2. The New Paradigm: H2H Marketing

This chapter introduces the H2H Marketing Model composed of two levels connected by a cause-effect relationship. The first level consists of three concepts that influence H2H Marketing: Design Thinking, Service-Dominant Logic, and digitalization on the second level of the H2H Marketing Model; it becomes clear that H2H Marketing is applied threefold within the company: firstly, as a mindset for companies and employees (H2H Mindset), secondly as a management concept for strategic marketing (H2H Management), and thirdly as a business process for operational marketing (H2H Process). The three influencing concepts are Design Thinking (DS), Service-Dominant Logic (S-DL), and digitalization (D). Design Thinking contributes to H2H Marketing as human-centered mindset, iterative and agile innovation process and toolbox. Design Thinking paves H2H Marketing the way for regaining importance and value in innovation as a core process for companies, not only at the backend of innovation but at the fuzzy front end. The S-DL serves H2H Marketing firstly as a theoretical foundation in a world that is in transition from a Goods-Dominant Logic (G-DL) to an S-DL. Second, S-DL enables H2H marketing to change the perspective on value creation fundamentally with a remarkable shift in the roles of customers and suppliers offering and using their knowledge and skills in their networks or ecosystems. Digitalization as third influencing factor is imperative for H2H Marketing to understand the importance of the ongoing digital transformation of the core: the market itself. Digitalization affects the customer behavior and requires new competencies in marketing to handle the changing relationship with the customers as prosumer.