The WARC Guide To Rethinking B2B

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.
WARC GUIDE
There are key similarities in There is a growing body of There is further change in
marketing to consumers, evidence around what works the current social and
and to business buyers in business-to-business (B2B) economic climate, as the
marketing. Much of it COVID-19 pandemic
suggests that business-to- has impacted the way
Reach, mental availability, consumer (B2C) and B2B best business buyers operate.
fame and emotion are key practice are more similar than
once thought. A younger generation of B2B
executives has risen up the
As in B2C, reaching a lot of light ranks, prompting B2B
Marketers must understand buyers, building fame, tapping marketers to rethink the
the habits and values of a emotion and strong creative channel mix to ensure they
new generation of buyers can drive brand growth in B2B. engage this cohort.
This is true even for B2B- In this new landscape

specific tactics like account- marketers are reimagining
based marketing (ABM). ABM at experiences and networking
B2B marketers are
its purest is focused on small for a hybrid world, with a
embracing a multichannel
groups of high-value growing focus on
mix
customers, but the lessons communities. In the B2B e-
from it can be used to enhance commerce space, customer
reach-based marketing service and trust are crucial.
Marketers are reimagining campaigns.
selling in a hybrid world
1: Whether selling to a 4: As working practices of 7: The ongoing limits in the
business or a consumer, senior decision-makers use of live events has led
some fundamental change, marketers are to a new focus on
marketing truths should rethinking the channel community building,
be applied, such as mix to reach a multi- partnerships and B2B
reaching lots of light touchpoint audience. ‘influencers’.
buyers.
5: Show you understand 8: B2B online selling
2: Many of the strategies the buyer’s pain points requires a renewed focus
that are effective in B2C by delivering solution-led on customer service and
marketing, like driving content that showcases building brand trust. In
fame and harnessing your knowhow and China, platforms like
distinctive assets, are expertise. WeChat are key.
also impactful in B2B.
6: Reassure B2B buyers 9: Managing across B2B
3: B2B buying is often they’re making the right and B2C portfolios
functional but there’s also decision. Positive requires a strong brand
an emotional element in reviews, social proof, and unified brand vision.
B2B decision-making recommendations and
which marketers have an case studies are helpful.
opportunity to tap into.
WARC GUIDE
— Be open to how the — Help B2B marketers find — B2B advertisers require
fundamentals of B2C creative ways to reach, especially with
marketing can apply to resonate with this younger decision-
your category. audience – storytelling makers. This creates
and experiences are key new opportunities for
— Emotive rather than opportunities here. media owners in video
functional product-led and audio channels.
messaging can help a — B2B marketing poses a
B2B brand stand out. creative challenge which — Deprived of in-person
agencies can help with: events, media owners
— Get the most out of how to make the rich with audience data
account-based functional inspiring. can help B2B brands to
marketing. As well as build communities.
using it for retention and — Understand the
upsell, use the lessons customer journey and — Media owners can help
and the data to inform pain points to help the to pair B2B marketers
reach-based marketing brand ‘show up’ in helpful with expert talent and
campaigns. ways. influencers.

WARC GUIDE
Professor Andrew Ehrenberg and more recently Professor Byron Sharp and others have
shown that brand growth comes from reaching a lot of light buyers, driving brand fame
and being easy to buy (building mental and physical availability).
These fundamental marketing laws have mostly been applied when marketing to
consumers (B2C), but an increasing body of evidence indicate they also apply when
marketing to businesses (B2B). While the dynamics of buying aircrafts are different to
buying coffee, the people making the decisions are still people.
Account-based marketing (ABM) has gained traction in recent years. ABM is useful for
customer retention and upsell. However, it can and should be used to inform and
enhance reach-based marketing campaigns.

WARC GUIDE
Brand growth Big brands have Brands should be

B2C marketing and B2B
marketing are usually usually comes by more loyal well known – aim for
considered separate and attracting a lot of customers – also fame. In B2B, this
so the marketing lessons light buyers to the known as the can be achieved by
from B2C are often seen category Double Jeopardy going against
as irrelevant in B2B law category norms
marketing, and vice versa.
However, evidence
presented by the LinkedIn-
backed B2B Institute, Brands should be Creativity matters
Wiemer Snijders, Les Binet,
easy to buy – build – reach people by
Peter Field, and others
show the fundamental laws mental and tapping emotion,
of marketing apply – physical solving problems,
regardless of whether availability and using
marketing to consumers or distinctive assets
to business buyers.

