A whitepaper about the b2b marketing that changed into b2p: business to people. Includes b2b cases and a top 10 survival guide for everyone looking for inspiring b2b campaigns.

1. Prickley Issues 01
Who decided that
B2B campaigns
had to be so boring,
anyway?
Time for change!
+10
Easy ste
ps to suc
on the N ceed
ew B2P
Frontier

2. It’s been one of the most consistent conversation pieces
over the past year: tuned-in MDs commenting on the
somewhat confused state of B2B communication. It’s
changing, everyone feels it, but how? And why such a
Grand Canyon sized gap between enticing ‘pull’ B2C
campaigns and the somewhat dull hard-sell ‘push’
tactics oft-used for B2B?

3. A
middle ground has emerged in the boardrooms, namely B2P –
Business to People. In the past year a wide array of vastly
different clients came through our agency doors with highly
specific B2P briefings. Brands like California shoe company K-Swiss,
global printer make Océ, Swedish Tourism Board VisitSweden, Schiphol,
Amsterdam RAI, to name just a few. Their briefs were tellingly similar:
give us B2B, but make it feel B2C. In trying to meet their expectations
we spent much time seeking out the right balance between hard and soft
selling, rational and emotional, cash and cuddly. Along the way we’ve
made a few key discoveries. And we’ve packaged them for you here
in this Prickly Issues whitepaper. And when all is said and done, we
offer up a B2P Survival Guide for all those marketers looking for
inspiring B2B campaigns.

4. Case 1
K-Swiss
K-Swiss’s
classic woos
shoes into stock
What to do when high-end European retailers are no longer
stocking your most iconic shoe? This was the challenge
facing California sports company K-Swiss in the Spring of
2010. The result was an award-winning campaign (D&AD
‘In Book June 2011) that not only activated retailers to stock
more shoes, but ignited positive conversations about the
K-Swiss brand across the globe.

5. Case 1
K-Swiss
Insight Campaign Results Media Mix
The lowdown
While the Classic shoe itself is just The challenge was to tell the long story The results resonated far beyond Print, brand story, DM,
a pretty nifty heritage sneaker, it’s of the Classic in a way that would help retailers. Because we packaged the hard- PR: plugging & seeding
The D&AD award was
story is extraordinary in these times of retailers sell more shoes. So we broke the sell story of the shoe in an emotionally
certainly unexpected, but
fast-moving goods. The problem was, story up into 8 non-linear chapters and relevant way (i.e. respected designers),
it just goes to show that
K-Swiss didn’t communicate the story asked 8 respected underground designers major sneakerfreak communities picked
even B2B campaigns can
of its shoe to its retail partners, namely across the globe to design posters around the story up and helped us create the
create positive B2C buzz on
because the company didn’t know them. We sent the resulting double-sided demand for retailers to stock more
a global scale if that’s what
the whole story itself. We immediate limited-edition posters to key retailers to Classic shoes. The campaign and social
you set out to do from day 1.
set about piecing one together out hang in their shops and hand out to their media strategy it entailed resulted in a
of the fragments of information and most exclusive clients, creating goodwill 63% increase in brand awareness and a
communication lying dormant in the and making them part of the campaign’s 36% jump in positive conversations about
company archives. success. K-Swiss.

6. Case 2
Océ
Kick-starting conversations and creating
quality leads for Océ’s global sales force
Océ is a global market leader in large-format printers and
thought it was time to drive that point home through a global
B2B campaign around its new PosterPrinter. The brief: create
a powerful conversation starter for the brand’s global sales
force that helps them create genuine leads and ultimately
sell more printers.
The catch? Needs to be adaptable across all Océ’s OPCOs
and succeed with no media budget. The result was an online
mockumentary that drove home a hard B2B message;
namely, that the Océ Poster Printer is the fastest and
“We wanted a campaign that would tell the story of the PosterPrinter in
easiest poster printer on the planet. a way that would inspire our sales force and function as a conversation
starter. A B2B story that didn’t feel B2B.”
-Ed Lensen, International Business Development
Manager, Océ Display Graphics Systems

