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AI Is Bringing an End to B2C, and B2B Is Emerging as the Primary Battlefield
A Systematic Return from B2C to B2B Brand Management
Artificial intelligence is profoundly transforming the ways information is accessed, evaluated, and used to drive decision-making. This shift is not merely about enhancing marketing or communication efficiency; on a deeper level, it is reshaping how value is perceived, assessed, and selected. Against this backdrop, the brand system—long built on information asymmetry and communication scale—is undergoing a structural transformation.
From a theoretical perspective, the classic B2C mass marketing model rests on two fundamental assumptions. First, brands hold an information advantage over consumers. Second, brands can shape preferences in consumers’ minds through large-scale, repetitive exposure and emotional storytelling. However, the widespread application of AI is systematically eroding both premises. Instant search, comparison, integration, and evaluation have drastically reduced the cost of information access and comprehension, steadily narrowing the "selective information advantage" and "symbolic narrative space" on which brands once relied. When preferences can no longer be continuously shaped through repeated communication, the traditional strategic leverage of mass marketing begins to lose its effectiveness.
At the same time, AI is rapidly lowering the threshold for using marketing tools. Capabilities such as content generation, audience targeting, and campaign optimization are becoming increasingly standardized and algorithm-driven, evolving into widely replicable infrastructure. As tools cease to be scarce, the focus of competition inevitably shifts from communication techniques to deeper organizational capabilities. Questions that were once partially overshadowed by marketing performance—such as the reliability of products and solutions, an organization’s capacity for stable delivery and collaboration, and the clarity of its decision-making and governance structures—are returning to the core of brand evaluation.
It is precisely amid this structural shift that the importance of B2B brand management is being re-emphasized. Unlike B2C consumption decisions, B2B decisions are inherently collective, risk-sensitive, and have long-term consequences. Decision-makers are not concerned with immediate emotional experiences, but rather with whether an organization is trustworthy and capable of long-term cooperation and accountability. While AI can assist in complex information analysis and multi-variable comparison, it cannot replace an organization’s inherent responsibilities, credibility, and governance capabilities. In this sense, AI has not diminished the value of brands; instead, it has structurally eliminated superficial brands centered on communication and symbolism, while amplifying deep-rooted brands built on capabilities and credibility.
From the perspective of brand theory, this means that the concept of a brand is being redefined. A brand is no longer primarily a persuasive mechanism; instead, it is evolving into an institutional signal that communicates an enterprise’s capabilities, governance standards, and long-term value orientation to the market. This shift is not accidental; it is highly aligned with the overall evolution of economic activities from "attention competition" to "system credibility competition".
Against this theoretical backdrop, the core ideas put forward in B2B Brand Management, co-authored by Philip Kotler, Waldemar Pfoertsch, and Huang Zhe, continue to demonstrate strong practical explanatory power. The book clearly states that a B2B brand is not the result of communication activities, but a reflection of the long-term influence of an enterprise’s strategy, organizational structure, and operational methods. A brand is not "talked into existence"—it is "built into existence", ultimately manifesting in how customers and partners judge an enterprise’s overall capabilities.
These ideas are not outdated in the AI era; on the contrary, they have gained new practical validation. As information becomes more transparent and decision-making more rational, brands can no longer rely on one-way communication to create cognitive advantages. Instead, they must leverage genuine organizational capabilities and institutional arrangements to continuously prove their credibility. The book’s emphasis on brand-strategy alignment, the intrinsic link between brands and organizational capabilities, and the importance of brand governance is becoming a key theoretical tool for understanding the current logic of brand competition.
Against the backdrop of large-scale overseas expansion by Chinese enterprises, this theoretical framework holds particularly prominent practical significance. Unlike the globalization path of traditional consumer brands, many Chinese enterprises are not entering international markets first as end-user brands. Instead, they are embedding themselves in global industrial chains as manufacturers, technology providers, system integrators, or solution partners. Their primary customers are organizations rather than individual consumers, and the core of competition lies not in emotional identification, but in the ability to deliver long-term cooperation and performance.
While AI has indeed reduced the cost of information communication across languages, cultures, and markets, it cannot replace trust itself. Trust still needs to be established and maintained through consistent performance capabilities, clear governance structures, and stable value orientations. This makes B2B brand management no longer a secondary issue in the globalization process of Chinese enterprises, but increasingly a critical foundation for their ability to gain long-term international recognition.
From a broader perspective, AI has not ended the concept of branding—it has ended a certain misunderstanding of branding, namely the view of brands as mere communication techniques or marketing performance. Brands are returning to their essence as an external manifestation of an organization’s capabilities. In this sense, the focus of brand competition has not disappeared; instead, it has undergone a structural return, refocusing on core elements that determine long-term value: trust, capability, and governance.
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