Business-to-business (B2B) firms that adopt strategic marketing practices are gaining market share, according to a

new study conducted by Booz & Company and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), which surveyed more than

100 business-to-business marketers across nearly a dozen industries through a custom on-line questionnaire and

personal interviews. Many of those surveyed were marketers from large, multinational corporations.

The study found that 40% of firms with above-average marketing capabilities gained market share versus only 26% of

firms with below-average capabilities. However, the study also found that nearly half of all firms (49%) limit

marketing to a tactical role within the business, rather than a strategic one.

More than one-third of B2B marketing organizations have been strategically realigned over the past three years.

However, nearly half of the firms surveyed do not take a strategic approach to marketing. While 53% of firms

surveyed have a chief marketing officer, only 13% of those surveyed agreed that senior leaders greatly value

marketing experience, especially in grooming high-potential employees.

As a result, B2B marketers tend to oversee advertising (68%) and public relations (50%) programs, but have much less

responsibility for strategic areas like new market entry (35%), high-level strategy (33%) and customer retention

(28%).

Companies winning market share consistently excelled in three core capabilities. However, these are areas where many

B2B marketers are traditionally weak: market-back product-development process, brand and reputation management,

market-driven pricing. The implications for B2B marketers are straightforward: successfully managing these three

core capabilities will increase the effectiveness of the marketing team and grow business overall, according to the

study.--Tanya Irwin