Abstract:

Most of the published reports about the effects of 1992 relate to consumer goods and services, to the neglect of the very large business-to-business sector. Success in the Single European Market will depend on a good understanding of a. the differences and similarities between marketing to businesses and to domestic consumers; b. the relatively complex structure of each customer's Decision-Making Unit; c. the characteristic ways of doing business in each EC (and other European) country, which will continue to differ long after 1992; d. the choice of communication channels through which buying decisions can be influenced. Implementing an effective marketing plan for Europe will for most companies demand changes in product offering, marketing mix, organizational structure and above all corporate attitudes, so as to profit from the new opportunities for integrated marketing communications campaigns. No systematic study of all these issues has yet been made, but reports have been published of individual aspects of business marketing or of specific countries. This paper collates the most useful of these and adds the practical experience of an international agency specializing in business-to-business advertising and marketing.