Marketing Communication in German and Japanese Manufacturing: A Human-to-Human Lens

The machine-tools industry constitutes a core foundation of global manufacturing, providing the precision technologies required across multiple industrial sectors. As the communication landscape evolves through an expanding mix of digital and traditional channels, industrial actors encounter new ways of accessing information and engaging with suppliers. Germany and Japan, two highly advanced manufacturing economies, offer distinct yet comparable contexts in which technological sophistication and long-term orientation shape communication and purchasing behaviour. However, it remains unclear how decision-makers navigate this growing variety of channels while sustaining the trust, credibility and relational depth required for complex, high-value industrial purchasing decisions. This thesis investigates how decision-makers within these environments navigate marketing communication channels. The study examines which communication channels are used, and why, by purchasing decision-makers in small and medium-sized enterprises in the German and Japanese machine-tools industries. The scope further includes the perspectives of next-generation professionals to identify emerging shifts in expectations and communication behaviour. Human-to-Human (H2H) interaction provides the analytical lens through which communication processes and their underlying drivers are interpreted. The research adopts an interpretivist Grounded Theory Methodology. Twentyfour semi-structured interviews were conducted across Germany and Japan, supported by transcription and iterative coding to retain cultural and generational nuance. Findings demonstrate that industrial communication remains fundamentally shaped by human interaction, even as digitalisation advances. Digital channels, including company websites, search engines, online videos, newsletters and social media, support early stages of information gathering, particularly for younger professionals. However, decisive phases of the purchasing process rely heavily on perceived credibility, trust and direct personal contact with manufacturer representatives. Generational distinctions are more visible than purely national ones: while both younger and senior decision-makers emphasise human exchange as essential for credibility, younger professionals rely more strongly on digital channels for early orientation and information access The study contributes to knowledge by offering a culturally grounded understanding of marketing communication behaviour in technologically sophisticated B2B environments. It culminates in the development of the Human-to-Human Industrial Communication Framework, which integrates key antecedents of H2H interaction with empirical insights to guide industrial firms in aligning digital accessibility with relational depth.