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Ralph Oliva
Executive Director, Institute for the Study of Business Markets
http://www.isbm.org/
Ralph is the Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, and Professor of Marketing in the Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State. He is driving the growth of the ISBM as the leading academic center devoted to advancing knowledge and practice in Business-to-Business marketing worldwide. The ISBM is supported by 65 major firms, and a network of over 100 researchers, all focused on B-to-B.
Since 1997, Ralph has been working with B-to-B firms in building better, more profitable business marketing practice by creating direct connections from practitioners to leading-edge researchers, through the design and implementation of educational programs spanning the practice of B-to-B, and in building networked communities of learning. He has worked extensively with ISBM Member firms including DuPont, Deloitte, Xerox, Honeywell, Timken, Dow, Arkema, Rohm and Haas, IBM, GE, Alfa Laval, National Starch and Chemical, Parker Hannifin, Swagelok, PPG, and others in the Fortune 500.
Ralph is a regular columnist for Marketing Management magazine, and is active in Executive Education, as well as the Smeal College MBA program, where he received the “Excellence in Teaching Award” the MBA class for 2002 and 2007. He teaches B-to-B Marketing, Strategic Brand Management, and Integrated Market Communications. His research focus is on tracking the trends shaping business markets, Business-to-Business brands and ingredient brands.
Before joining Penn State, Ralph spent 23 years in B-to-B and consumer marketing, and established a “Virtual University” for marketing at Texas Instruments. He has served as V.P. of Market Communications and Design for TI worldwide, and leader of the TI.com web Team.
Ralph developed the “DLP” branding program for TI (TI’s first ingredient brand) and worked on landmark products (including TI’s “Speak and Spell”, and the TI-30 calculator).
His articles can be found at www.isbm.org, and www.ralpholiva.com.
Ralph holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Solid State Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.S. in Physics from Fordham University. He lives in State College, PA with his wife Kat, and their sons Matthew and Christopher.
Contact Ralph Oliva
All of Ralph Oliva's Posts on the PKC Blog
The Top 10: The Best Practices in Business-to-Business Corporate Marketing
I am working with Atlee Valentine Pope of Blue Canyon Partners, currently soliciting inputs from select CMO’s on the top 10 best practices that drive the emergence of a world class B-to-B corporate marketing organization.
Feel free to pile on if you‘d like. Right now our list includes:
1. Establish marketing plans
2. Be the link for communication and learning
3. Be [...]
Some Thoughts on Sustainability
Sustainability these days is like a three-legged stool (with one leg missing?)
Avoid Waste. Save where it makes sense. Focus on and use what’s important.
Penn State has done an admirable job of defining the ephemeral word “sustainability.”
“Sustainability is the simultaneous pursuit of human health and happiness, environmental quality, and economic well-being for current [...]
Members Meeting Insights from Parker Hannifin, Kennametal, and Arizona Chemical
Some insights from ISBM and our recent Members Meeting on “Brand the Process”
At a recent meeting of ISBM, Craig Maxwell, Corporate VP Technology and Innovation at Parker Hannifin, enlightened us with a view on how he’s built a strong market and customer connection to the R&D function at Parker.
This powerhouse firm has led the way [...]
Three Ways B2B Marketing is Changing
I wanted to share an interview I did this week with Mike Colucci of The SDG Group on the state of B2B marketing.
See the full interview here or read it below: http://www.thesdggroup.com/#/blog/4555170456/Three-Ways-B2B-Marketing-is-Changing/982659
Enjoy,
Ralph
Three Ways B2B Marketing is Changing
By Mike Colucci, Jan 30 2012 8:24AM
B2B marketing has its own set of challenges. And no [...]
Role of Corporate Marketing in B-to-B
Been working together with Atlee Valentine Pope of Blue Canyon Partners on a paper investigating the question: “What is the role of the Corporate Marketing Function/CMO?”
Been navigating waters with several CMOs lately, it seems as if that question is another one of the perennials: “Why is it that it’s so difficult to define the best [...]
ISBM Members Meeting Updates
We’re building some excitement and momentum for our upcoming ISBM Winter Meeting, March 6-7, 2012 in Dallas, TX.
Although I’m still working on the title, we’ll basically be focusing on “Building B-to-B Marketing Connections to the “C Suite”: Driving Stronger More Effective Dialog with the CEO, CFO, CTO…
It’s getting exciting!
Had good discussions on this with Dr. [...]
Reflections on ISBM Meeting
This week has been somewhat of an “afterglow” of the September 2011 ISBM Members Meeting on “Reinventing Innovation.” Had a lot of thank you’s to send out, and generally the meeting left my head spinning.
From Larry Keeley, who built on his “Ten types of innovation” framework to talk about the “plumbing” you need to implement [...]
Innovation in Customer Facing Organizations
Some great insights on innovation and customer management from George Brown that were published in IP Frontline.
Click here for the full read.
Best,
Ralph
China’s Next Generation Competitors
Here is a great write up from friends of the ISBM, George F. Brown and David G. Hartman, who provide insight around what it is like to be a western firm operating in China, response to market trends there, and shed light on the 2nd mouse concept. ‘Where the early bird may get the [...]
B-to-B Leadership Board Underway