Ioannis Kostopoulos

Linking internal marketing with customer outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore how the adoption of an internal marketing (IM) programme in a retail banking setting enhances some positive employee behaviours that promote customer perceived service quality. Design/methodology/approach – A multilevel research design is adopted which draws evidence from branch managers, employees and customers in order to investigate whether branch manager’s adoption of an IM philosophy affects front-line employee responsiveness to the firm’s IM strategies and their levels of motivation, empowerment and organizational identification (OI), respectively. Findings – Results indicate that manager’s IM adoption can enhance employee adoption of IM and raises their levels of motivation, empowerment and OI. The moderating role of manager-employee dissimilarity is also discussed. Finally, findings confirm that employee motivation, empowerment and OI affect customer perceptions of service quality. Originality/value – This study provides an important shift by forma...

What Is Next for Business-to-Business Marketing Communication?

This chapter aims to review the current B2B landscape in terms of the upcoming developments in marketing communications. Industrial marketing managers operate against a background of financial uncertainty and, thus, are in seek for more sophisticated measures of accountability. Recession had a severe impact on advertising budgets given that advertising is still regarded as a cost rather than an investment by manufacturers. At the same time, digitalization brought fundamental changes to the way B2B marketing communication and advertisingare developed, planned and performed. In simple terms, a great digital challenge was posed for B2B firms, against a major financial problem. The authors also provide some implications for B2B marketing managers in the foreseeable future.

The Significance of Business-to-Business Marketing

This chapter serves as an introduction to the role of B2B marketing in today’s business environment and stresses out its importance in the contemporary economy. In this context, the authors evaluate the role of marketing communication and refer to its growing importance in B2B area. This chapter also highlights the differences between way B2B and B2C markets and describes the way businesses operate and communicate in these markets, respectively. Finally, they delve into the particularities of B2B marketing and promotion, which they attempt to clarify with the use of examples.

Business-to-Business Marketing Communication During Recession

This chapter refers to the increasing demand for rationalized budgets and underlines the need for a better understanding of the determinants of successful B2B marketing communication campaigns. This is due to the fact that B2B buyers are by default involved in purchasing of high risk and cost; hence, they need accurate information before they make decisions. The authors, thus, argue that marketing communication is one of the most important aspects for B2B organizations, especially during recession, given its contribution to the creation of robust relationships with customers. According to the authors, effective B2B marketing communication should be viewed as an asset; it is an investment for businesses rather than a cost.

Business-to-Business Print Ad Effectiveness: Some Empirical Evidence

This chapter attempts to assess the impact of various factors and characteristics on B2B advertising effectiveness. The main focus of the authors is print ad effectiveness given the lack of adequate relevant research and the concurrent need for economical and efficient use of the traditional tools that are reported to be losing ground against digital ones. While there is no doubt that advertising is becoming increasingly important in B2B, managers are becoming more skeptical about the use of print media, partly because of the absence of immediate results and apparent merits deriving from B2B print advertising. As such, the authors aim to contribute to the extant literature by offering some empirical data and some suggestions on how to increase print advertising effectiveness in B2B.

Achieving Advertising Effectiveness Through Innovation

This chapter appraises the importance of innovation for business-to-business promotion. The authors state that the survival of organizations today largely lies on their behavior toward innovation, which can lead to a competitive advantage. Similarly, their ability to incorporate innovation into their marketing function is critical and in a way determines the success of many organizations. The authors suggest that regardless of the nature of the marketing communications mix, and irrespective of whether the promotion is traditional or digital or both, innovative communication techniques are always appealing to customers. Is that the case for industrial buyers as well? The future is, by all means, digital, but can we get the benefits of innovation without actually adopting the underlying technologies?

The Current Media Landscape in Business-to-Business Markets

The traditional B2B marketing communication channels have faced a decline during the economic recession and after the evolution of the digital era. Still, they continue to signify a large share of B2B marketing communication budgets globally. In light of this seeming situation, the authors make an attempt to portray the current B2B media landscape, suggesting that print media may be losing ground to digital tactics, but still represent an important part of the marketing communication mix. Moreover, the chapter offers implications for marketing communication managers and for publishers of trade journals in the B2B sector.