Insper hosted, from October 2nd to 4th, the first regional event of the academic journal Industrial Marketing Management (IMM) in South America. The event brought together about 40 specialists, including academics and market professionals, to discuss the latest trends and challenges in B2B marketing. The initiative, organized by professors Carla Ramos and Danny Pimentel Claro, aimed to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, promoting knowledge exchange and the development of joint projects.
Professor Carla Ramos highlighted the importance of the event for building bridges between the two worlds. "The event surpassed our expectations, with extremely positive feedback from the participants. The exchange of ideas between academics and executives was essential to strengthen research networks and generate collaboration projects," she said.
The highlight of the first day of the event was a roundtable that brought together executives and academics, with representatives from Suzano and Grupo Boticário. "This interaction was very rich and showed how academia and the business sector can collaborate to solve practical challenges," Carla pointed out. On the following two days, 20 academic papers from 13 countries were presented. The sessions featured an innovative format, with 30 minutes per presentation, including 15 minutes for discussion, which provided valuable feedback for researchers.
Professor Danny Claro highlighted that the summit was fundamental for consolidating the B2B marketing area in Latin America. "The event promoted a strong approximation between academia and practice, allowing academics and professionals to share knowledge and experiences. Moreover, it fostered the consolidation of a network of researchers in the region, encouraging future collaborations and the development of applied research relevant to the Latin American context," said the professor.
With the participation of researchers from various countries, the event presented a rich diversity of cutting-edge studies in B2B marketing. "During the event, the presentations allowed the authors to receive valuable suggestions to advance their research, which enhances the quality and visibility of the conducted research," highlighted Danny.
Industrial Marketing Management (IMM) is the leading academic journal worldwide on industrial and business marketing. The journal publishes cutting-edge research from researchers and professionals around the world, aiming to help companies improve their performance and productivity. The journal's editor, Adam Lindgreen, celebrated the success of the event at Insper. One of the highlights, according to him, was the workshop that promoted collaboration between academics and professionals to address market challenges, exploring how academic research can generate value for society. "It was a pleasure to see the enthusiasm with which everyone engaged in this challenge," he said.
Lindgreen said he was "extremely satisfied" with the event results. "The quality of the papers presented was of the highest level," he stated. "We must also highly praise our local co-organizers, Carla and Danny, as well as the entire Insper. We couldn't have asked for better colleagues to work with. Now, we look forward to the next regional summit in South America."
The roundtable between academics and executives was one of the participants' most highlighted moments. "It was very nice to understand more about the reality and doubts of academic professionals," said José Luiz Ronchetti Filho, Vice President of B2 Channels of Grupo Boticário. There was a very rich exchange to build a positive agenda of closer collaboration between academia and company executives."
Guilherme Dabdab, Executive General Manager at the cellulose and paper manufacturer Suzano, also emphasized the need for deeper interaction between academia and industry. "The opportunity to participate in the roundtable not only allowed us to share Suzano's initiatives in B2B marketing and go-to-market strategies but also helped us understand how we can enhance these actions through partnerships with the academic world," he stated.
In his lecture, the keynote speaker Christopher Plouffe, Professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), addressed the growing importance of marketing research for strategic decision-making. He highlighted the need to prioritize projects that generate relevant insights for companies and shared practical tips for optimizing project management.
For Plouffe, the event at Insper "showcased what we so often talk about — but rarely achieve — in marketing, which is putting academics and professionals to work together, listening, and learning from each other." Overall, Plouffe summarized his perception of the summit as follows: "The event was excellent, from beginning to end. It presented Insper and its faculty, staff, and facilities as a truly world-class business school."
During the event, a workshop on the development of academic articles was held. Adriana Luri Minami, an Alumna of the Professional Master in Business Administration (MPA) at Insper, participated in the workshop and highlighted its importance for solving practical challenges. "The event provided me with a scientific approach to solving a problem in my business. I have already discussed the application of these new tools with my partner, and we will use them in our next interviews with clients," said Adriana, co-founder of AMAI, a company that sells organic cotton pads.
Another participant in the workshop, Fábio Duran, CEO of the marketing agency 8D Hubify, expressed his enthusiasm for the academic world, which is new to him. "It is very important and valuable to exchange content and interact with such brilliant minds. I return home full of insights to apply and improve my company's performance," said Duran, who is also an Alumnus of the MPA and won the best paper award at the event, alongside Marcos Severo, Giuliana Isabella, and Colin Gabler.
The awarded paper deals with an application of artificial intelligence in B2B marketing: "How AI leverages lead generation with instant messaging apps: Chatbots versus Landing Pages in the B2B customer journey." "We are very pleased that the best paper award stayed at Insper," commented professor Carla, explaining that the choice was made exclusively by the editors of Industrial Marketing Management, without the participation of Insper's faculty. She also highlighted that the journal is expected to publish a special edition with the best papers presented during the event.
In terms of results, the summit generated several opportunities for international collaboration. Carla mentioned invitations for new projects in partnership with renowned institutions such as Copenhagen Business School and Texas A&M University. "The quality of the event impressed the professors, who showed great interest in joint research," said the Insper faculty member. Furthermore, the summit resulted in the creation of the Latin American chapter of the Global Sales Science Institute, strengthening the network of researchers in the region.
Professor Danny highlighted that the summit reinforced Insper's position in the international B2B marketing community. "With two faculty members actively engaged in B2B marketing research, the event further strengthened the importance of this research for the Insper community, attracting the attention of researchers and professionals worldwide," he stated.