Spending time, seeing things from people’s perspective

WHILE the advertising world is often dominated by psychology, some believe that there are many benefits to using anthropology in B2B marketing.

Anthropology is the study of the everyday parts of a person’s life. So unlike psychology, it’s not about changing behaviour. It’s about understanding the nuances of how a product or service is used every day as a key insight into what to say to a businessperson about it.

Anthropology uses “key informants” to unearth insights: these are people with specialised knowledge, networks or influence.

Complex

These individuals can be fundamental in discovering the complex decision-making journeys of businesses in making a B2B purchase.

Anthropology tries to delve into the grey areas between more binary thinking (ie hot/cold, slow/fast). In business there are often many grey areas that people can’t box into categories.

For example the sales cycle may be longer because the purchase is a series of negotiations, rather than a yes/no answer. Anthropology can help tell the story of that particular sales cycle. Anthropology encourages explorative thinking.

We like to see the bigger picture and zoom in on what may seem like superfluous detail. For this reason we spend time with the client, looking at what the cultural truths that affect the sale may be.

Anthropology helps bring the humanity back to business. Spending time with people and seeing things from their perspective naturally makes you more empathetic. This pushes businesses to deliver more to their clients, helping them truly connect and add value. – Claire Denham-Dyson