Keynote presentation given by Scot McKee, Managing Director, Birddog, for the DSM Animal Nutrition and Health Leadership Team. Milan, Italy, 2016. McKee explores B2B Journey Brands and the changing relationship between businesses and their customers. While businesses continue to force customers along a prescribed communications path, McKee advocates a more inclusive relationship where the business responds to the preferred customer journey. McKee’s books on the subject of Creative B2B Branding and Business Marketing are available from Amazon - http://is.gd/mckeebooks

1. © Birddog Ltd. 2016

2. • Scot McKee
• Managing Director, Birddog.
• Author: ‘Creative B2B Branding (no, really).’
• Author: ‘Business Marketing Face to Face.’
• Top 10 Influencer on LinkedIn – B2B Marketing
Introduction

3. • Build Journey Brands
• Make a Commitment
• Focus on User Journeys
• Simplify Brand Integration
• Produce Creative Content
Today’s Presentation…

4. WHAT’S
B2B?

5. “It’s easy”
What’s B2B marketing?

6. What’s B2B marketing?
It’s easy to ignore.

7. What’s B2B marketing?
It’s easy to productise

8. What’s B2B marketing?

9. It’s easy:
• It’s easy to be slow
• It’s easy to do nothing
• It’s easy not to invest
• It’s easy to think you’re…
What’s B2B marketing?

10. “Different”
What’s B2B marketing?

11. What’s B2B marketing?
Everyone thinks they’re different.

12. What’s B2B marketing?
Underneath the makeup, we’re not that different.

13. B2B is a little more complex:
• Technology has changed market development
• Speed to market means success, or failure
• Products are being commoditised, cloned, faked
• Platforms and channels have changed
• Communications have been democratised
• Audiences have moved
• The only thing separating you from the wolves is…
What’s B2B marketing?

14. What’s B2B marketing?
Your Brand.

15. What’s B2B marketing?

16. What’s B2B marketing?
Because even the biggest brands…

17. What’s B2B marketing?
…can be left behind…

18. What’s B2B marketing?
…or lost altogether.

19. I know what yr. thinking
So why do I need to remind you of this…?

20. Because if you continue to pursue a
traditional product marketing strategy…
What’s B2B marketing?

21. What’s B2B marketing?
…it will end badly.

22. JOURNEY
BRANDS

23. The old/traditional product brand lifecycle is
about managing decline, erosion, cost, churn…
Journey Brands
€
Revenue
Time

24. Investment is made on the downhill slide – on
defence, extending lifecycle, price cutting…
Journey Brands
€
Revenue
Time

25. That’s what the company cares about.
Journey Brands
€
Revenue
Time

26. But the customer doesn’t give a shit about
any of that.
Journey Brands
€
Revenue
Time

27. It’s not the product that reaches across extended
value chains, it’s the product experience.
Journey Brands
Time
Brand
Experience

28. We rarely talk function. We talk about outcomes
– the experience with a product. ‘The Journey’.
Journey Brands
Time
Brand
Experience

29. In a connected world, the customer only cares
about Journey Brands.
Journey Brands
Time
Brand
Experience

30. Audiences no longer rely on you. They trust social
communities for more authentic experiences.
Journey Brands
Time
Brand
Experience

31. A good product is not enough. You need to
manage/enhance the experience. Or be excluded.
Journey Brands
Time
Brand
Experience

32. Journey Brands
How are you going to
make me feel good about
the journey I’m on
with your product?

33. If the old model is about managing decline,
erosion, cost, and churn,
Journey Brands
€
Revenue
Time

34. Journey Brands are about value exchange,
growth, loyalty, trust, advocacy, reputation,
relationship… the experience.
Journey Brands
Time
Brand
Experience

35. So where does the journey happen?
Journey Brands
Time
Brand
Experience

36. Not on your website.
Journey Brands

37. LEARN TO
ACCEPT
CHANGE

38. Learn to accept change

39. Learn to accept change
This is your business customer – in the labs.

40. Learn to accept change
This is your business customer – in factories.

41. Learn to accept change
This is your business customer – in the fields.

42. Learn to accept change
Using every available technology.

43. Learn to accept change
Across value chains.
Fast, mobile, connected… Social.

44. Learn to accept change
Maybe not
always fast.
But always
connected.

45. If your customers are accepting change,
you have to respond.
Learn to accept change

46. Learn to accept change
Kodak was slow to respond to digital customers.

47. Learn to accept change
Blockbuster was slow to respond to Netflix.

48. Learn to accept change
Nokia was slow to respond to smartphones.

49. Learn to accept change
Their customers were pretty convinced though.

50. SOCIAL
BUSINESS

51. Social Business
All business will become social
businesses. You don’t have a choice.

52. Social Business
You can get there in front of
your competitors, or behind them.

53. Social Business
Everyone’s doing ‘something’.
But 3 primary challenges remain…

54. 1. Commitment
Social Business
Do we believe in a social brand?
Across businesses, products, territories…?