WARC GUIDE
Building on the work of So the main difference

Professor Andrew between big and small brands
Ehrenberg, this chart shows is in their penetration.
what an NBD-Dirichlet looks
like for a big, medium-sized When the LinkedIn-backed
and small brand. B2B Institute commissioned
researchers Les Binet and
Wiemer Snijders, Partner, The Peter Field to study marketing
Commercial Works, explains effectiveness in the B2B
that in each case, the brand’s category they found that
customer base is made up of campaigns with a broad reach
a lot of light buyers. This strategy – that is reaching
means that when a small everyone who was relevant to
brand grows it successfully the category (today’s and
acquires new customers and future buyers) – delivered the
the shape of its customer greatest average number of
base will not change much. very large business effects
SOURCE: The Commercial Works, Wiemer Snijders, 2021 Most of its new buyers will be such as profit, market share
light buyers, with a few and growth.
heavier buyers.
WARC GUIDE
B2B buying tends to be

more functional, can take
months or years, and is
higher stakes, compared
with B2C. That said,
Wiemer Snijders notes
that B2B follows similar
patterns to B2C.
This chart shows the

lightest buyers make up
roughly half of the total
revenue for a global B2B
client. Total revenues
exceeded several billions
of dollars.
So, it’s important to aim for

SOURCE: The Commercial Works client data, Services (B2B), 4-years of data (2006-2009).
broad reach.
WARC GUIDE
Peter Field, Marketing Consultant

WARC GUIDE
Account based marketing

(ABM) is “a strategic
approach that combines
targeted, insight-led
marketing with sales to
increase mindshare,
strengthen relationships,
and drive growth in
specific new and existing
accounts” (ITSMA).
The pyramid shows three

common uses of ABM.
More than a retention
strategy, ABM can also
inform reach strategies
(bottom of the pyramid).
SOURCE: ITMSA, 2016

WARC GUIDE
ABM is not just a sales Getting ABM right can shift

function, rather, it is a the perception of a marketer
customer management from a vendor, to a partner.
strategy that focuses on
delivering a connected This can be achieved by
brand experience, say giving the customer the
Michelle Thomas and confidence to know that you
Charles Baker, Digitas understand their business,
North America. and that you are
knowledgeable enough
“With ABM, there is an about their industry to help
always-on customer-centric and support them.
approach, requiring
constant optimisation and “Designing ABM programs
attention, which scales well to speak to industry vertical
beyond lead generation or needs can be highly
sale conversion”, they say. effective”, they add.

WARC GUIDE
ABM involves fishing for accounts that are most likely

intent signals or the to purchase, display certain
practice of predictive online behaviors, and look
marketing, says Kevin for specific solutions” says
Arsham, Partner, B2B Arsham.
Specialist at MediaCom.
Strategic content related to
Combining ABM and direct business products and
industry media can be very solutions shows prospects
effective during the you understand the issues
discovery, consideration, affecting their industry.
and decision-making stages Marketers should address
of the marketing funnel. the challenges with a
business solution, or a suite
Marketers with the capability of products, to show the
to build a database of new buyer you understand their
customers, can identify business, advises Arsham.
“look-alikes, hand raisers or

WARC GUIDE
The more senior the Infographics are visually

executive is, the less likely enticing and enable
they are to do form-fills prospects to quickly
and downloads, so content understand how a product
needs to be really helpful, or solution can help. And
notes MediaCom’s Kevin guidebooks are useful for
Arsham. the consideration stage.
Banner display is also
Buyers are more likely to typically part of the mix.
download materials that
offer a case on tangible When Shell adopted a similar
solutions across supply initiative, its investment
chains, sustainability etc. returned a 60%
Arsham advises B2B consumption rate across
marketers to spark interest assets and more than 8,000
by addressing unanticipated qualified leads in seven
problems and needs – months, surpassing their
particularly useful in the goal by 25%.
discovery stage.
WARC GUIDE
As well as broad reach, B2B marketers need to consider things like mental
availability, brand fame and the role of emotion. Just as in B2C, B2B marketers are
advised to strike the right balance between short-term sales activation and long-
term brand-building activity.
B2B marketing tends to highlight the functional, but marketers must understand the
different need-states across the buyer journey. There is a role for showing empathy,
creativity and flair in the B2B space. Purpose may be underutilised in B2B, though
some marketers recognise customer needs around issues like sustainability.
A key challenge for some brand owners is managing both B2B and B2C portfolios.
A strong brand that is able to adapt and flex is crucial here.

