Posted By
Daniel Griffin on 11/10/2009
The same product could mean drastically different things to different groups. You know the old saying, “One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.” This brings up the number one rule in marketing, “know who you are advertising to.” This absolutely holds true when marketing to B2B vs. B2C clients.
Big companies pride themselves with knowing their consumer. They spend large portions of their budgets on B2C research and have a clearly defined direction for their message. The problem is, they use this same message for their B2B advertising as well. A business’s mentality is definitely not the same as the consumer’s and should not be spoken to in the same voice.
When presenting product to businesses, you need to laser focus on what’s most important: product. Businesses inherently have a different set of needs than the consumer. They look at product as a means to an end and don’t need (or want) to dive into the fluffy backgrounds or the creative inspiration of a product. They care solely about the bottom line and how their product can potentially help increase profits.
When presenting product to consumers, it’s okay to take sometime to develop the story. The consumer needs to feel like there is an emotional tie to the product, or that it was created solely with that consumer in mind. These presentations may have various images or messaging to create this emotional connection, with the actual product being the secondary or even the tertiary message.
For example, when presenting product to consumers, the use of aspirational imagery can be the dominant message. This is never more prevalent than in the footwear industry. Often athletes, entertainers, or moments in sports become the main message to the consumer with the actual product taking a clear back seat. A truly successful advertiser entices the consumer with the idea of the product, as much as the product itself. Whereas businesses desire to be up-close and personal with the product, they respond to more focused product imagery and product attributes. Businesses need to know how the product fits into their forecasts and potentially works alongside other like products.
The successful B2B advertiser recognizes the need to provide customized product presentations that not only speak to various demographics,but to various business types as well.
Tags: Web design, online brand development
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