There is a common misconception that B2B branding and marketing are completely rational, and while B2B organizations are often more rational than B2C consumers, there is a human element to all B2B decisions. The effect of this humanness (which we see in ourselves every day) is that human psychology and behavioral economics have an immense impact on B2B decisions.
David Dodd does an excellent job of condensing the effects of psychology on B2B branding into three points in his article, “Why Human Psychology Still Matters in B2B Marketing”: 1.) B2B marketing is, in practice, not inherently rational. 2.) Fear of negligible negative quantifiable impact limits marketing-growth-potential (fear of blame). 3.) Rational marketing, i.e. a traditionalist view of economic theory, lacks important insights into behavioral science leaving you flatfooted in dynamic sales markets.
Find more from Mr. Dodd here.