WARC GUIDE
B2B marketers tend to optimal approach, but it

favour short-term and lead neglects the much wider
gen activation, but the audience that could make
research by The B2B purchases in the future.
Institute and Binet and Field
suggest brand-building is Speaking at the B2B World
increasingly important. Fest, Peter Weinberg, global
lead at The B2B Institute said
While it is often assumed that B2B buyer habits are
running numerous small evolving, with most
campaigns is a preferable prospective customers now
approach, the evidence researching purchases
suggests that generating online, for example. While
‘fame’ with big ideas is a functional messaging has a
better strategy. role to play, it’s increasingly
important to use brand
Hyper-targeting today’s advertising to get into buyers’
buyers may seem like the consideration sets.
SOURCE: IPA Databank, 1998-2018 B2B IPA cases, Binet & Field, The B2B
Institute, 2019
WARC GUIDE
Binet and Field’s research

also shows that emotions
play an important role in
B2B marketing. Like in
B2C, emotions build
brands “because they
create these powerful
associations that really
work on decision making –
and they endure so much
longer,” said Peter Field.
“It’s about surprise, doing

things that your
competitors aren’t… it’s
going to make you do the
kind of advertising the
category is not familiar
with,” Field explained.
SOURCE: IPA Databank, 1998-2018 B2B IPA cases, Binet & Field, The B2B Institute, 2019

WARC GUIDE
75% of TV ads for B2B found that 75% of B2B ads fail
brands drive no long-term to drive meaningful growth,
growth, according to a study and scored one star on
by The B2B Institute and System1’s five-star spectrum.
System1, the research firm.
This suggests the rational
B2B advertising often relies approach in B2B marketing
on rational comms, which are achieves minimal emotional
assumed to be well-suited to resonance with the audience.
high-priced purchases made Using a brand’s distinctive
on a long cycle. However, assets – like a logo,
these presumptions do not characters, tagline, or sound
take into account the – in strategic ways can drive
powerful emotions underlying effectiveness.
purchases, or that shape
responses to advertising. Although emotion is a
powerful driver of B2B
Based on a sample of over effectiveness, it must be
2,000 spots in System1’s ad- connected with financial
SOURCE: System1 and The B2B Institute, 2021
ratings database, it was metrics to win the C-suite.
WARC GUIDE
A “wide spectrum of purchase funnel are not the During the While making After
emotions” come into play same as the emotions of a research stage a purchase purchasing
in B2B decision-making say customer at the point of sale
Sonia David and Bill Zengel, – or even the customer in
ANA Business Marketing the middle of the funnel”, say
Practice. David and Zengel.
These emotions include fear A Google/Ipsos study found

of making a bad (and costly) varying needs at different
mistake and the need for stages of the B2B buyer
reassurance post-purchase, journey. There’s an
as well as feelings tied to opportunity for B2B
trust, confidence and safety. marketers “to recognise and
address the emotional
“The buying journey is just struggles or pain points that
as emotional as it is rational, customers go through in
and the experience is not getting from point A to point
one-size-fits-all. A buyer’s B in their buying journey –
emotions at the top of the while sticking to a consistent
brand experience”, they add. SOURCE: Google/Ipsos, June 2020
WARC GUIDE
George Hammer, Chief Content Officer,

IBM

WARC GUIDE
Emotional advertising
in B2B is not necessarily Show empathy Be a partner Purpose
about making buyers and
potential buyers laugh It doesn’t have to Show you have Does the brand have
or cry. be a hard sell, focus knowledge about a meaningful and
on how you can their industry, and authentic role to play
In the B2B space, it can be
about showing empathy, help, be solution- you know their in the world, beyond
showing that you led challenges profit?
understand the buyer’s
challenges, and your are
able to help solve their
Use distinctive Get creative
problems.
assets
Brand assets such as Find creative ways
mascots or fluent devices Logos, assets and to tell the brand
can help build memory characters help story, and to deliver
structures and draw on build memory great customer
feelings of nostalgia. experience
structures

WARC GUIDE
Purpose can be defined as they have determined a

a reason for a brand to ‘Stated Purpose’, just 24%
exist beyond making profit. had ‘activated’ it.
Some define purpose
strictly in terms of a social The challenges of
mission, others insist it can integrating purpose into B2B
be aspirational, e.g. be the branding include:
most exciting energy drink • 56% of respondents said
in the world. purpose “feels like a PR
exercise” instead of a
A purpose can help business strategy.
differentiate a brand, • 51% believed purpose
Purpose is important to business Purpose is embedded in business however, it must be an doesn’t play a significant
authentic fit for the business role within their
Purpose sets a clear “North Star” Purpose is activated across the business,
for the business, articulating from culture and innovation to operations
and requires commitment competitive set.
why it exists and engagement with society across the entire company. • 50% noted that their
company “lacks the
The ANA’s Purpose Paradox capacity” to put purpose
SOURCE: B2B Purpose Paradox, ANA Business Marketing Practice, 2019 study found while 86% of at the center of its
respondents said branding.
WARC GUIDE
Lenovo uses data to Off the back of consumer

