Sharpening the Saw for B2B Consumer Experience

Michael Barber worked for a number of agencies before he founded barber&hewitt in 2015. He intended for his new company to provide marketing strategy and planning for midmarket B2B brands, but ended up spending 50% of his time consulting with agencies dealing with growth and development issues. In February 2018, inspired by the opportunity to work with a larger team and by his client company's culture, Michael joined Godfrey, based in Lancaster, PA, as SVP and Chief Creative Officer. For 70 years, Godfrey has been providing marketing services to midmarket tech-heavy industrial manufacturers—unknown brand names that produce automation, control, materials handling, logistics, construction, and medical equipment; building materials & systems; chemicals, OEM components; lubricants; and metal work.

Michael does not differentiate between B2B and B2C as "audiences"—both come down to people. With that in mind, he sees an increasing need to focus on creating a favorable B2B experience (paralleling that supporting good consumer experience in the B2C marketplace), and a need for marketing firms to be exposed to the non-marketing teams in client businesses in order to enhance the experience of the B2B clients' customers. He predicts that long term survival will depend more on experience than on awareness or acquisition.

Michael is @michaeljbarber almost everywhere online, from Facebook to LinkedIn or Twitter. To learn more about Godfrey, visit: https://www.godfrey.com/.