Be inspired by B2B

It comes as no surprise to see the growing power of B2B brands (Cover Story, MW 8 September), but while the high-profile sponsorship deals, celebrity endorsements and slick TV ads may get all the attention, the common factor that really underpins the success of the top B2B brands is the relentless pursuit of customer insight.

What is often overlooked when evaluating the success stories of brands and their respective marketing strategies is that much of the above-the-line activity is driven by a sophisticated understanding of its customers’ behaviour and needs.

These companies invest significant resources into building customer databases, collecting transactional and behavioural data, analysing the results and, most importantly, ensuring the customer insight sits at the heart of all communication strategies.

Many consumer brands could do far worse than take inspiration from the top B2B brands’ commitment to furthering their understanding of the customer and in doing so laying the foundations for building long-term success.

Richard Lloyd

Head of data, Information Arts