understand customers and feedback about the
inform its B2B marketing importance of sustainability,
decisions, including forays Lenovo launched a suite of
into newer vectors, says products which allow
Bhasker Choudhuri, Chief customers to monitor and
Marketing Officer, APAC, regulate how much CO2
Lenovo. emissions their machines
emit.
“One of the things that we
do, which underlines our B2B “The overall brand
marketing, is how we bring reputation of Lenovo doesn't
customer experience to the depend purely on marketing
forefront, not only in metrics like awareness,
designing our products but consideration and
also to how we market preference”, Choudhuri said.
them”, said Choudhuri.
WARC GUIDE
Mental availability is the

extent to which a brand
comes easily to mind in
purchase consideration.
Binet & Field’s research

also found, like B2C, brand
fame is important in B2B. A
good example of this in
the B2B space is Volvo
Trucks’ famous Epic
Split ad featuring Jean-
Claude van Damme, which
was different advertising
to the category norm and
got people talking about it,
which drives a level of
brand fame.
SOURCE: IPA Databank, 1998-2018 B2B IPA cases, Binet & Field, The B2B Institute, 2019

WARC GUIDE
Swedish company Volvo safety and environmental

Trucks wanted to maximise concerns.
awareness of its new range
of trucks, and The videos – including the
communicate the reversing ‘Epic Split’ featuring Jean-
technology of its latest Claude Van Damme
HGV trucks. preforming his now famous
split between two reversing
To attract a wider audience trucks – were posted on
than truck buyers at YouTube and backed by
European hauliers (a niche press.
audience) Volvo targeted
the friends, colleagues and The result? 100+ million
families of truck buyers. YouTube views, earned
media to the value of
Volvo devised a series of 115,000 Euros, a significant
stunts that would get people increase in brand recall and
talking. The videos awareness, with fourth
showcased aspects of the quarter sales in 2013 rising
trucks including by 23%.
WARC GUIDE
Wiemer Snijders, Editor, Eat Your Greens & Partner,

The Commercial Works

WARC GUIDE
Although there are several “One could argue for

brand models for managing creating a different
portfolios, the Masterbrand positioning for each target
approach can be most customer but the risk is
beneficial during times of ‘brand schizophrenia’ which
disruption, says Remona could lead to fragmentation
Duquesne, Brandgym. of marketing efforts, not to
mention the cost of
“Its focused approach helps activating more than one
brands continue to be positioning.”
distinctive and at the same
time allows for flexibility and Instead, Duquesne insists
adaptability at a much more it’s more logical “to identify a
efficient rate than other ‘sweet spot’ of shared needs
models”, notes Duquesne. and attitudes that the brand
Crucially, this model requires can tap into to arrive at a
only one brand positioning shared positioning.”
to accommodate both B2B
and B2C customers.
SOURCE: The brandgym: A Practical Workout for Growing Brands in a Digital Age
WARC GUIDE
The Masterbrand model

supports an adaptive
brand identity. This makes
it easier to welcome a new
entity (like GrabFinance) or
service (like GrabInvest)
into the brand with a (B2C) (B2B & B2C) (B2B)
simple append, whilst still
keeping a consistent
brand identity and
recognisable brand world.
Grab’s brand world is its

dominant green colour
and ‘road’ graphic which is
consistent across all
markets and service
platforms, explains
Duquesne.
SOURCE: Managing mixed brand portfolios in a time of experimentation and flux: a case for the Masterbrand, Remona
Duquesne, WARC, April 2021
WARC GUIDE
Bhaskar Choudhuri, Asia Pacific Chief Marketing Officer,

Lenovo PCs and Smart Devices

WARC GUIDE
Across industries, there’s a new generation reaching leadership positions, meaning

marketers are having to ensure they engage younger cohorts. The COVID-19 pandemic
forced more professionals to work from home, and as the boundaries between the
personal and professional collapse, marketers can potentially reach B2B audiences with
a wider range of strategies.
Understanding need states across the entire buyer journey is essential, and expert
recommendations and user reviews are highly valued by this audience.
B2B marketers have a key role to play in reassuring the buyer that they are making the
right decision, this support should continue, post-purchase.

