Book Review

Business-to Business Marketing. Relationships, networks and strategies

Nick Ellis
Oxford University Press (2011), 978-0-19-955168-2, £35.99, 384 pages
Reviewed by Judy Zolkiewski, Manchester Business School

Nick Ellis sets out to produce ‘an accessible B2B marketing textbook ‘ pg. ix,
aimed at undergraduate students and postgraduates who have not previously
studied marketing. He also aims to provide a more international balance to the
context than many of the US focussed B2B texts. The opening chapter clearly
illustrates how this has been accomplished and the significance of business-to-
business markets is clearly explained. Additionally, the mini cases and vignettes
provide accessible examples that clearly demonstrate the significance of
business-to-business interaction while simultaneously illustrating that although
business-to-business organizations are not necessarily household names they
are central to the operation of organizations such as Pizza Hut, that consumers
(and students) are familiar with. The examples used are particularly well-chosen
and are a strength of the book. The suggestions for further reading are also
carefully selected and designed to give students breadth of knowledge and
additional perspectives. A colleague of mine once commented that anybody who
can make business-to-business interesting deserves a medal, Nick certainly is in
the medal-winning category.

The book is divided into four parts: the organizational marketing context; inter –
organizational relationships & networks; business marketing planning; and,
business marketing programmes. The different parts address issues of major
importance in a business-to-business context. Of particular note is the decision
to include chapters on marketing channels along with inter-organizational
relationships and networks; this fills a gap that is apparent in many other texts
that focus on relationships and networks. The chapter on business services is
also particularly relevant, as business services are critically important to the
current economy (see the current interest in service infusion) yet
underrepresented in many of the current textbooks.

This is a textbook that does not simply try to force a marketing mix approach
into a business-to-business environment but illustrates the contextual factors
that mean that business-to-business marketing needs a different focus both in
practice and in the way it is taught. For many years, Hutt and Spey have
cornered the UK market with their business-to-business marketing textbooks
even though their books have a US focus, and they, along with the majority of
US researchers, fall into the trap of neglecting the more than significant
contribution to business-to-business marketing research made by non-US-based
scholars. Ellis’ book provides a striking alternative to such an approach. To me,
it only has one rival, the second edition of Business-to-Business Marketing by
Brennan, Canning and McDowell which was also published in 2011. However,
these books can be seen to be complementary rather than out-and-out rivals
both presenting their material in different ways. I suppose, it is rather like
buses, you wait for a long time and then two buses turn up together, business-
to-business marketers now have two excellent books to use to augment their
teaching.
Brennan, Ross; Louise Canning and Raymond McDowell (2011) Business-to-
Business Marketing 2nd edition. London, UK: Sage Publications Ltd.

Hutt, Michael D. and Thomas W. Speh (2010) Business Marketing

Management: B2B. 10th edition. South-Western CENGAGE Learning.

Judy Zolkiewski
31st December 2011