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I was forced to concede and call the parking hotline when I parked my car. I assumed that every mobile transaction would be simple. But why on earth would life be that simple? If there had been a mobile internet application, the whole transaction could have been so much easier. Which means there’s an opportunity, and a danger, for brands engaging in the mobile space.

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Some years ago, a pimply-nerdy-geek-type told me that traditional B2B communications were dead and that the future was digital. I guffawed, spluttered and muttered outrageousnesses then lay down in a darkened room to sniff some well earned printed collateral. But just because you don’t like it or are unfamiliar with the territory, doesn’t mean it isn’t so. There are some home truths about online brands that every B2B marketer needs to face, and at the moment, they’re not.

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Whilst clearly not first to the bar at the SmartPhone party, I find myself fully committed to the future of mobile internet delivery. It’s an area of the marketing mix that has been woefully underexploited in the business community, but it’s OK, you can relax, I’m going to fix that.

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I used to drive a BMW and tried to buy a new one. Easier said than done. This story is a bit about money, it’s a bit about customer service, but that’s not the thing. The thing is about Brand Reputation. I expected more from the BMW brand. If this experience is typical of the brand’s values, I don’t imagine it will be long before we’re all walking away. If I was the person responsible for maintaining the BMW brand reputation I’d be more than a little concerned.

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Crowdsourcing broadly means using the power of many to solve problems. The principal can be applied to any challenge where many hands can make light work. It’s a bit of a big deal. One that the B2B marketing community has thus far almost wholly ignored. Brands aren’t about guidelines or products or services, they’re about feelings. Rather than being restricted to the views of a few you can open up the brand discussion to the prospective customers.

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Honda has been undertaking extensive testing of sales people and customers within dealerships to monitor changes they go through during the process of buying a car. Customers are most relaxed when dealing with a sales person who delivers exactly the customer experience they say they’re going to, but research shows that the customer is most excited about their purchase about 10 minutes before the sales person. In a B2B context, Brand guardians would do well to ensure their brand promise is properly aligned to the customer expectation.

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Corporate Hospitality. Is it going to flourish as companies try to secure the loyalty of their clients in the face of difficult economic conditions, or is it going to die a horrible and painful death as budgets are cut and redirected to the tried, tested and instantly measurable?

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I’ve always been deeply suspicious of anyone introducing themselves as an ‘Entrepreneur’. It’s one of those wank words. I’d been asked to the meeting to discuss social media, so I was slightly perplexed as to why we might need an ‘entrepreneur’ in the room. “Are you entrepreneurial in the social media space?” “No”, he said, “I think social media’s a complete waste of money.”

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The B2B Marketing Magazine seminar on ‘Exploiting Social Media in B2B Marketing’ was quite an eye-opener. Social Media is no longer a fringe subject. There was a room packed with well over a hundred people and the common denominator was everyone seeking a business model for social media activities. I’m not sure if that means the client’s haven’t ‘got it’ yet or if the agencies are trying to keep up – either way, it’s on the agenda. The power has shifted from the corporate propaganda machine to the selective conversations that the customers are prepared to engage with. How’re we going to handle that that then?

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