SAP’s president of corporate marketing on B2B’s most exciting and inspiring trends
Business marketing has arguably been evolving faster than its consumer counterpart. Many of the traditional conferences, trade shows and business dinners have given way to new innovations and creative solutions, supported by technology. In this series, Alison Biggan, president of corporate marketing at SAP, speaks to The Drum about the consumerization of business marketing, what inspires and excites her about recent B2B trends, and what she will look for in a winning entry as chair of The Drum Awards for B2B.
SAP is the world’s third-largest publicly-traded software company by revenue, and the largest by market capitalization in its home nation of Germany. Best known for its enterprise resource planning software, it seeks to help its customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively.
The company’s mission statement remains a source of inspiration for Biggan. “We want to help the world run better and to improve people’s lives. But to make that meaningful, you really have to ask, what is it we do? And how does that make the world run better?”
For her, providing the software to customers enables them to do good. “They become the flag carrier. Whether they’re in automobile manufacturing, or the medical profession, or any number of retail or CPG companies, they’re making the world a better place. We take pride in that – and ultimately that is at the heart of what motivates me, and, ultimately, what I want to talk about in a meaningful way to our audience.”
With an eye on the wider industry, but also the upcoming awards, she is particularly inspired by marketers’ responses to recent challenges. “The last 12-18 months have been an enormous opportunity for change and creativity, and cutting through the noise. I’m super excited to see the Best Response to Change category at the awards because there is an expectation from the world that our marketing, communications and advertising be relevant and actually matter.”
Biggan notes that business marketers are increasingly conscious about doing good in the world. “I think there is an endless opportunity for B2B companies to think about their contribution to the world. The B2B for Good category should be an inspiring one.”
The same issues that affect consumers affect businesses, and therefore B2B marketers. “It has never been more important to be able to answer questions about where materials come from, the status of your supply chain. People care if things are being sourced and manufactured in a sustainable way. I’m super excited to see the creative and impactful things that have come out of those campaigns.”
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
The Drum Awards for B2B are still open for entry – email to request an extension today. To find out more about the awards, and to see some of last year’s winners, visit the website.
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