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B2B marketing and the truth—a perfect match?

In this new world of straight-up, transparent, credible interactions with the company’s audiences, the “truth” is playing an increasingly important role. The trend is driven partly by the fact that attitudes are hardening toward corporate lies or other malpractices—just witness the number of whistle-blower programs that are being put in place across industries to enable employees to keep their employers and colleagues on the straight and narrow. In marketing contexts, easier access to essential truths about products and services from a customer experience perspective has started to make propaganda and/or outright fibs stand out like a sore thumb.

During a presentation of our thoughts to a group of representatives from companies in Denmark, one executive asked an excellent question: “What if telling the truth about your company would mean telling the market that, in actual fact, your products weren’t that good, that they failed often, that they were over-priced?” It may seem harsh, but we believe that there should be little or no disconnect between your company’s core competencies and offerings and the picture you paint for the outside world. So companies that are delivering sub-standard products and services where significant cover-up is necessary need to revamp their internal values and practices before they are ready to succeed over the long term in today’s increasingly transparent marketplaces. In other words, if your company falls into this latter category, then a properly implemented Three Voices™ strategy may not be for you. Not yet.

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Jonathan Winch

I’m Jonathan Winch, partner at cylindr and BBN International and a B2B marketing enthusiast. I've participated as a strategic and creative resource in the marketing and communication sphere for over 25 years, making contributions to the strategies and communications of companies of all sizes, the best known of which include Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Danisco, GN ReSound, Hempel, Nokia Siemens Networks, LEGO, Coloplast, and Johnson & Johnson. My mission? To help B2B companies make the most of the value they create for the world. My hobby: Nutritional science, particularly sports nutrition.