this means that we don’t believe in the value of academic rigour, or that the work that we do is simple. Our end result is tangible, stimulating and most of all effective, but our approach in getting there is by no means reductionist or simplistic.
And we never underestimate the need for in-depth analysis, incisive strategic thinking and building an extensive knowledge of the client’s market.
B2B marketing communications is by no means easy, but by doing it well we aim to make it look simple.
