Editorial: Buyers in business-to-business branding
- PDF / 109,606 Bytes
- 2 Pages / 596 x 768 pts Page_size
- 49 Downloads / 199 Views
driver of any economic activity, however, continues to be B2B relationships. Therefore, this edition of the Journal of Brand Management further investigates the B2B branding environment, drawing where possible on the parallels with B2C experiences, but also highlighting any unique features of the endeavour. In both the B2C and B2B arenas competition is fierce, fast moving and professional. Consumers and businesses alike are increasingly better-informed savvy purchasers, with a high degree of confidence in their decision-making capabilities. There is no doubt that brand managers in this environment have their work cut out for them creating a differentiated, relevant and credible space for their brands to operate in. A key area distinguishing the practice of B2C versus B2B brand management is the nature of the purchasing process. Often, in the B2C sector, the buying process is one to one. It is noted that there are often societal and image factors and a channel relationship bringing more influences into the decision process, but for the sake of schematics it is often — as the discipline is named — B2C relationships. The B2B purchasing process, however, is often a more complex procedure involving multiple decision makers and buying teams. Often the people involved in making a decision on a brand are located in different departments, functions and locations. Furthermore, in today’s global, cross-
䉷 HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 1479-1803 BRAND MANAGEMENT VOL. 11, NO. 5, 344–345 MAY 2004
EDITORIAL
functional team environment, the people needing to be aware, informed and possessing a high degree of understanding of a brand’s positioning are often separated by cultures and by oceans. An improved understanding of the types of buyers encountered in B2B environments is helpful. In their book, ‘Strategic Selling’, Miller and Heiman provide a useful model of the types of buyers involved in a typical B2B purchasing relationship. These buyers include: — Economic buyer: This buyer releases the money and has ultimate power of veto in the selection of the purchased brand. — Technical buyer: The role of this buyer is to screen out various brands from consideration. This type of buyer makes judgments about the technicalities of a product or service versus another offering as a way of screening out vendors and brands. — User buyer: This buyer judges the impact on the job. The user buyer considers a brand in terms of who within the company will personally use or supervise the use of a product or service. — Coach: This buyer is an internal guide who helps direct an outside business on the internal intricacies of making a specific sale. Through understanding the purchasing processes involved in B2B transactions, and the unique types of buyers involved, the professional brand manager can improve their odds of differentiating their brand in this multifarious environment. Many B2B purchases are
substantial in their scale and often involve a great deal of risk on the part of the buyer. Therefore, proper positioning of relevant brand charac
Data Loading...