7. Case 2
Insight
Océ
The decisionmakers in the large- The entire campaign was
format printing business (the guys complemented by an activation
who place the orders) are the last link microsite, where an online Poster-
in a very creative chain, but they are Printer turned uploaded images into
still part of the creative chain. We virtual posters. The Instant Poster
played into their creative instincts by Power also translated to on-site and The lowdown
capturing every creative individual’s trade fairs where clients could turn
dream: to escape the monotony of the images from their telephones into B2B campaigns
office! instant posters in 30 seconds. are so caught up in
corporatespeak that they
often forget WHY their
Campaign Results
products and services are
We scripted a story around two very In the first few months after launch
so interesting and unique.
likeable young guys who launch a some 30,000 video views and the
By giving the PosterPrinter
pop-up printer business called ‘Instant microsite hundreds of community
a human, ‘outside-in’
Poster Power’ from the back of their uploaded images. Every Océ Opco
context (instead of purely
customized van. The mockumentary picked up the campaign and adapted
inside-out), the Océ sales
follows these two micropreneurs as both the film and microsite into local
team enthusiastically
they service small businesses, pull languages. The campaign also sparked
picked up on the campaign
pranks, do some social good and local activation campaigns around
and used it as a serious
transform the urban landscape, all the Instant Poster Power theme. The
tool to service current
with the help of the PosterPrinter. In campaign was included in prestigious
clients and to create new
short, they capture the emotion of the international marketing magazine
leads – each salesman was
poster business and the importance of Contagious as a Best Practices for
encouraged to plug&seed
posters in communication today. All B2B campaigns.
the film into his own
the printer’s USPs were worked into
networks.
the script, but we avoid typical B2B
Media Mix
corporatetalk through unscripted,
Online film, print, DM, web platform,
spontaneous dialogue to help the
trade shows, PR: plugging & seeding
message sound heartfelt and real.

8. Case 3
VisitSweden
How Swedish
tourism got
Dutch travel
agents on
their side
The Swedish tourism board, VisitSweden, had one business
goal: get more Dutch to give up the Austrian and French
Alps for Swedish ski sojourns. An integral part of the
challenge was thus to convince travel agents to take
Swedish skiing seriously. What they got was the B2C/B2B
‘Fit for the Winter Games’ campaign that travelled well
beyond the agents’ offices and ended up a global cult hit.
Oh, and the first direct charter flights to Sweden.

9. Case 3
VisitSweden
Insight
To challenge the Dutch annual Alps agents – in return they could win a
routine, Sweden needed a serious limited-edition ‘Fit for the Winter
edge, and we quickly pinpointed one, Games’ bag.
an insight the Swedes themselves
weren’t particularly proud of. Namely,
Results
that since 1986 the Swedish winter
By activating Dutch travel agents
sport towns of Are and Ostersund
via DM, the bag and a special page
had bid for the Olympic Games three
on the website, the number of Dutch
times – and lost. We didn’t see losing
winter hotel stays after the campaign
bids however, we simply saw proof
doubled and the first winter charter
that Sweden had world-class facilities.
flight to Are took off from Schiphol.
B2C results were also impressive: over The lowdown
Campaign 800,000 video views, a 200% increase
The ‘Fit for the Olympic Games’ in web visits and a campaign that Your B2B partners are
campaign was created around two completely dominated all Google also consumers, and in
amusing online films highlighting search results for ‘Swedish winter some situations you need
Sweden’s Olympic ambitions and its sport’. to activate them like
key USPs. We told the story through consumers. If they like
two fanatical Swedes who dream of something they’ll actively
the Olympics so they can display Media Mix share and sell it. And if
their talents as, respectively, a mascot Film, Web platform, Print, they don’t, encourage them
and a streaker. In addition to DM, a DM, Events, PR: plugging & seeding other ways like giving
flyer team, web and taking the films them free give-aways.
consumer direct via YouTube, we sent
agents a special package with DVD
and brochures and encouraged them
to send the film to at least three other

10. B2P
B2B short 1
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Shorts
Schiphol’s
‘Magic in function’ film
It’s not just enough to be Europe’s 5th largest hub and one high-quality partners. More specifically, the short film
of the most innovative airports in the world. Sometimes, combines the Schiphol elements people know with behind-
“Lemon managed to reinvent our
you have to remind people that behind the business there’s the-scene action they don’t – the functional and the magic
corporate message and create a
a clearly defined mission §and vision. Our ‘A day in the of an airport.
brand story that makes us appealing
Life’ B2P campaign for Schiphol was designed specifically
to virtually everyone. Never before did
to spark positive conversations internally and with new Media Mix Brand story, Film
we get so many thumbs up!”
Chella Busch, Brand Manager Schiphol Group

