Marketing Communications in b2b Segment on the Example of Julius Meinl

The choice of effective marketing communications directly affects the relationship between the brand and the outlet in the HoReCa segment, which is the part of the B2B market. Now the question of using various B2B communication tools at different stages of interaction of the sales funnel is open from the point of view of the natural coffee industry in the HoReCa segment. In addition, the issue of the interaction between a coffee brand and an outlet has not been studied at the level of scientific literature because initially the concept of "HoReCa" appeared based on marketing activities of alcohol and tobacco manufacturers. This has led to a shift in the study of the question and focus on creating an effective marketing mix of alcohol and tobacco brands. Also, based on an interview with the Director of marketing of the coffee brand Julius Meinl, it follows that at the beginning of 2020, the organization has a problem of outflow of loyal customers, which is not covered by the influx of the new ones. That is why the purpose of this work is to identify the key aspects that affect the choice of coffee brand in the institution at all stages of interaction between the company and people who are responsible for the selection of the coffee in HoReCa points of sale. The task is to make proposals for improving the marketing mix of the Julius Meinl brand based on market analysis and qualitative research. As part of this work, existing marketing communication tools were analyzed, the main market needs were identified, the competitive environment was analyzed, and key hypotheses were tested in the framework of a qualitative study. Thus, a complete picture of the natural coffee market in the HoReCa segment in the territory of the Russian Federation was obtained. Qualitative research has revealed the factors that influence the choice of coffee in the outlet at all stages of the "customer journey map". This information helped to prove and disprove a number of hypotheses. Thus, as part of the proposed recommendations for modifying the marketing mix of the Julius Meinl brand, the main emphasis was placed on the "promotion" element in order to increase awareness, as well as on reviewing the pricing policy in order to retain loyal customers.