Marketing 18th Edition by William Pride,Ferrell

Exercise 3

General Electric Goes Social to Reach Business Buyers
With $147 billion in annual revenue, Connecticut-based General Electric (GE) is a global leader in equipment, software, and services for transportation, health care, energy, and other industries. Both Boeing and Airbus buy GE jet engines for their commercial aircraft. Hospitals and clinics on nearly every continent buy GE's ultrasound imaging equipment and GE's power management systems. Naval officers from many nations order GE's gas turbine engines to power their vessels. Construction companies across North America buy GE kitchen and laundry appliances for the new homes they build. Real estate developers, mining companies, and many other businesses worldwide arrange to obtain loans or lease costly equipment from GE.
Knowing that businesses, institutions, and government agencies need factual data about product features and usage, especially during the early stages of the business buying decision process, GE has put a tremendous amount of information online for quick and easy access. Whether users are thinking about upgrading existing machinery or purchasing agents are researching a product's exact specifications, they can find plenty of details, diagrams, and case studies on GE's websites, available at any hour with just a click or two. In addition, GE's sales and technical personnel are ready to help evaluate a business customer's needs on-site or by phone and suggest solutions tailored to each customer's unique situation.
Another reason for GE's ongoing success in business marketing is that it does not view members of the buying center as mere cogs in the buying process. In the words of GE's chief marketing officer, "customers are people too." GE's marketing experts work hard to make a human connection with both business customers and consumers through marketing communications that polish its image as an innovator in many fields of science and technology.
The social-media-based "Six Second Science Fair" is a good example. Company marketers posted a few six-second Vine videos of fun experiments to launch a virtual science fair on a special Tumblr page, inviting members of the public to submit their own six-second experiment videos. GE posted these videos on Tumblr and promoted them on Twitter using the hashtag #6SecondScience. The project quickly attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers. Individual videos went viral as viewers retweeted and revined their favorites, giving the GE brand even wider exposure in the business community and the media world.
GE's marketers launched another social-media campaign, "Gravity Day," as a low-key, fun celebration of how Newton got the idea for the principle of gravity by seeing an apple fall from the tree. Once again, GE invited businesses and consumers to submit six-second Vine videos, this time with the theme of dropping an apple in some creative way. Edited together, the segments formed a fun video in which an apple is tossed or juggled or otherwise moved from one video frame to the next. GE promoted "Gravity Day" on its social-media sites and, as before, was rewarded with media coverage and extensive social-media sharing.
Being a big company, GE has jumped into social media in a big way. "Gravity Day" and other Vine video projects are posted on GE's YouTube channel, along with corporate commercials and hundreds of videos demonstrating goods and services. GE's Facebook page has more than 1 million likes, and its Twitter account has more than 175,000 followers. GE also posts behind the- scenes photos of its facilities, new products, and other images on its Pinterest page, which has more than 20,000 followers. GE's Instagram page, which features photos of the company's innovative products and processes, has more than 155,000 followers. No matter where businesspeople click on social media, GE has a presence, offering numerous opportunities for customers to learn more about the company, its products, its people, and its principles.
GE's marketers demonstrate the company's technical capabilities and social responsibility by providing a wide range of goods and services for the Olympic games. Only a tiny fraction of the Olympics' worldwide viewing audience is in a position to buy energy generation systems, industrial lighting, medical imaging equipment, or jet engines. But seeing GE put its best foot forward during this high-profile event is sure to make a positive impression on those who can sign a purchase order or recommend a supplier.

Questions for Discussion
In which stage of the business buying decision process is GE's reputation likely to have the most influence on a railroad that is considering the purchase of new locomotives?