Why can't b-to-b advertising be more like b-to-c? It already is

摘要

I watched "my fair lady" the other evening, and I was especially struck by Rex Harrison's lament: "Why can't a woman be more like a man?" Well, we all know that's not going to happen (and I think he concluded by the end of the movie that he had "grown accustomed to her face" and liked Eliza Doolittle the way she was). But the question again became relevant, in a slightly different context, when I attended the Business Marketing Association's conference in Chicago. Why can't b-to-b advertising be more like consumer advertising? The answer, in this case, is that it can and is. I'm happy to report that the two are coming closer together-that premise was the rationale for merging our oldest publication, BtoB magazine, into Ad Age earlier this year. Ad Age over the years hasn't devoted much space to b-to-b marketing. But now we have two reporters devoted exclusively to b-to-b stories. Matt Quinn, our executive editor, took to the stage to talk about how we've integrated BtoB coverage into print, online and our events. Our reporters covered the BMA confab "and are eager to tell your stories," Matt said.