Downturn offers opportunities says panel
A panel of US business-to-business (B2B) marketers and analysts have said the current economic downturn offers opportunities for businesses that create integrated multichannel campaigns which drive prospects online.
The panel were speaking at the annual B-to-B Outlook 2009 conference in New York City and reported by B-to-B Magazine.
"There's a lot of good news out there, in particular in the B2B world," said Bob Felsenthal, publisher of B-to-B Magazine and conference moderator. "Our research indicates that 31 percent of B2B marketers plan to boost their marketing budgets this year, with 62 percent citing customer acquisition as their primary goal."
CEO of market research company eMarketer, Geoff Ramsey said, "It's tough out there, but we have to use the other half of our brain to focus on opportunities. You have to come out fighting. Test, test, test - and try new stuff."
Rob Goulding, head of B2B markets for Google, offered an in-depth analysis of Super Bowl spots that aired during the championship game. He said the most successful were multichannel-oriented, driving viewers to websites and "focusing on conversion as never before."
"All advertisers have some marketing event that is a Super Bowl equivalent," he said.
As for marketing to small businesses, panelist Marcy Shinder, American Express OPEN's VP-business strategy and marketing, urged marketers to offer both solutions and emotional connectedness to small-business owners, who, she said, often feel misunderstood by suppliers.
"These times are perhaps the most exciting for marketers, because it is getting us back to the art of marketing that creates emotional connections with brands," Shinder said. "It's how marketing really pulls the business."
Shinder suggested this could best be accomplished by "taking off the corporate mask" and embracing such social media as customer forums and blogs.
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