Business to consumer and business to business marketing

In the world of marketing, two specific environments exist: business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C). What are the two primary differences in these environments? Give an example of a company engaged in each environment and describe the primary product being marketed in each. What is the environment of the marketing simulation in which you are participating?

The primary differences between business to business and business to consumer is the overall target market that marketers are attempting to attract. In certain instances, a consumer has very different characteristics as compared to a business. Consumers for example have a different financial profile that most businesses. They also have different use cases as compared to businesses. As a result, the overall value proposition for marketers will be different for consumers and businesses. For example, Dell computers tends to sell its products to both consumers and businesses. In the case of businesses, Dell tends to emphasize security features and efficiency gains that can be achieved by businesses. Consumers on the other hand, will often look for other features that cater to their own individual needs. Here, these needs can vary dramatically and therefore requires a different marketing approach. The same approach can also be applied to construction companies such as Lennar. Here the financial element that the company can provide both consumers and businesses can vary dramatically. Here, businesses tend to purchase product in bulk and in very large quantities. Consumers tends to purchase product on a individual basis and often have varying product needs. The marketing simulation I am participating in an oligopoly. Here, a few competitors tend to control a large portion of the overall business and industry environment. This creates a much more advantageous marketing environment as it relates to pricing as competition is not as fierce within this environment. In addition, competitors in this simulation often compete based on product specifications which allows marketers to better pinpoint individual customer needs (Dwyer, 1987).