International organisations are shifting marketing spend from traditional advertising to event marketing, reveals a new White Paper from Leeds University and First Protocol.

First Protocol ceo Richard Waddington said: It’s accepted that large B2B service firms use customer relational marketing to build brand loyalty. And the research shows that more of these companies have identified a need to shift their marketing strategies to incorporate a greater number of CRM events. But they are finding it challenging to make this a reality.”

The research, which involved CEOs of large companies such as BT, MasterCard and UTC is published as a White Paper entitled ‘CRM: What’s Love Got to Do with it?’, looks at how firms mature in CRM are seeking to develop customer relationships from the ‘transactional’ to the ‘interactive’ and it terms CRM implementation issues ‘The Love Factor’.

The research discovers that events are seen as a crucial part of firms’ communications mix by bringing clients together on a face-to-face basis. Although the research cites a range of different events as beneficial to CRM strategies, it investigates what it calls ‘low sell aspects’ and highlights ‘thought and content-led’ events such as conferences as being particularly effective initiatives.

Cautions are raised about the significant dangers of poorly-matched events and client needs, and suggests that companies need to put more thought into understanding the motivations of people at different levels to accept or decline event invitations.

Indeed, the paper concludes somewhat alarmingly that most CRM-related events are in practice reactive rather than being planned as part of an integrated communications programme, with little thought being given to attendee qualification, and it highlights key areas that companies need to address.

Conclusions (and some disturbing findings) include:

·         Seems to be a shift away from pure corporate hospitality to more content-inspired events

·         Crucial that companies target appropriate peer event audiences and try to understand what makes people at different organisational levels accept invitations

·         Need for more tailored programmes for senior level audiences

·         In practice CRM-related events tend to be largely reactive and sporadic

·         Generally not planned as part of CRM programme

·         Put together with insufficient lead-time

·         Scant thought for attendee qualification

·         Poor invitation decline management

·         When companies get them wrong, events can actually harm previously good relationships

A copy of the full White Paper is available from Adam Baggs at Friday’s Media Group – adamb@fridays-group.co.uk – 0207 917 1767