How to Understand and Succeed in Business Marketing in an Emerging Africa

Abstract

I was pleased to be able to review this book as new B2B books are rare and this one focused on Africa is particularly welcome. I was interested in seeing how the authors treated B2B marketing in different African countries, as, like Europe, individual countries are different from each other in terms of size, infrastructure, commerce and economic activity. There are some similarities between countries as well. In reading this text, the authors focused on only a few of the larger countries. In addition, some chapters have good African examples and others do not. The theory of B2B marketing is handled very well, and this book can be used outside of the African continent as well. The authors give reasons as why we should read this book: Excellent understanding of contemporary concepts and models of B2B marketing Ability to analyze the organization’s B2B environment Ability to develop relevant competitive and collaborative B2B strategies Excellent understanding and ability to analyze the organization’s positions in, and develop strategies for its networks, supply chains, clusters and business ecosystems New insightful understanding of their positions in business markets and how to strategize to improve their performance, particularly for executives and leaders of public institutions and non-governmental organizations. My general observation is that the authors did a good job as I feel that these objectives have been largely achieved. The book is divided into six main sections with section 1 dealing with the characteristics of the B2B market. This section is divided into two chapters, the first, the B2B market and the second, strategy in the B2B Market. Chapter 1 is a general introduction to B2B marketing, with a brief discussion of the marketing mix in B2B. It uses good examples of companies including African organizations in various African countries. The marketing concept in relation to B2B is also presented. There is an interesting discussion of the parties involved in B2B. The similarities and differences between B2B marketing and B2C are highlighted. The chapter ends of with a short case of Crispy Kreme in South Africa, and then short discussions of Kenya’s tourism sector, the motor industry development program in South Africa, the evolution of the Tanzanian innovation ecosystem and business relationships in an enterprise cluster of informal artisans in Ghana. The reader gets insights from the different countries in Africa from East to West and the South. Overall, this chapter gives the reader a good introduction to B2B marketing in general and the African context in particular.