“Five criteria that seem to determine the fate of most business campaigns…these are: attention and involvement; understanding the targets and their decision-making process; the idea of dual benefits – personal alongside corporate motivations; branding and credible brand exploitation; and… categorisation” (Moseley, 1993).
Most of the business-to-business (B2B) communication mix was traditionally made up of personal selling (Hartley and Patti, 1988). However due to the increasing cost of salesman, firms began to look at other communication alternatives which have been successful in the business-to-consumer (B2C) realms, i.e.: advertising. B2B advertising is simply defined as any advertising that invites a purchase for which the purchaser is using someone’s money (Moseley, 1993). B2B advertising can vary greatly to B2C advertising predominantly due to the role of the purchasers involved (Moseley, 1993). Although the purchaser is not paying directly for the goods or services or be the end user, they have a corporate responsibility to make the right decision, must justify their decision both objectively and subjectively and they are more likely to form a personal relationship with the seller (Moseley, 1993). Therefore a different approach must be adopted when advertising to businesses. Moseley (1993) recommends five principles on which most B2B campaigns succeed or fail.
1. Attention and Involvement: like B2C advertising, B2B advertising must still gain the attention of the target audience and create some degree of involvement.
2. Understanding the target: B2B marketers must understand the different roles in the buying process and the interrelationship between them. Focus should not be placed solely on the purchaser, but attention must also be paid to the gate-keeper, decision maker, end-users, etc.
3. The dual benefit: B2B advertising should balance both business appeals and more emotive or personal benefits.
4. Branding: once again like B2C advertising, branding is just as important in B2B advertising. Brands will bring certain sets of values and associations to the advertising and if the advertising is effective, it will reinforce the brand values positively.
5. Categorisation: make it clear what category the goods or services are being advertised to in terms that the target audience will understand.
Dell
Take Your Own Path
Agency: Enfatico
Take Your Own Path
Agency: Enfatico
In 2009 Dell launched a new campaign in the UK as part of a global strategy to target small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs. The Take Your Own Path campaign featured renowned local business men and women. CEO’s and presidents such as Tony Wheeler founder of Lonely Planet became brand ambassadors (Alarcon, 2009). Supposedly, all these CEO’s, presidents, founders and top-level executives are all Dell customers and these real entrepreneurs who have achieved impossible things are here share how Dell helped them fulfil their dreams (Alarcon, 2009). The campaign has also rolled out in the U.S and India and is the largest integrated branding campaign to date (Cooper, 2009).
The objective of the campaign is to create a branded online community for UK entrepreneurs and aspiring future captains of industry and thus move Dell from a transactional to an interactive brand (Cooper, 2009). Ads ran online, print and outdoor and the goal was to drive people to the Take Your Own Path website where the audience can learn how businesses such as Lonely Planet and Innocent Drinks use Dell services. On the website the audience can watch interviews with the executives who provide general business tips and pearls of wisdom.
This campaign is predominately attempting to target the buyers and deciders of the business buying process. The target audience are either small business owners or sole traders hoping to become a multinational one day. This is evident through their message and the website. Dell has selected celebrated CEO’s and trailblazers as brand ambassadors to be the presenters and to share their knowledge. The target audience, the aspiring CEO’s and trailblazers, would look up to these successful entrepreneurs and would be more likely to listen to the message because they will be seen as credible. The interviews are well structured with a well-balanced combination of the presenter talking about their experiences, giving their own advice and promotion of the product. It is a clever strategy and similar to celebrity endorsement but using knowledgeable and credible industry people instead. In a way, the selected presenters are celebrities in their own right and in the mind of the target audience they may even be idols and heroes and thus the strategy speaks to the heart of the deciders and buyers.
The campaign and tone of the message follows Moseley recommendations very well. It has both business rationale and emotional appeals. The campaign name Take Your Own Path has the emotional appeals and speaks directly to the target audience. It captures the attention of the audience by challenging them to make their own decisions. It is attempting to appeal to the inner ambitions of the aspiring CEO. Dell knows who they are targeting and thus creating the whole campaign around the deciders and buyers. Dell now has a household brand name and is easily identifiable with the product category of computers.
The second phase of the campaign is to allow average people to tell their own stories on the site. This is completes the campaign’s objective to turn Dell into a more interactive brand and building brand equity by create brand advocates.
CGU InsuranceBill the Alpaca Breeder
Agency: SapientNitro Melbourne
CGU is an insurance provider. It recently launched a TVC campaign to target small and medium business owners which was shown on commercial television. It is a direct response television campaign with the objective of increasing visits to the web site and enquiries through brokers. The TVC depicts Bill the alpaca breeder in his farm, telling the audience about his business and that he is insured with CGU Insurance. However, unlike your typical insurance TVC, it is not only done in song, but Bill, an older gentleman raps the whole ad! This ad has all the B2B principles which Moseley recommends.
Like the Dell Take Your Own Path campaign, CGU is also targeting the buyers and deciders. More specifically, CGU are targeting sole traders who in their case are both the buyer and the decider. This is evident through the story the character is telling. The script is designed as an anecdote. Bill tells the target audience an anecdote about his own business which is small and self-ran business. He is attempting to reflect the target audience, small business owners and sole traders. CGU is also attempting to portray Bill as a brand advocate. He is a small business owner like the target audience who through this TVC, may think Bill is cool and therefore think CGU is also cool.
Bill the alpaca breeder TVC certainly achieves the objective of grabbing the target audience’s attention. The notion of an older gentleman rapping is just so unexpected which is what makes it so fascinating, able to attract the attention of all watching and cut-through to the target audience. A grandfather rapping is so novel that it makes people laugh and want to show others and thus achieving involvement.
The tone of the ad appeals to the audience’s sense of humorous and fun. It differentiates CGU from its competitors who are usually factual and appeals to the consumer’s sense of logic and the inner businessman. According to Moseley, CGU’s strategy has dual benefit, both emotive appeals and business appeals. However, I fear that the ad has too much emotive appeal and too little business appeal. It almost comes across as a joke and it cannot be taken seriously. There is no doubt the ad is creative, but is it too creative? It may not appeal enough to the target audience’s sense of businessman.
