How can challenger marketers target the right customer organization? The A-C-O-W customer organization profiling matrix for challenger marketing

Purpose This paper aims to help challenger marketers identify and target the right customer organization. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a customer organization profiling route to targeting for challenger marketing that is predicated on a thematic analysis of key findings of customer organization profiles from an international case study. Findings This paper introduces and explains the concepts of aggressiveness to succeed, compatibility of offerings, openness to new ideas and willingness to take action (or A-C-O-W) as components of a newly developed customer organization profiling matrix for challenger marketing. Research limitations/implications The A-C-O-W customer organization profiling matrix offers a fresh conceptual outlook for targeting customer organizations using a challenger marketing approach in the contemporary business-to-business (B2B) marketplace. Practical implications The A-C-O-W customer organization profiling matrix illuminates how challenger marketers can target the right customer organizations in the contemporary B2B marketplace. Originality/value The A-C-O-W customer organization profiling matrix is a pioneering concept for challenger marketing in B2B theory and practice.