WARC GUIDE
A study of 34,000
executives in ten markets
by the LinkedIn-backed They do not have a firm division between home Their career and identity are closely linked,
B2B Institute and GWI, and work lives. As this gap collapses, with an emphasis on personal branding, self-
found a new generation of marketers can potentially reach B2B audiences improvement, innovation, and setting trends.
younger executives have via a wider range of channels.
greater influence in the B2B
space. This cohort can be
characterised by the
blurring of personal and
professional lives.
They embrace digital tools
and services, compared Members of this generation demand the same BETAs expect B2B organisations to have a
with other generations. And quality of experience in personal and clear purpose and reflect their values,
millennial executives professional tech solutions. Smartphones are especially around inclusivity, gender equality,
expect the B2B companies increasingly the hub for work and leisure. and the environment.
they work for – and buy
from – to have a clear
sense of purpose.
SOURCE: Meet the BETAs, the next generation of B2B decision-makers, The B2B Institute, GWI, 2020
WARC GUIDE
Millennials are responsible

for a growing number of
B2B purchases, at various
stages of the purchase
journey.
It’s crucial that B2B

marketers reflect this
cohort’s particular habits
and values .
% of Decision-Making Business Professionals aged 21-40 who say they have influence over the following stages

WARC GUIDE
Like in B2C buying, B2B

customers rely on positive
reviews, social proof and
recommendations to help
guide their decisions.
“They're looking for expert

reviews and
recommendations,” said
Jason Mander, chief
research officer at GWI.
“When they make their
bold choice to the buying
committee, they want a lot
of proof that it's the right
one for them to have % of Business Professionals aged 21-40 who say the above are very influential when researching products/services
made.”

WARC GUIDE
Millennial buyers want

reassurance that competitor
companies have made the
same purchase decision that
they’re considering. Younger
executives want validation
for their decisions, and are
1.62 times more likely than
other groups to adopt a
product or service because
they know a competitor is
using it.
In the hunt for verification,

supplier websites have a
critical role for younger B2B
decision-makers.

WARC GUIDE
Jason Mander, Chief Research Officer

GWI

WARC GUIDE
The absence of live events and in-person meetings has seen B2B marketers
experiment with new channels and strategies like video tutorials and podcasts.
At the same time, strategies such as community building are gaining traction, with
strategic partnerships and influencers playing an increasingly important role in the
B2B space.
B2B marketers are also finding creative ways to tell brand stories as well as
reimagine experiences in a hybrid world.
WARC GUIDE
A recent WARC study in

association with audio
streaming service Spotify
found B2B marketing is
being transformed as it B2B marketers are seeking new, progressive A younger generation are now in senior roles.
responds to the changes ways of reaching their customers across both This means decisions are being made
wrought by the COVID-19 live and virtual touchpoints. differently. Marketers will need to adapt to
pandemic. the demands of changing audiences.
The study of 330 B2B

marketers in 10 markets
who operate in the tech
and telco sectors
identified four key ways A new approach to channel planning is There’s a new significance on storytelling and
the B2B industry is being required. There is a shift towards achieving a finding relevant partners to deliver those
transformed, and how B2B broader multimedia mix, introducing newer stories in compelling ways.
marketers are rethinking channels like audio and streaming.
the media mix.
SOURCE: Changing Channels in B2B, WARC and Spotify, 2021

WARC GUIDE
The WARC/Spotify report

found 54% of B2B
marketers are increasing
the number of channels in
their media mix.
Many B2B marketers in the

tech and telco sector are
funnelling dollars into
streaming and social
platforms. The study
found the two highest-
growth media in 2021 are
predicted to be online
video and display, where
spend is set to go up by
73%, and digital audio,
where 66% lift is
anticipated.
WARC GUIDE
Video has become more

important for B2B marketers,
being used for e.g. tutorials
or customer service. When it
comes to video ROI, one
study found 48% of those
surveyed said ROI is getting
better, while the share saying
their video ROI is unknown
has dropped to 29%.
That said, measuring ROI

remains the most common
challenge for B2B
businesses. Only 7% use
'advanced' metrics like
viewer drop-off rates and
sales attribution.
SOURCE: Vidyard, Demand Metric, The State of Video 2020 Edition

WARC GUIDE
The collapse of live events QuickBooks use influencers

has seen B2B marketers to drive engagement and
shift significant spend into scale. The company reached
content creation. over 6.5 million customers
and garnered engagements
Accounting software at 11.7 times the average
company Intuit QuickBooks rate.
developed an Ask the Expert
series of live question-and- Leveraging TikTok’s
answer sessions that engaging video formats,
connected customers with hosting Clubhouse rooms
experts. and investing more heavily in
podcasts are some of the
This advice-driven video next milestones for B2B
content gives SMEs marketing, say Rafael Martin
practical help and guidance. and Staffan Holgersson,
62 live shows were created Essence.
and on-demand content was
available on social channels. SOURCE: Intuit QuickBooks
WARC GUIDE
The WARC/Spotify study agree that they need to focus

found B2B marketing is on building strong brands.
undergoing a transformation
as businesses innovate and During the COVID-19
experiment with their media pandemic, businesses have
choices. innovated with new formats in
which to tell their stories such
For example, the rise of audio as podcasts, physical delivery
and video has opened up new of well-curated material, and
ways for B2B marketers to turn experiences like cookery
traditional case studies, classes and wine tasting – even
educational tools and best if experienced remotely – have Finding new ways to Creating more personalised
tell your brand story and curated experiences
practice into powerful kept customers engaged.
narratives.
85% of respondents said ██ Very Important ██ Important ██ Neutral ██ Not Important
This storytelling route to creating more curated

brand-building is important to experiences was important.
83% of marketers, while 82%

