By Jared Bodnar
December 29th, 2009
Going through the car buying process recently, I realized that purchasing an automobile or a house is about as close to a B2B purchase as a consumer can get. This is because:
- It’s a high-priced item that you will have to live with for at least a few years
- You have to gather a tremendous amount of information to make an informed decision
- There’s a longer sales cycle than most consumer purchases
But it doesn’t end there. The old and new ways of car buying are similar to changes in B2B too. A few years ago, you would stumble onto a car lot, drive a few vehicles, haggle with the sales rep, spend a bunch of time in the finance department and drive off in your new vehicle, hoping you got a good deal.
Now, you go online to research vehicle information and read reviews, visit a bunch of dealer Web sites and get several competitive quotes, do all of your negotiations via e-mail and simply show up to the lot to pick up the car.
This mirrors the B2B selling process where a lot of the research, information gathering and negotiations are being done electronically, which makes it critical for your B2B company to have a proliferation of information on the Web that is optimized for search engines.
Have you changed your online B2B marketing strategies to match the way your customers are searching for information online? Do you have meaty content online that enable your customers to find you? Do you have a car buying horror story to share?
By Renata Miles
December 28th, 2009
Russia has at last unveiled the logo for the 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi. After the storm of controversy over the 2012 London Olympic logo, which has been called “hideous,” “childish” and “ugly,” it’s nice to see a much cleaner and up-to-date logo.
The Sochi 2014 brand was developed by brand consultancy Interbrand and an “Expert Brand Council” established by the Sochi 2014 organizing committee. Their strategy was simple—to develop an emblem that would drive fans to Sochi’s website and online platforms. They accomplished this by developing the first Olympic logo to feature a web address (I think it’s a pretty neat idea!).
Now, let’s look at the design. The lowercase lettering seems plain, but once examined closer you realize that the word Sochi is mirrored by the numbers 2014, drawn to reflect each other. This is meant to reflect the meeting of Sochi’s point between the sea and the mountains. The Olympic rings sit in their original colors beside the web address. Personally, I feel that the logo comes across a little ”flat” but it’s a much bigger improvement from previous Olympic logos.
What do you think about the Sochi 2014 Olympic logo? Is it better or worse than the London one?
By Adam Garcia
December 23rd, 2009
Being a graphic designer, color is one of the most important tools to convey a message. Color can be a deciding factor on whether a design makes it or not. And, a keen eye for color is a must-have trait of designers.
But we all use color in our everyday activities; whether we are picking out an outfit to wear for the day, or deciding what color to paint the living room. Did you know that 1 out of 255 women and 1 out of 12 men have some form of color vision deficiency? What do you think your color IQ is? Try taking this color test to determine how well you see color.
In B2B advertising, there is a trend to stick with “safe” colors and stay within the norm. Here is a little neat tool that helps us art geeks find color combinations that we might otherwise not have thought of and bring new and creative solutions to keep things fresh. Also, props to PANTONE 15-55519 for bringing home color of the year.
In what ways does color affect your everyday life? Seen any breakthrough color combinations in B2B marketing materials lately?
By Amanda Smith
December 22nd, 2009
This time of year typically connotes images of presents, poinsettias and pines, but it also marks the time-honored tradition of countdown lists. In the B2B world, lists are great communication tools that help to simplify a complex process or reinforce important ideas. Plus, lists are a part of everyday life (i.e. grocery, wish and to-do lists), so they resonate well with most audiences.
Whether you’re a jet setter or a social media surfer there is a 2009 list for just about everyone. Here are a few of my faves:
- The Top 10 of Everything of 2009
- Top 50 Social Media Stories of 2009
- Top 9 Artists of 2009
- BtoB’s Best for 2009
- The 20 Worst Foods of 2009
- 50 Best Web sites 2009
- The World’s Best Places to Live 2009
- The World’s Worst Tourists 2009
- Best Careers of 2009
Do you have a favorite list of 2009? What’s on your marketing wish list for 2010?
(Photo credit: Wired)
By Megan Reisig
December 21st, 2009
As companies put final touches on 2010 marketing communications budgets, the big question is, where are those shrinking marketing budgets being directed next year?
I read an article in The Wall Street Journal titled Pepsi Benches Its Drinks. The article says that Pepsi, ending a 23-year streak, won’t advertise in Super Bowl XLIV. It also explains that in 2010 Pepsi will spend 60% more on online ads, rely on PR to market its brand, and will direct $20 million of its ad dollars to grants for its new Pepsi Refresh Project, a program that will support community projects proposed and selected by consumers.
This reinforces my opinion that traditional advertising might not always be the best way to reach a target audience. More and more companies are turning to social media, PR and online advertising to spread the word about their brands.
It’s time for B2C and B2B companies alike to reevaluate marketing strategies. Companies need to do research, find out where their audience is getting their information and reach them there. Make sure the money you spend on marketing is reaching your audience.
What do you think? Do you think 2010 will bring more social media, PR and online advertising to the forefront of marketing budgets?