11. B2P
B2B short 2 B2B short 3
Amsterdam RAI WYSTC
AmsterdamINTENSER DE ERVARING WYSTC 2011’s
RAI’s
Shorts
HOE
inspiring ‘experience
HOE KOSTBAARDER DE HERINNERING fake travel trend
angel’ challenge
Waar je het ziet, is hoe je het ziet. Hier zie je alles op zijn mooist, beleef je het intens.
Een galadiner, feest, beurs, congres, vergadering of training... RAI Elicium staat voor
ongekende allure en elegantie. Wil je meer weten? Ik kan je nog veel meer laten zien!
Graag leid ik je rond op
www.rai-elicium.nl
In its effort to further reinforce its status as a business We’re starting to really like B2B campaigns here at Lemon.
and innovation hub that connects people, the The latest in our string is The Fake Travel Trend Challenge
Amsterdam RAI built a new congress building called for The World and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC)
Elicium. Once built, they needed a campaign that would 2011, a conversion campaign and identity rolled into one. The
inform its national and international business network conference organizers asked us to work with them to create a
– large corporations, CEOs, organizers – of the Elicium’s quick-hit B2B campaign that would stimulate key delegates
cutting edge facilities and, quite simply, fill their halls. to book booth space and attend the fair. The Challenge
With ‘Elise’, we didn’t change the RAI’s messaging, we invites key travel industry delegates to tweet their best fake
just changed who was saying it by wrapping all those travel trend to win prizes. With this cheeky Challenge we’ve
USPs into an emotionally relevant story. Elise turned positioned WYSTC’s authoritative insights against all those
all the RAI’s B2B communication into fun testimonials. sketchy online travel trends people are so eager to believe
Next to posters, DM and web, we also turned Elise into these days. We already have a favorite fake trend: “Holy Land
a teddy bear that businessmen could take home to their tours spike as European youth rediscover religion.” Yeah,
children. right. Sorry, open exclusively to travel industry delegates only.
Media Mix Print, web platform, DM, events, brand story, Media Mix Web, Twitter, identity, Facebook, brochures, DM
merchandize, PR: plugging & seeding

12. The B2P
survival No more split personality
companies
From push to pull Think (more) like a
publisher
guide
Transparency of the web means that Wrap your hard sell in a soft shell. Content marketing is on the rise.
B2B and B2C are no longer mutually Rational information works, but With all those daily clicks going to
exclusive. Google doesn’t differentiate repackage those facts enticingly (i.e. Facebook and Twitter, content for
between the two. infographics) and recycle your content social platforms is rapidly replacing
in an emotionally relevant way. expensive and flashy microsites – yes,
even for B2B.
10 easy steps to
succeed on the
New B2B Frontier Telling enables selling Work in your WHY
Few things enable sales teams and You can never drive home your vision,
help generate leads as well as a simple mission and company culture enough.
opening story about your company However, one caveat: the more you
and your product. talk about things, the higher the
expectations that you make good Flip page for
on them. next 5 steps.

13. The B2P
Can’t share? Despair! Embrace employee
advocacy
Synchronize your voice
survival
guide
Even B2B initiatives should link to If it doesn’t inspire Jane in accounting, Create a clear and consistent tone
YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Flickr, it won’t inspire anyone else either. of voice across all your platforms
slideshare, pdfs, etc. You may have that mirrors the culture of your
30 white papers lying around, but if company. B2B too often captures the
people can’t share them they aren’t most boring part of your corporate
going to get around. personality.
10 easy steps to
succeed on the
Content is key, but only Post-purchase
New B2B Frontier
when you do it consistently ambassadors
Producing content is not enough, Perhaps the biggest opportunity
you’ve got to produce unique and for B2B credibility is turning
compelling content – and consistently! happy clients into post-purchase
And then complement it with the ambassadors simply by making their
right marketing mix (blogs, videos, comments visible on the platforms
microsites, newsletters, social media). people like to visit (i.e. Amazon,
Yes, another tip from the retweets)
B2C playbook.

14. While we truly believe in universal sharing of ideas and content, our prickly
issues are not cut-and-paste affairs summarizing other people’s hard-thought
insights. We read a lot, we talk to a lot of people, we tweet and retweet and
keep our ears close to the ground, and our reports are born from all that.
If we appropriate original thinking, we give them credit. The rest is lemon
being, Well, lemon. We just thought you should know.
www.lemonscentedtea.com