WARC GUIDE
Engineering, design and The Engineering Reimagined

advisory company, Aurecon, podcast explores how, like
developed a podcast to engineers, people from all walks
strengthen its brand and widen of life are reimagining the future
its audience in Australia, New and their leadership roles in it.
Zealand, Asia and the Middle And podcast guests shared
East. compelling and inspiring stories.
Aurecon needed to position itself In one year, the podcast far

as forward thinking and future exceeded expectations in terms
focused in order to win work, and of audience engagement and
attract and retain talent in the sharing, helping Aurecon
competitive engineering market. achieve its aims and strengthen
its brand as a thought leader in
Following extensive research, it the ever-evolving professional
identified an opportunity to services industry.
leverage a new medium,
podcasting, to further position
SOURCE: Aurecon itself as an innovative thought
leader.
WARC GUIDE
The WARC/Spotify report In this new, fluid and open B2B

also found B2B marketers landscape, there is more space
were focused on community and opportunity for marketers
building as a way to keep to form powerful brand
audiences engaged. partnerships.
Communities are a safe place, Marketing spend is increasingly

a way to share best practice, being diverted to this kind of
debate, support, and network activity, often using it alongside
with one another. the development of
professional communities, with
Marketers can make these 49% of marketers increasing
work online by stepping up their budgets for partner
customer service, getting marketing and sponsorship,
active on social media, and and 48% upping the influencer
expanding reach via budget.
streaming platforms and
influencers.

WARC GUIDE
A rigorous global six-year The Best Run also focuses on

proprietary study by stories about innovation and
Wunderman Thompson found sustainability. The company
that inspiration is a critical partnered with supermodel
driver of growth for B2B Karlie Kloss on initiatives such
brands. as Kode with Klossy, to get
more girls interested in STEM
SAP, the software firm, is subjects. This gives the brand a
highlighted as a brand that strong ‘elevating’ score, said
embodies inspirational qualities, Mullen.
such as being elevating and
motivational, says Nina Mullen. SAP scores high on
‘motivation’ via its thought-
SAP’s The Best Run campaign leadership content covering
successfully uses an a range of subjects, including
endorsement strategy – by SAP Insights, which helps
using the voice of existing executives make
customers – to motivate new transformational decisions.
customers. SOURCE: SAP & Kode with Klossy
WARC GUIDE
Live beats pre-recorded Have a few back-up plans Enable conversations

MediaLink ran a
successful virtual event at Have a back up plan for things
Asking busy people to attend People love to make new
CES in January. This like tech fails, or a speaker drop-
your event requires you need to connections and the networking
included the creation of a out. It is crucial to be flexible
show up as well. Although pre- conversations they spark.
virtual club to replicate its and uber-prepared
recorded is easier, live sessions Review an increasing range of
annual VIP networking
are more compelling tools designed to facilitate
event, which attracted 800
“virtual networking”.
senior executives in the
form of webcam-based
avatars.
Keep the guests guessing Experiment!
MediaLink’s Lena
Petersen and Brett Kassan
Mix-up the format, and surprise Ensure to impress guests
Smith offer five top tips
the audience by venturing from through things like amazing
that can help B2B
the norm. Create small, intimate visuals, humour, gamification,
marketers improve their
virtual breakout rooms. Make audience participation,
content, engagement and
sure you open things up to provocative subjects, etc.
networking at future virtual
moderated live Q&A frequently.
gatherings.
WARC GUIDE
Gonzalo Brujo, Chief Executive Officer, EMEA & LatAm,

Interbrand

WARC GUIDE
Like in B2C, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many B2B marketers to accelerate their
digital transformation – and online selling is now a key opportunity. But how does a
B2B marketer sell complex and ultra-expensive machinery remotely? Technology that
enables buyers to “experience” products just as they would in-person will become
more important, and hybrid sales roles more common.
Just like in the B2C world, great customer service and brand trust are crucial to
effective online selling. Ensuring adequate inventory and keeping customers updated
on things like delivery time is key.
In China, platforms like WeChat are a key route to growth, but marketers in the West
should beware some common pitfalls.

