Business athletics - column 2022 nº 336 47 Linkstagram Suddenly it was there. Colour! On the otherwise colourless LinkedIn. Blue, grey and white suddenly became red and green. Fierce discussions like you rarely see on Twitter. Was this about business principles? A moral debate about brand values and standards? No, of course it was about COVID-19. The virus that rightly caused discussion in society, in politics and therefore also in business. The remarkable thing is that the conversations were all very personal and very much about the man (or woman or other). Several of my connections have surprised me with very personal views in what I consider to be a business-driven environment. Crazy or very clever? Special or actually part of a movement? I am betting on the latter. Work and private life are increasingly intertwined. And social media? They only reinforce this process. You can show your business success on Insta and your visit to the F1 in Zandvoort on LinkedIn. My agency just won 2 Sponsor Rings, I posted that everywhere. Hell, I even abuse my column for it. What does this mean for B2B marketing? A field traditionally driven by database marketing and events. What does it mean when all of a sudden, all those marketers start showing their colours on all kinds of social channels? That you can convince them there! But not with the old product-driven communication. Professionals want relevance, content that captivates them. Personal. Content that they want and dare to share from their own name. Content with which they can show what they stand for. Business or private. So B2B is starting to look a lot like B2C. However, the reverse is also true. Campaigns aimed at consumers are becoming more and more factual. Summing up the benefits, shooting silver bullets. With the demise of slow TV, there is no room to build up a story. While B2B communication is becoming more exciting and romantic. Perhaps this is a good time to just forget about distinctions and only talk about filters and target groups. After all, who still talks about ATL and BTL? Or even more hilarious: through-the-line! B2B or B2C, brands have to convince people and they have to do their best every day to do so. And not just occasionally, but structurally. May the best brand win! Arjan Ribbe HUNT. Brand Performance Agency
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