How (and why) Microsoft has transformed its B2B marketing focus from product to people

Geoffrey Precourt

Microsoft, the technology giant, has transformed its business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategy in a holistic way.

Microsoft’s business-to-business marketers need to understand a broader audience than ever before.

“Over the last few years, we’ve seen increased complexity in the B2B decision cycle, with larger buying committees,” reports Caroline Keene, interim CMO and senior director/cloud integrated marketing at the tech giant.

“At Microsoft, we used to engage mainly with the CIO and her department. Now, the CMO, CFO, and HR are all critical in the decision-making process.”

The immediate consequence for brand stewards, Keene told the 2020 Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) Masters of B2B Marketing Conference, is that enterprise-focused marketing “now has a larger role to...

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