WARC GUIDE
A recent McKinsey study

found e-commerce was the
most popular route to market
for B2B companies as of Feb
2021 (marginally outpacing Top 3 ranked effective
by respondents
in-person).
E-commerce
41% of leaders say it is their
most effective sales route,
above in-person 37% and
In-person
video 31%.
With omnichannel now well

established in B2B, a hybrid Videoconference
sales rep role will become
more popular. This will involve
interacting with customers
via video, phone, apps, and
occasional in-person visits.
SOURCE: Omnichannel in B2B sales: The new normal in a year that has been anything but, McKinsey, March 2021
WARC GUIDE
The complexities of online As most diggers are bought

B2B selling will vary by on finance, JCB use a ‘£100
category. Arguably, its deposit’ as a sales
easier to sell office conversion, lowering the
supplies online than it is to barrier to someone buying
sell complex and costly using a company credit card.
machinery.
When selling spare parts,
Construction machinery firm photography is replaced by
JCB shows how buying technical drawings to ensure
complex products can be the subtle details of each
turned into a brilliant online part are noticeable. These
buying experience, say visuals contain blown-out
Susie Sroka and Marcus sections to show off the
Lambert, Omobono. small details that are deeply
important to the trained eye.
Clear and well laid out Contextual help is on offer,
product pages, with lots of by phone, to make sure
images ensure buyers know customers don’t get stuck
SOURCE: JCB exactly what they are buying. trying to self-serve.
WARC GUIDE
Clinigen, a global pharma pharmacists to purchase

company, undertook a medicines online.
major digital
transformation to improve The process had to be very
how it was able to service simple. Primary research
healthcare clients. established the pain points
for the audience, and the
This involved bringing programme was rolled out
together all the aspects of gradually, getting to market
ordering a medicine – quickly, learning and
regardless of product type adapting in line with user
and compliance feedback.
requirements – into one
solution that could serve Orders can now be placed
many different customer online and the platform also
and regulatory needs. collates and provides data
on global medicine
Working with Omobono, it shortages to enhance
built Clinigen Direct, a supply chain efficiency and
SOURCE: Clinigen platform that enables minimise disruption.
WARC GUIDE
Audit your data Update customers Ensure adequate Well-trained staff

on shipping supply
In many organisations B2B e-commerce isn’t all
information is intangible in B2B buyers are often about technology. It’s
The late delivery of a B2B
the heads of the sales looking to purchase the companies that are
consignment or misleading
teams. It needs to be on a products in bulk. Sellers blending self-service
delivery information can
form that can be served up must have sufficient and platforms with the
have huge implications in
directly on an e-commerce accurate inventory human touch – with
B2B. Investing in accurate
site. Do a data audit early information. knowledgeable and
real-time shipping
on to avoid significant helpful employees – that
messaging is a huge
delays. are succeeding.
advantage for B2B online
retailers.
SOURCE: How B2B brands are successfully making the shift to selling online, Omobono, April 2021

WARC GUIDE
The digital sales call is an A major aspect of this is

“unforgiving interface”, trust, which Choudhuri
making it harder for a sales describes as “a very critical
person, and the product attribute”.
offer, to be remembered,
especially as things like Key considerations include
screen fatigue set in, says how do you build trust when
Bhasker Choudhuri, Chief you're describing something
Marketing Officer, Lenovo, intangible? How do you help
APAC. the customer, visualise what
the service would look like?
This means Lenovo has a
renewed focus on sales One potential way to do this
enablement, and customer is to build credibility and
service. “The imperative is trust via case studies and
on us to train our sales force testimonials, and through
because device selling is personal integrity, says
very different from service Choudhuri.
selling, which is not
tangible”, he said.
WARC GUIDE
B2B brands in the West B2B marketers have also

with ambitions to grow in started using WeChat’s “Mini
China have several options Programs”, and social CRM
to reach potential functions to tie into the
customers via WeChat. customer database. Teflon
launched a Mini Program to
First, set up an Official highlight its functions and
Account (OA) advises Mike usage. Like a website, Teflon
Golden, President, Brandigo. went beyond the standard
An OA lets marketers push WeChat look and feel by
article posts to followers. creating additional
Posts are usually long-form functionality for customers
blogs, and can include and prospects.
images, video and gifs. As a
campaign tool, WeChat can
be challenging because it’s
time consuming to grow
fans.
SOURCE: Teflon
WARC GUIDE
WeChat Moments enables 10% of those leaving their

marketers to deliver a contact details to download
more targeted campaign, a white paper, and 5%
says Mike Golden, directly contacting the
Brandigo. company.
For an HVAC client (office However, Moments ads

