Introduction: This year's 'Best' theme: Softer, gentler b-to-b brands

When manufacturers of mind-numbingly complex products—chemicals, microprocessors, servers and networking gear—dash, seemingly in unison, to reformat their marketing around such themes as humanism, environmentalism and social networking, you know something important is up.

Take Dow Chemical Co., winner of the TV category (page 32) in this year's BtoB's Best 2006: Top Marketers, Brands, Creative. Dow's elegant 90- second "Human Element" spot boldly recasts the company's brand by pointing out that life is more than a collection of chemical components. The "human element," it suggests, may not be on the periodic chart but is, nevertheless, essential to—and the beneficiary of—Dow's scientific prowess.

Likewise, Microsoft's $500 million "People-Ready Business" campaign, launched globally in March, makes an explicit connection between its software products and the human beings who will use them. " `People-Ready Business' is incredibly important for Microsoft in the way we market, sell and relate to both business and IT decision-makers," said Mich Mathews, senior VP-central marketing group at Microsoft Corp., and our Top Marketer for 2006 (page 4)....

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BtoB's Best 2006 Official Website

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