The study “Changing Channels in B2B” found that working from the home culture has strengthened the voice of a new generation of B2B influencers in the technology and telecommunications sector. “
February 3, 2021 – Today, WARC, the global agency for marketing effectiveness, in partnership with the advertising arm of Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, released an analysis of B2B marketing in the technology and telecommunications sectors. The report looks at issues that B2B marketers are focusing on in these industries and how they plan to develop their marketing strategies through 2021.
The study is based on interviews with marketing heads of leading companies in the technology and telecommunications sectors as well as a survey of more than 330 B2B marketers in these industries in 10 markets worldwide. The data from this research, conducted in November 2020, has been combined with WARC’s global data, industry knowledge, examples and experts.
David Tiltman, VP Content at WARC, said, “The changes highlighted in this report make the coming year a real opportunity for B2B marketers – in technology, telecommunications and beyond. Consumer habits were disrupted. Communication is reconsidered. There are new ways to reach end users. It is ultimately a time when quick thinking marketers can take advantage. “
Jorrit DeVries, Global Category Development Officer at Tech & Telco Vertical at Spotify, said: “Together with WARC we conducted an important study for Spotify and other advertising industry players to better understand what is most important to B2B marketers as their business is needs are shifting and the complexity of the market is developing. We will use the results to help these marketers understand how digital audio can be used to create impact and creativity. “
The main topics discussed in a report by WARC in connection with Spotify Advertising under “Changing the B2B channels” are:
1. The transformation of B2B: drivers of change
B2B marketing is changing. After falling behind B2C marketing in terms of developing the multichannel strategy, the industry leaders began to grow their business through innovation and experimentation with their media options. In fact, 66% of respondents plan to increase their digital audio budgets in 2021.
COVID-19 has accelerated this digital disruption by withholding live events and face-to-face meetings from marketers and driving changes in the behavior of decision-makers that began long before the virus hit. This is a time of learning and discovery for B2B marketers looking for new, advanced ways to reach their customers through both live and virtual touchpoints.
2. The B2B audience is changing
With so many people setting up offices at home, the worlds of technology and telecommunications have never been consumed before. Add to this the addition of millennials to leadership roles within organizations and you have a workplace where decisions are made differently, forcing marketers to find new ways to adapt to these changing audiences.
83% of respondents agree that employees have a powerful voice regarding technology and telecommunications services, providers, or partnerships.
3. B2B marketers are looking for new ways to increase reach through channel planning
The dominance of digital marketing and the need to reach a more diverse audience have sparked a new approach to channel planning by B2B marketers. It is a time of experimentation and there is still a lot to learn, but the strategy has evolved towards reaching a wider multimedia mix and introducing newer channels like audio and streaming.
50% of B2B marketers are experimenting with channels they have never tried before to increase reach.
4. The rise of creativity and branding in B2B
New challenges in engaging the B2B audience have inspired marketers to put more emphasis on building their brands in order to provide a solid foundation on which their content can work harder and more effectively. More than 80% of respondents agree that they need to focus more on building strong brands.
Creativity in B2B marketing for technology and telecommunications is blossoming as companies reimagine storytelling and finding relevant partners to deliver those stories in a compelling way. 51% of respondents are actively trying to find new ways to tell their brand story.
“Channel change in the B2B area” includes a deep insight into each of the four topics, CMO views, data analysis and important findings. The report can be downloaded here
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