Seminar Report
The 3rd DX Forum Accelerated by Data
Keynote by Philip Kotler
Marketing 5.0 Focused on B2B Marketing

Last Updated:
November 21, 2025

Hello! This is Watanabe from the uSonar Marketing Team.
In this post, I will report on the special lecture titled "New Developments in B2B Marketing," held on October 1st, featuring Philip Kotler, the American marketing scholar known as the "Father of Modern Marketing."

Table of Contents

1Today's B2B Marketing and Latest Technologies

2Data Utilization Required by Today's Enterprises

3Overview and Importance of H2H Marketing

4New Marketing Direction: Human to Human

Today's B2B Marketing and the Latest Technologies

Mr. Kotler began by explaining how the landscape of B2B marketing has changed significantly over the past few decades.
In the past, companies introduced new products or services even to uninterested prospects, and branding or advertising was rarely utilized.
Today, however, new tools and concepts are emerging one after another. Mr. Kotler views AI, in particular, as a groundbreaking technology that is driving major shifts in marketing. Specifically, he highlighted technologies such as AI, Generative AI, Machine Learning, the Metaverse, IoT, robotics, drones, and blockchain.

Building on this, Mr. Kotler introduced the concept of "Transformative Marketing (TM)." He stated that it is essential to combine the new-age technologies mentioned earlier with human insight to revolutionize the interaction between companies and customers, thereby creating more personalized and immersive customer experiences.

TM p6.PNG

He also introduced the ongoing shifts in marketing tools for realizing the customer journey, such as AI-driven targeting, ad creation, and content personalization. He explained the importance of adopting a perspective on how to integrate and utilize AI and other tools across each phase of the "5A (Aware, Appeal, Ask, Act, Advocate)" framework.

Data Utilization Required for Today's Enterprises

Based on these shifting trends, Mr. Kotler discussed the key factors essential for today's companies to remain competitive and ensure long-term survival. Specifically, he highlighted the following points:

Practicing Marketing Based on Customer Data
Building Systems Where Data Interconnects to Achieve Strategic Objectives
Recognizing Social Responsibilities Such as Sustainability
Acting for the Benefit of All Stakeholders, Especially for the Happiness of Employees
Recruiting Skilled Business School Graduates, Engineers, and Lawyers
Digitizing Operations and Automating Numerous Administrative Tasks
Substantial Investment in Computers, the Internet, Social Media, and AI
Customizing Services to Optimize Offerings for Individual Customers
Collecting Customer Data and Implementing Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics

To achieve these goals, Mr. Kotler emphasizes the importance of "properly collecting customer data and applying predictive analytics through machine learning and other technologies." To this end, it is necessary to customize offerings and services to enable more personalized proposals.
Furthermore, he stated that building a "Strategic Data Ecosystem" is essential, requiring the design of systems that collect and update customer data while utilizing AI for analysis.

Overview and Importance of H2H Marketing

Mr. Kotler noted that a major trend today is that business transactions are becoming increasingly transactional, meaning they are becoming mechanical and devoid of human interaction.
He emphasized the need to reintroduce empathy as purchases from large corporations increase and interpersonal relationships decline. By using H2H marketing, companies can combine advanced technology with personalized human interaction to strengthen customer relationships.

H2H marketing is based on the concept of "High Tech and High Touch," aiming to balance the use of digital technology with human-to-human interaction. Through these practices, it is possible to foster empathy and emotional connection with customers, thereby building deeper relationships.

New Marketing Direction: Human to Human

Mr. Kotler emphasized the importance of H2H marketing, which balances benefits for marketers with value for customers, and noted that an ethical approach is essential. New Marketing_p23.PNG

At the end of the seminar, time was set aside for participants to ask Mr. Kotler questions directly. Mr. Kotler responded positively to every question, frequently remarking, "That is an interesting question" or "That is an important perspective."

uSonar Co., Ltd. will continue to host events that provide useful insights for your business. We hope you will join us for any future events that interest you.

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About the Author

uSonar Editorial Department

MX Group Editor-in-Chief

We are the uSonar Editorial Department.
We provide information on data utilization and digital technology to help companies, primarily in the B2B sector, rethink their future business operations.