55. 2. Integration
Social Business
How does this fit with our traditional brand(s)?

56. 3. Creative Content
Social Business
Do we have anything interesting to say, how do
we say it, how often?

57. 1. THE
COMMITMENT

58. Let’s assume the corporate brand is already
committed at a macro level.
Make a Commitment

59. So let’s look at the micro level.
What can you do, right now, today…?
Make a Commitment

60. Make a Commitment
We’ll take one working example - LinkedIn

61. In February 2014, LinkedIn opened its publishing
platform to members.
Make a Commitment

62. As well as simply ‘posting’ updates. You can now
publish content to your connected network.
Make a Commitment

63. I started ‘publishing’ 3 weeks ago.
Make a Commitment

64. People ‘Liked’ my blog posts.
Make a Commitment

65. People ‘Commented’ and ‘Shared’ them.
Make a Commitment

66. People ‘Followed’ me.
Make a Commitment

67. Instead of me chasing them, they invited me to
connect with them.
Make a Commitment

68. From ‘Push’ Marketing.
Make a Commitment

69. To ‘Pull’ Marketing.
Make a Commitment

70. From ‘Broadcast’.
Make a Commitment

71. To ‘Engagement’.
Make a Commitment

72. From ‘Thoughts’.
Make a Commitment

73. To ‘Thought Leadership’.
Make a Commitment

74. Tangible, measurable, social impact, in 3 weeks.
Make a Commitment

75. Well done Scot.
But what are you doing with LinkedIn…?
Make a Commitment

76. USER
JOURNEY

77. Focus on User Journeys
If a customer searches
for your brand, they
need to be able
to find you.

78. Focus on User Journeys

79. Focus on User Journeys
Your corporate page needs to contain relevant,
timely, interesting content.

80. Focus on User Journeys
If I have to scroll 3 months to find the product I
want, you’ve failed.

81. Focus on User Journeys

82. Focus on User Journeys
You’ll never attract followers if you tell them
almost nothing about your business…

83. Oh.
Focus on User Journeys

84. Focus on User Journeys
So – I want to find you, but I can’t.

85. Focus on User Journeys

86. Focus on User Journeys

87. Focus on User Journeys

88. SOMEWHERE
ELSE

89. Somewhere Else

90. Somewhere Else
Easy to find.

91. Somewhere Else

92. Somewhere Else
Popular.

93. Somewhere Else

94. Somewhere Else

95. “Yeah, sure – for B2B. But this is ‘Animal Nutrition’.
Is the customer represented?”
Somewhere Else

96. Every business is represented.
Somewhere Else

97. Somewhere Else
If not on one channel, then on another.

98. The LinkedIn Customer
If you fail to deliver good customer experience on
one channel, How will you manage the others…?
#fail

99. BRAND
INTEGRATION

100. Simplify Brand Integration
First,
multiply
the social channels
across the value chain…

101. Simplify Brand Integration
Then
multiply
that by the portfolio
of product brands.

102. Simplify Brand Integration
Yeah.
Suddenly
you have a
LOT of brands.

103. Simplify Brand Integration
For
social, the
focus needs to be
people, not brands.

104. So choose.
Simplify Brand Integration

105. Invest, integrate...
…or ignore.
Simplify Brand Integration

106. Simplify Brand Integration
Where are B2B marketing budgets best applied –
a ‘House of Brands’…?

107. Simplify Brand Integration
Or a ‘Branded House’…?

108. Simplify Brand Integration
Clue: A ‘Branded House’ is faster, cheaper and
easier for customers across long value chains.

109. CREATIVE
CONTENT

110. Inspiring content will inspire.
Creative content strategy

111. Creative content strategy
Inspiring content will inspire.

112. Meeting Social Objectives
Brand Awareness Thought Leadership
And meet objectives.

113. Creative content strategy
This won’t.

114. Creative content strategy
That’s all you need to know.

115. Creative content strategy

116. Creative content strategy

117. Creative content strategy

118. Journey Brands
Time
Brand
Experience
Remember the shape of growth?

119. Journey Brands
Remember the shape of growth?

120. Journey Brands
Remember the shape of growth?

121. THE
WRAP

122. • Build Journey Brands
• Make a Commitment
• Focus on User Journeys
• Simplify Brand Integration
• Produce Creative Content
Today’s Presentation…

123. TAH
DAHH!

124. scot@birddog.co.uk
@scotmckee
Scot McKee
Contact

125. More?
• Birddog Website
• Birddog Blog
• Birddog Events
• Birddog Twitter
• Birddog LinkedIn
• Birddog SlideShare
• Birddog YouTube
• Birddog Facebook

126. ©2016 • Birddog Ltd, 2-6 Boundary Row, Southwark,, London SE1 8HP • change@birddog.co.uk • +44 (0)20 7323 6666