Marketing communication in a B2B market : a case study of the store interior industry

Background: Today firms are facing increased global competition, and it results in shor-ter product life cycles. The present situation demand firms to focus more on marketing and how to communicate with the customers. In the mar-keting field there has always existed a perceived dichotomy between B2B and B2C markets. It is said that B2B markets must be handled differently than B2C markets. Recently the perceptions have changed and it is said that B2B and B2C markets have more similarities than previously as-sumed, and this might affect the decision about which marketing tools to implement. This could even change the old way of thinking, which states that B2C marketing tools cannot be used effectively in a B2B market. Theories show that brand awareness is of crucial importance in B2C mar-kets. Will the change of market structure make brand awareness equally important in a B2B market? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to critically analyze the attitudes towards dif-ferent B2B marketing tools and the possible appropriateness of using B2C marketing tools in a B2B market in order to achieve brand awareness. Method: A qualitative approach has been used in order answer the purpose of the thesis. ROL AB has been used as a case study, and 13 open phone inter-views have been conducted with existing and potential customers of ROL AB. Furthermore, two interviews have been conducted with firms that successfully use B2C marketing tools in B2B markets. Conclusions: The typical characteristics of B2B markets show a tendency to blur. This insinuates that brands are gaining importance in the B2B market. In order to react to this change, B2B firms need to increase their brand awareness. The traditional relational (B2B) marketing tools seems no longer to be suf-ficient to be used alone but now need to be accompanied with transac-tional (B2C) marketing tools