The changing B2B customer’s behaviours and expectations, driven by the digital technologies advances, are leading more and more industrial companies to embrace the digital transformation on par with their B2C counterparts: this Thesis aims to analyse in detail this transformation and its impact on the B2B organizations, with a particular focus on the changes it determines on their marketing functions. Specifically, in the first chapter a comprehensive literature review on the topic is presented: through a study of the different definitions provided by disparate authors, it has been conceived a definition which summarises the various notions of the digital transformation term. Then the advantages, challenges and determinants of such transformational change are explored. Finally, the peculiarities of the digital transformation in the B2B realm have been traced by analysing three key dimensions, that are: the “business model”, the “customer experience” and the “data and advanced analytics”. After this deep overview of the digital transformation as a whole and in the B2B context, in the second chapter its impact on B2B companies operating in a traditional industry like the Oil and Gas one, it has been analysed. Namely, starting from a study of the Oil and Gas industry’s features, the main dimensions characterizing the digital transformation in such industry and the key factors which are considered to be fundamental in facing the industry ecosystem transformation are introduced. In the third chapter, starting from the trends influencing the B2B marketing and by tracing their implications, the main B2B marketing’s dimensions affected by the digital transformation (i.e. new B2B marketing strategies and methodologies and the establishment of a marketing technology architecture) have been identified in a systematic way. Afterwards, the different components of these dimensions, as well as the evolution of the B2B marketing function in terms of organizational activities overseen, control over the stages of the sales funnel and interactions with the other functions, are listed and analysed in detail. Finally, in the last chapter the observations on the building blocks, skills and competences needed to successfully drive a B2B marketing digital transformation are described.
Il cambiamento nei comportamenti e nelle aspettative dei clienti busines-to-business, spinto dall’evoluzione delle tecnologie digitali, stanno portando sempre più aziende B2B, al pari delle loro controparti B2C, a considerare la digital transformation: questa Tesi ha l’obiettivo di analizzare in dettaglio questa trasformazione e il suo impatto sulle aziende B2B, con un focus sui cambiamenti che essa determina sulle loro funzioni marketing. In particolare, nel primo capitolo viene presentata un’ampia revisione della letteratura sull’argomento: attraverso uno studio delle diverse definizioni enunciate da svariati autori, è stata concepita una definizione che include le varie nozioni del termine “digital transformation”. In seguito, sono analizzati i vantaggi, le sfide e i fattori decisivi di questa trasformazione. Infine, le peculiarità della digital transformation nel contesto B2B sono state tracciate analizzando tre aspetti principali: il “business model”, la “customer experience” e i “data and advanced analytics”. Dopo questa analisi approfondita della digital transformation nel suo insieme e nel contesto B2B, nel secondo capitolo viene analizzato il suo impatto sulle organizzazioni B2B che operano in un settore tradizionale come quello dell’ Oil and Gas. Precisamente, partendo da uno studio delle caratteristiche del settore Oil and Gas, vengono introdotti gli aspetti principali che caratterizzano la digital transformation in questa industria e i fattori essenziali per gestire questa trasformazione. Nel terzo capitolo, iniziando dai trend che stanno influenzando il marketing B2B e definendo le loro implicazioni, sono state identificate in modo sistematico le principali dimensioni del marketing B2B che sono interessate dalla digital transformation (le nuove strategie di marketing e la creazione di architetture tecnologiche). In seguito, sono analizzati in dettaglio i differenti componenti di queste dimensioni, così come l’evoluzione della funzione marketing B2B in termini di attività presidiate, controllo sulle fasi del sales funnel e interazioni con le altre funzioni aziendali. Infine, nell’ultimo capitolo, sono esposte alcune osservazioni riguardanti gli elementi chiave, le abilità e le competenze necessarie per intraprendere in modo vincente la digital transformation della funzione marketing nel contesto B2B.
Analysis of the digital transformation's effects on B2B organizations and their marketing function
ANDREAUS, DAVIDE
2018/2019
Abstract
The changing B2B customer’s behaviours and expectations, driven by the digital technologies advances, are leading more and more industrial companies to embrace the digital transformation on par with their B2C counterparts: this Thesis aims to analyse in detail this transformation and its impact on the B2B organizations, with a particular focus on the changes it determines on their marketing functions. Specifically, in the first chapter a comprehensive literature review on the topic is presented: through a study of the different definitions provided by disparate authors, it has been conceived a definition which summarises the various notions of the digital transformation term. Then the advantages, challenges and determinants of such transformational change are explored. Finally, the peculiarities of the digital transformation in the B2B realm have been traced by analysing three key dimensions, that are: the “business model”, the “customer experience” and the “data and advanced analytics”. After this deep overview of the digital transformation as a whole and in the B2B context, in the second chapter its impact on B2B companies operating in a traditional industry like the Oil and Gas one, it has been analysed. Namely, starting from a study of the Oil and Gas industry’s features, the main dimensions characterizing the digital transformation in such industry and the key factors which are considered to be fundamental in facing the industry ecosystem transformation are introduced. In the third chapter, starting from the trends influencing the B2B marketing and by tracing their implications, the main B2B marketing’s dimensions affected by the digital transformation (i.e. new B2B marketing strategies and methodologies and the establishment of a marketing technology architecture) have been identified in a systematic way. Afterwards, the different components of these dimensions, as well as the evolution of the B2B marketing function in terms of organizational activities overseen, control over the stages of the sales funnel and interactions with the other functions, are listed and analysed in detail. Finally, in the last chapter the observations on the building blocks, skills and competences needed to successfully drive a B2B marketing digital transformation are described.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2019_10_Andreaus.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/149694