[!]Where's the
B-to-B?

If you require a business-to-business sell, you'd better be asking "Where's the beef?" when it comes to B-to-B experience.

Business-to-business advertising is a lot more complex than consumer mass marketing. With everyone from end users to specifiers, approvers, purchasing departments and maybe even CFOs or CEOs involved in purchase decisions, crafting a message that hits all the right buttons for this eclectic group is an extraordinary challenge.

In addition to advertising development and specialized media planning, the total B-to-B communications mix often requires brochures, direct mail, spec sheets, laptop presentations, CD ROMs, and trade show support. It is a rare agency that has capabilities in all these areas. And it's rarer still to find one that excels in them all.

Where's the B-to-B? It's out there, but you have to find it.

SANITY ! CHECK
What's the agency's ratio of B-to-B vs. consumer billings? Does the agency successfully compete in business-to-business creative competitions like the Pro-Comm, or just consumer contests?

Ask for a presentation of integrated communications. Is the brochure as well written as the ad? Does the same creative team that works on radio spots work on the direct mail efforts? When was the last time the account executive went to a client's trade show?