B2B Big Plays features news and events from the planet, and is proudly delivered twice a month by B2B Marketer, Australia’s largest B2B marketing group.

IBM adds a few IQ points to cities

Paris – When does advertising turn into something really useful? When it becomes a bench, shelter or ramp on stairs. Built around the concept, Smarter Cities, Ogilvy France has pulled the idea all the way through with something rather smart.

Advertising become street furniture, with the purpose of communicating how IBM can help life in cities become better, by making them smarter. Targeting the bigwigs who run cities, this campaign brings the concept together.

Think it’s pretty clever?

IBM & Ogilvy France Create Ads With A New Purpose in its latest “People For Smarter Cities” from Ogilvy Paris on Vimeo.

 

Buy em, or destroy em. Google chooses to buy

NewYork – Jack Welsh had just two approaches to competition as noted above. Google is wanting to put down $1.1 billion for social mapping start-up Waze. But the Federal Trade Commission is looking into the anti-trust potential for the acquisition.

Waze users contribute to building a picture of road conditions as they drive around – all for the common good approach. The question is if Google who already have around a billion users will gain more dominance from picking up 45 million more, along with the tech IP of Waze.

Imagine the potential for city planning, services and location optimisation.

Reverse Innovation. Or how to cook a pancake on the head of a pin.

India – Developing countries with poor infrastructure and poor access to capital have to work that bit harder to develop “innovation.” A tech start-up in India, Capillary Technologies has demonstrated that you don’t need a rich stupid Uncle to get a mega business moving. They created a simple customer loyalty program for Indian retailers, which blossomed into a full blown CRM and analytics tool. Transforming into a distruptive model, they have broken away from developing nations to now service companies across the globe in 16 countries, powering 10,000 stores to cater for 50 million consumers. Ka-ching!

Dell focuses on business achievement

UK – Dell wants to give people the power to do more. To convince SME business owners of this, they have launched case studies ranging from Caterham, T-GEN and NASDAQ.

Stephen Gater, Marketing Director at Dell says, “This campaign brings to life how technology is empowering real businesses, in the fields of Formula 1 through to vital Cancer research enabling businesses to achieve maximum potential whatever challenges they face.”

Do you think they achieved this?

Goodbye Rashbass, hello Stibbs

London – The Economist Group has named Chris Stibbs CEO, when Andrew Rashbass, the current chief executive, steps down this month.

Last month, Rashbass was named to the newly created position of chief executive of the Reuters news and media business at Thomson Reuters.

Stibbs is currently the Economist Group’s finance director and the managing director of the Economist Intelligence Unit.

B2B Marketer spotlight

Name: Walter Adamson Position: GM Victoria Company: KINSHIP digital

When did you get into B2B marketing?

1990

Your biggest B2B marketing high?

Past: Winning first big B2B Contract with Tata Steel India, more recently winning Enterprise Social Network contract with Telstra.

A forgettable marketing moment? (Or someone else’s!)

Admitting our own inbound marketing was not working especially well when attempting to sell them a digital marketing / social strategy for improve their inbound sales!

What 3 challenges do you have as a B2B marketer?

1. Making the complex sell resonate the the simplest way. 2. Creating messages and themes which are as simple as possible but no simpler. 3. Getting past the education stage of how powerful social business intelligence and sales can be for B2B.

What is the most useful book you have ever read?

Predictive Analytics by Eric Siegel because he described with clarity and humour what “big data” can and cannot do and it reminds me of my past when I spent 7 years as a consultant in computational statistics.

If you were a brand, which one would you be?

SAP – a rising B2B brand star, and in my core domain of mobile, cloud computing, social and big data.

When not marketing, what else do you do?

I give a little time to Berry Steet which provides a refuge and family and children services and which awarded a “Friend For Life” certificate for 30+ years continuous support. Spend as much time as possible with my 3 year old daughter. Keep fit – Bodybump, Spin, Bodyweight exercises, Spin.

Your big B2B marketing prediction for the next 12 months?

More B2B organisations will become painfully aware that a lack of brand awareness, brand articulation, and social presence is holding back their sales as decisions are made more widely across and organisation and with more outside influencers appearing in the buying process than the previous single department or business unit.