building air systems), aren’t cheap – rates start at
Brandigo used WeChat ads GBP 5,500 for an initial
to target real estate campaign, which will only
developers and office last a few days at most,
building management with a depending on settings and
display ad in their Moments advertising goals.
feed (like the Facebook
feed). The click-through-rate
for the WeChat Moments
ads was around 1%, with
SOURCE: WeChat
WARC GUIDE
Weibo, Zhihu, Bilibili Baidu Print media
Weibo is continuously adding new Baidu, the main search engine in China, Some print media have re-positioned
functions. Some brands use Zhihu – a has a robust keyword bidding system. themselves as digital media, with
kind of moderated Wikipedia forum – to VLAM, the Belgian Meat Association, dedicated websites and WeChat
improve SEO with inbound links. successfully uses Baidu to target meat channels. For example, Toutiao, a news
importers and distributors, especially app, has some intelligent advertising
before and during trade shows. functions.
Webinars QR Codes
Webinars have taken off during COVID. A campaign QR code can be sent
A webinar is a great piece of promotable through email, highlighted in all
content, and smart marketers are marketing collaterals, and even used on
integrating webinars into their WeChat website display ads. Scanning the QR
channels. It is also a great way to build code can take viewers to a bespoke
fans and leads. campaign mini-site. SOURCE: Revisioning your B2B campaign for China:
Strategies, tactics and tools, WARC, April 2021
WARC GUIDE
While the channels are 1. Poor localisation 2. Slow or sluggish landing 3. Assuming Western
complex and completely pages tactics
different in China than the Pages might be translated
rest of the world,
but not created with the People are busy and other Don’t assume that using
“marketing is still
marketing, people are local target audience in options are available at the successful B2B platforms
people, and smart mind. flick of a button. like LinkedIn or ABM
campaigns that combine campaigns will work in
creativity and technology China.
that can reach the target
audience can be very
successful”, says 4. Going too “local” 5. Not understanding the
Brandigo’s Mike Golden. customer journey
This can run the risk of
He notes five common
completely losing sight of Know which touchpoints
pitfalls that Western
marketers should avoid. the global brand guidelines. and platforms are used
during each stage for your
industry.
WARC GUIDE
Wiemer Snijders Susie Sroka & Marcus Bhaskar Choudhuri

The Commercial Works Lambert Lenovo
Omobono
Sonia David & Bill Zengel Rafael Martin & Staffan

ANA Business Marketing Mike Golden Holgersson
Practice Brandigo Essence
Kevin Arsham Lena Petersen & Brett

Remona Duquesne MediaCom Kassan Smith
The Brandgym, Dragon MediaLink
Rouge
Nina Mullen
Wunderman Thompson © Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.
WARC GUIDE

WARC GUIDE
33 Kingsway 229 West 43rd Street VP Content, WARC Managing Editor, Asia Editor, WARC
London 7th Floor WARC.com
david.tiltman@warc.com gabey.goh@warc.com
WC2B 6UF New York, NY 10036 lena.roland@warc.com
United Kingdom United States
+44 (0)20 7467 8100 +1 212 201 2800

enquiries@warc.com americas@warc.com
OUE Downtown 1 Unit 05-08

#44-03, 6 Shenton Way 31/F Garden Square
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The WARC Guide To Rethinking B2B

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This is true even for B2B- In this new landscape

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Brand growth Big brands have Brands should be

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Building on the work of So the main difference

B2B buying tends to be

This chart shows the

So, it’s important to aim for

Peter Field, Marketing Consultant

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Account based marketing

The pyramid shows three

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

ABM is not just a sales Getting ABM right can shift

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

ABM involves fishing for accounts that are most likely

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

The more senior the Infographics are visually

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

B2B marketers tend to optimal approach, but it

Binet and Field’s research

“It’s about surprise, doing

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

These emotions include fear A Google/Ipsos study found

George Hammer, Chief Content Officer,

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Purpose can be defined as they have determined a

Lenovo uses data to Off the back of consumer

Mental availability is the

Binet & Field’s research

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Swedish company Volvo safety and environmental

Wiemer Snijders, Editor, Eat Your Greens & Partner,

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Although there are several “One could argue for

The Masterbrand model

Grab’s brand world is its

Bhaskar Choudhuri, Asia Pacific Chief Marketing Officer,

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Across industries, there’s a new generation reaching leadership positions, meaning

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Millennials are responsible

It’s crucial that B2B

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Like in B2C buying, B2B

“They're looking for expert

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Millennial buyers want

In the hunt for verification,

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

Jason Mander, Chief Research Officer

© Copyright WARC 2021. All rights reserved.

A recent WARC study in

The study of 330 B2B

SOURCE: Changing Channels in B2B, WARC and Spotify, 2021

The WARC/Spotify report

Many B2B marketers in the

Video has become more

That said, measuring ROI

SOURCE: Vidyard, Demand Metric, The State of Video 2020 Edition