B2B Marketing More Insight and Analysis

NPower is targeting SMEs in a Wallace and Gromit-themed campaign to encourage businesses to get behind the UK's World Cup 2018 bid. Anna Goldie reports

The face of business banking looks set to change as new organisations emerge to take on exisiting high street banks. Claire Weekes reports

Regular Backchat columnist for the magazine, Scot Mckee has recently published a new book and we asked two of our readers to review it. But were they charmed by Mckees sharp writing style and his views on B2B branding?

Mercedes-Benz Vans is driving SMEs online with the aim of increasing brand awareness and credibility whilst managing to link the campaign to the blockbuster sporting event of the summer. Maxine-Laurie Marshall reports

The business intelligence provider wanted the new brand to communicate the simplicity of its services to its customers, David Knowles, business development director for Creditsafe explains

With consumer marketers lapping up World Cup mania, how are B2B marketers staying in the game? Victoria Paley investigates

Simon Banoub, marketing director of Opta, wanted to get rid of the old fashioned perceptions and re-fresh the sports data brand

Many B2B organisations are recognising the value of using books as a marketing tool to position their brands in the minds of customers and prospects. But how effective is this strategy? Lucy Fisher reports

Infor takes on the big boys of business software with a satirical multi-platform campaign designed to build brand awareness. Maxine-Laurie Marshall reports

Virgin has just rebranded its B2B telecoms operation NTL Telewest Business as Virgin Media Business – three years after the rebrand of the consumer operation. But why did it take so long? Lucy Fisher reports

Not-for-profit organisation, The Energy Consortium, wanted a rebrand which would reflect its new, wider offering

Fleet management got an injection of glamour when Peugeot treated staff from car leasing and fleet management companies to a red carpet cinema preview.

The IT sector's annual Byte Night event has ramped up its social media efforts to reach new audiences. Maxine-Laurie Marshall reports

A rebrand was necessary to highlight the merging of two companies under the parent organisation, Balfour Beatty Group

Alibaba is big news in the Far East, but will the world's biggest B2B marketplace be able to work its magic in the UK? Lucy Fisher investigates

B2B brands mustn't be afraid of leveraging the opportunities to be found in continental Europe, and must address five key issues to ensure success, writes Alex Blyth

A dramatic rebrand by the entertainment services group was undertaken to bring a number of disparate brands together

With Tesco cashing in on the banks' fall from grace, is there an opportunity for a fresh-faced business bank to emerge? And if so, who might be behind it? Lucy Fisher reports

Top female golfer, Paula Creamer, steps up as brand ambassador for the office and production printing specialist's title sponsorship of the Ricoh Women's British Open. Meg de Jong reports

Selling can be a precarious thing. Scot McKee, MD of Birddog, explains that whatever sector you are in, there may be a need to change your tactics

Insurance giant is challenged to communicate its name-change to its broker community

Good planning is your strongest defense against the credit crunch, says Simon Bolton, worldwide CEO for The Brand Union

Businesses are under pressure to demonstrate ethical credentials – but does the current climate dampen enthusiasm for such initiatives? Terry Tyrrell, worldwide chairman at The Brand Union, explores the pressure the credit crunch puts on a brand's responsibility to be responsible

It can span many years, it's ludicrously expensive and if it all goes wrong, the whole world is your witness, so why are more and more big-name business brands sponsoring the Olympics? As the 2008 Games kick off next month in Beijing, Lucy Reiter explores what's in it for the sponsors

Glenn Tutssel, executive creative director at The Brand Union, says that to be effective, a rebrand must be more than a romantic ideal

Simon Bailey, MD at The Brand Union, looks at celebrities backing B2B brands and explores the pros and cons for brands and their paid-for faces

Deloitte's emphasis on using its 11,000 staff to ensure its brand promise is delivered was crucial in its recognition as the Best B2B Brand of 2007. Joel Harrison reports

Julian Hunt, senior marketing manager at Equiniti, explains how to go about taking on a new corporate name and visual identity after breaking away from a heritage brand

Rebecca Price, head of branding at creative communications consultancy Radley Yeldar, explores the recent Olympics logo fiasco and explains what it means for B2B brands

It takes a brave marketer to commit to brand investment in the world of B2B. Rebecca Price, head of branding at creative communications consultancy Radley Yeldar, runs through the reasons why many shy away

Hitachi's appointment as the Best B2B Brand of 2006 is recognition of the great strides it has made in strengthening and consolidating its fragmented brand and driving greater consistency in its marketing. Joel Harrison talked to Mark Wilkin, head of brand and communications at Hitachi, about how the brand has been turned around

In the honest world of B2B there is no place to hide behind marketing spin, says Rebecca Price, head of branding at creative communications consultancy Radley Yeldar. But if you are confident and reveal some heart and soul, you might rival the success of the B2C mega-brands

What is a brand and what can it do for you? Alice Johnson takes a look at the 'B' word, analysing its standing in an organisation and why it involves so much more than just aesthetics

How do B2B companies go about ensuring that their brand is at the centre of their organisation? What lessons can be learnt from those companies with a proven successful approach this conundrum? B2B Marketing's branding round table, in association with Base One, aimed at highlighting best practice for brand-centric organisations

Brand consistency is essential if all that money spent on corporate identity is not to be wasted and be a worthwhile investment. David Howell reports

Bank of Scotland Corporate developed a brand proposition that played on its actual – not aspirational – strengths to build a presence in business banking. It then used its contacts to secure maximum exposure for a striking brand campaign. No wonder it was unanimously voted the Best B2B Brand of 2005. Joel Harrison got the inside story from its head of marketing, James Farrar

Identification, implementation and maintenance are the three main stages in a brand's life cycle. Kate Walsh grilled industry experts – who between them have over one hundred years experience in B2B branding – on how to achieve the best brand for your business

Football clubs, retailers and charities don't fit the business-to-business stereotype yet everyday they are targeting businesses – they are secret B2B marketers. Kate Walsh examines how B2B works in a predominantly B2C organisation, asks who's in charge, what they do and how they do it

Margaret Manning, CEO of Reading Room, says B2B websites must learn the branding lessons of their B2C counterparts, where appropriate

Congratulations to Tenon for winning B2B Marketing's poll for the UK's Best B2B Brand. The professional services firm launched a new identity last year, in the process illustrating why decent B2B branding need not be stuffy, dry, clichéd... or expensive. Joel Harrison reports

SMEs view branding differently from larger companies, which is both right and wrong. Branding is important for any business, but size often dictates the best way to go about it. Sara Goodwins examines the branding issues facing smaller businesses

Do your customers relate to your people or to your brand, asks Hans Arnold for Enterprise IG?

Increasingly marketing is becoming a science replete with software and systems – but what of the more traditional methods? Kate Walsh looks to sponsorship and finds that lead generation and brand exposure are just some of the benefits

SMEs work so hard on the day-to-day routine – marketing, selling and keeping the business going – that, they forget to ask why the customer chooses them over a competitor. But for a business to grow it's essential to distinguish from other firms, to establish your 'va va voom'. Sara Goodwins finds out how