Category Archives: Uncategorized

An update — new stuff in B-to-B

By Ralph Oliva | Published: October 17, 2009
Hello!   Been a while since I’ve updated of the blog — lots going on in business-to-business.   First of all, Gary Slack has shared with me some very exciting stuff about the relaunch of Xiameter.  What a great job he and his team have done, and xiameter still seems to be setting the way on alternative channels to [...]
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Real Imagination in Creating B-to-B buzz

By Ralph Oliva | Published: September 23, 2009
Just finished laughing out loud, and smiling at the imagination in this B-to-B campaign from EMA –sent to my by the grand B-to-B master John Favalo: Don’t miss seeing this.   Hello Piasano,   Happy days in Happy Valley, especially after you kicked the butts off my Orangemen.  Regardless of that transgression, I hope you and ISBM are very well.  [...]
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Food for B2B Marketing Thought

By Ralph Oliva | Published: September 16, 2009
Lots of action this week, both in class and outside of class together with member firms.  I believe that firms are starting to get serious about investing in giving their employees the sharpest tools for navigating not only does downturn — but the upturn that will follow.  We’ll see…  Some quotable quotes from Gary Lilien from [...]
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Tweets now a part of any “event”

By Ralph Oliva | Published: September 13, 2009
Interesting to watch the VMA awards and see how much time they spend on the tweet stream — a way for people to particiapte as well as critique and vote at the same time.  Could change event marketing in some interesting ways.
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The basics coming back

By Ralph Oliva | Published: September 9, 2009
Signs of spring seem to be coming as fall approaches.  Quit a few of our Members are in contact with us in discussion of bringing stronger basics of marketing back to the firm with more defined process and skills development… It could very well be that we’re seeing the beginning of an important trend in seeking topline [...]
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Dn’t just learn Value -Teach Value

By Ralph Oliva | Published: September 3, 2009
Lots going on as the semester gets underway here.  It’s very interesting to mix in insights from connections with our ISBM members into our business-to-business marketing class for the second-year MBAs here on campus.  It’s so fun.  The MBA class enables us to reflect on things we see in practice — and from our research [...]
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Members Focusing on VOC

By Ralph Oliva | Published: September 1, 2009
It seems as I travel to Member firms more and more of them are trying to move toward a stronger practice in Voice of the Customer. Would love to know if more of you are doing this. From the ISBM Members meeting the week before last –this surfaced as “The Competency you most want to have” [...]
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News from the ISBM 09 Members Meeting

By Ralph Oliva | Published: August 28, 2009
A quick update to those of you who may be following this blog — sorry for the delay in getting a new post up.   Our ISBM members meeting for August 09 was last week, and I’m especially thankful for the 130 people who attended, and the speakers who shared so much insight with us.   Steve Ligouri from [...]
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Being Prepared — Important for Business Marketers

By Ralph Oliva | Published: August 23, 2009
Hello to all!  We’re still in the aftermath of our August members meeting, having received many insights on “Tough Tactics for Fast Payback In Today’s Markets .”   Great presentation from Don Scheibenreif of  WW Grainger, who spoke to how his firm works to serve the needs of their customers in special ways — bringing them total [...]
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Great Seeing and Learning with Members…

By Ralph Oliva | Published: August 21, 2009
It was great getting the chance to see, share, and learn together with 130 of our members at our members meeting.  Special thanks to all of our presenters…   …a lot of quote red threads” connected the speakers themes together.   First of all, as were scrambling together to make today’s numbers happen, and get through the downturn, preserve [...]
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