Proving the value of emotion in B2B marketing CommuniCations 350 N Orleans, 5th Floor Chicago, IL T F W

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1 350 N Orleans, 5th Floor Chicago, IL T F W Proving the value of emotion in B2B Marketing Communications

2 Proving the value of emotion in B2B Marketing Communications Why are business-to-business (B2B) marketing communications so dull? Sure, there are exceptions, but if you take a look at the ads in almost any trade magazine or check your office junk mail folder for B2B sales s, I think you ll agree that the standards are dreadful. LIONEL KNIGHT SVP, Planning Upshot Why is this? The common answer is that business people (apparently unlike normal people) are totally rational and can t be influenced by anything as squishy as emotion in sales or marketing pitches. I just don t buy that. People don t change how they react to marketing when they re at work, and I m not alone in this thinking. Look at thought leaders like Seth Godin, who brilliantly focuses on the importance of storytelling over rational features and benefits in his book, All Marketers are Liars; and Simon Sinet, whose book, The Golden Circle, shows that if you want to affect behavior, you ll do far more engaging people s feelings, than making a rational argument....affecting emotion is a more effective way to influence all kinds of B2B decision makers. And still, most B2B marketing traditional or digital is deeply uninspiring: often little more than a list of features headlined by a bad pun, if you re lucky. Why is this? It can t be because B2B marketers are slow to change. Look at the rapid adoption of social marketing and digital CRM to see how fast B2B can be transformed. So why is B2B marketing content so unimaginative? Our analysis is that too many B2B practitioners still believe their world is different. And while they may have heard the likes of Seth Godin or Malcolm Gladwell taking about emotional engagement, they don t really buy into the argument. They tell themselves their business is different; that in their business, customers are only interested in the facts. After all, that s the way it s always been. Proving emotional engagement works. As a marketing agency with the mission of Inspiring Action, this is an unbearable state of affairs. So we set out to prove rationally, with quantitative research that would convince the most cynical B2B marketing client that affecting emotion is a more effective way to influence all kinds of B2B decision makers. We partnered with award-winning online research agency BrainJuicer to develop an fresh research approach. Rather than test an emotional versus a rational message for the same product, we decided to take two matching samples of B2B sales and marketing executives and affect their emotions before they rated a new product idea. Both samples saw the same concept and answered the same questions. The only difference was their emotional state.

3 Research and Engagement Stimulus We developed mood clips (video collages), each about 60 seconds in length, one depressing and one inspiring in tone. Depressing VIDEO Clip INSPIRING VIDEO Clip The Concept. The product concept was for a new digital innovations magazine called Fast Sale (see appendix for details) that might appeal to B2B decision makers in almost any field. The Sample. We recruited (and completed) a total of 261 pre-screened B2B decision makers from small, medium and large U.S. businesses, randomly split into two sets one viewed the depressing clip, the other viewed the inspirational clip. Summarized Methodology? $ Screener questions view mood clips facetrace emotion check view concept emotional reaction purchase intent We kept the questionnaire simple. First, we asked for an initial reaction to the concept. Then we asked if respondents would actually purchase the new idea. Both sample cells saw exactly the same concept statement and answered exactly the same questions; the only difference was the emotional state of the mood clip. 3

4 The Results We saw a significant change in the respondents moods from the depressing clip to the inspirational clip. Initial Reactions to the Concept Assessing respondents initial emotional reaction to the concept, as measured by BrainJuicer s FaceTrace, we saw a significant difference between the two samples. 100% 8 17 Surprise 80% Happiness Top 2 Box 32% Top 2 Box 53% Neutral % of respondents 60% 40% Sadness Fear Anger 20% Disgust 0% Contempt Depressing Clip Inspired Clip In the event, the initial reactions of both groups was better than we expected. (Perhaps the invented magazine concept isn t a bad one!) However there was a significantly more positive response from the inspired sample. The group viewing the inspired clip had a Top 2 Box positive response (combining surprise and happiness) of 53% versus only 32% from the depressing clip group. Furthermore, there were significantly more neutral responses from the group viewing the depressing clip when compared to the respondents we inspired. Clearly, a person s emotions do affect the way they react to a B2B product message....a person s emotions do affect the way they react to B2B messaging. The acid test, however, was if we could affect action: what happened when we asked if our B2B executives would pay to subscribe to the digital magazine? 4

5 Purchase Intent We saw significantly higher purchase intent from the inspired group. Once again, the concept scored well in both samples, but there was a marked difference (90% significance level) between the positive Top Box scores of the two cells. And remember that both sample cells saw the same concept statement and answered exactly the same questions; the only difference was their emotional state. 100 Definitely would subscribe 80 Top 2 Box 38% Top 2 Box 49% Probably would subscribe 60 Might or might not subscribe 40 Probably would not subscribe 20 0 Depressing Inspired Definitely would not subscribe Conclusion The widely held belief that B2B decision making is rational and pragmatic is wrong. Just as in consumer marketing, the research proved that emotion is a powerful tool and deeply affects the way business decision makers react to marketing communications. Effective B2B marketing should affect the target s emotions while delivering its selling message. It follows that the creators of marketing communications should work to inspire their audience with their creativity, be it a conference event, a web site, a sales presentation or advertising. The excuse, Ah, but my business is different, isn t enough to justify lazy and uninspiring creativity in B2B marketing. Lionel Knight is the Senior Vice President of Upshot s Planning Department that provides our clients with superior, actionable and valuable thinking, based on better insights into consumers lives, behavior and consumption of marketing. Upshot s planners develop strategies, using quantitative and qualitative research, to inspire programs that engage consumers and lead to measurable actions. Upshot inspires people to act under three marketing practices business-to-business, consumer and shopper marketing Clients include Hilton Worldwide, Procter & Gamble, Crown Imports and Kraft Foods. For more information, visit upshot.net. 5

6 Appendix Fast Sale is an exciting new online magazine for busy sales professionals. Fast Sale is designed for those who have no time for books and long articles but who are hungry for innovation and new ideas in sales. It cuts to the chase, highlighting actionable ideas you can apply everyday. Updated daily, it will be packed with quick-read articles. Topics include sales innovation, digital selling, marketing for sales, the procurement perspective, change management, the perfect pitch, money-saving travel tips and achieving the right work/life balance. There will also be feature articles on a different industry every month, with inspiring stores from sales leaders. Fast Sale will be available only via a smart phone app, in both Apple and Android platforms. The quick-read articles, designed especially for smart phones, are also available via podcast so you can listen while traveling. 6