Brave B2B: Turning a resolution into reality

While this is technically a ‘part two’ to my last blog (2026: The year of the B2B Rebrand), I’m not going to be mean and make you go and read that one if you haven’t already - although it is worth a read if I do say so myself. 

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The lowdown is that B2B marketing has basically become as dull as ditchwater. And that’s exactly why Babel held our ‘B2B Brave Gallery’ event at the end of last year. A blend of exhibition and discussion panel, we explored just how we got there and more importantly, how we can make braver B2B marketing choices. The following conversation was just too good to keep to ourselves  - hence, these blogs (you’re welcome!). 

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In the first blog, I summarised the great discussion we had on the night - exploring how marketers have become stuck in a cycle of short-term tactics, in a bid to secure as many marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) as possible to satiate sales teams. This left brand building all but forgotten in the corner, creating a ‘sea of sameness’ among B2B brands with little to differentiate them from one another.

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To break out of this, our panel of pros suggested that we need to combine the power of  emotion and brand building with a sustained but timely push for qualified leads. This ‘brave’ B2B marketing shake-up speaks to human buyers (because the last time we checked, it was still humans driving these decisions). Basically, we need to take a page out of B2C’s book and create Business-to-Human marketing (B2H). 

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While this might all resonate with marketers on the ground, we appreciate that getting internal buy-in is a whole other story. But don’t worry, we discussed that too! So, I’ll be rounding off this New Year period with some final insights from the event:

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• The tactics that might be holding you back from launching braver campaigns 
• How to secure that all-important internal buy-in
• How to establish a new metrics framework to match your new, braver approach 

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Finding your way out of the box 

How did we get here? Ever heard the term “nobody ever got fired for buying IBM?”. It’s basically that, but for marketing choices. Because we’re human, driven by emotions, we’re rightly and appropriately fearful of failure at work. Safe tactics are approved day in and day out, not just because they are ‘tried and tested’, but because they also rarely put anyone in the firing line. And this makes sense, I mean, no one wants to lose their job, right?

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But as our panellists argued, this is basically just stakeholder appeasement. Not rocking the boat in the short-term but also failing to deliver the necessary long-term pipeline for growth. With this mindset, marketing spend becomes a cost rather than an investment, being used as a tool to satisfy internal politics, instead of as a way to connect with human buyers and build a brand’s future.

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So, what can you actually change to make a difference in your marketing outcomes today? Well, there are a couple of main offenders you can address immediately to exit  that ‘sea of sameness’:

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• Whitepapers: I hate to say it (especially as a Content Writer) but we need to wave goodbye to 20+ page behemoths that no one actually reads. Think shorter, more impactful whitepapers that directly answer one key buyer issue, rather than lengthy musing on your products’ features. 
• Stock Images: Long deemed essential for any ‘serious’ brand, but in reality, they just serve to add to that generic brand appearance that plagues B2B. 
• Talking Heads: Again, they may well be the standard, but it doesn’t mean yours should just be standard. Creative distinctive assets to support these that elevate them beyond the boring clamour of B2B content. 

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Bringing the wider team with you 

The obvious problem with trying to change such deeply-embedded approaches is convincing internal stakeholders to trust in a brave, new direction. It’s no mean feat, but the payoff will be worth it. The key lies in striking that balance between bravery and practicality - and luckily, our panellists had some great ideas around this. First off, we have to address the obvious. Highly-creative campaigns have a bad reputation for going over budget and missing deadlines, and those concerns will likely be front of mind for stakeholders. So, it’s best to tackle these head on. Here’s how: 

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• Pre-shopping difficult stakeholders: Use these opportunities as a workshop to iron out any concerns that might get the project shot down in the room. Does double duty, making those stakeholders feel involved in the process and connecting them emotionally to the idea - in theory, making them less likely to say no. 
• Inspirational briefings: Bring a campaign brief balanced with data and inspiration. By that, I don’t mean flashy visuals, I mean an outline of what you intend the audience to feel, think and do. This will prove that your creativity and bravery is planted firmly in research and audience insight. 

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There’s no way to guarantee a yes, but these steps will certainly help internal stakeholders see the vision. 

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Building a new set of goalposts

It goes without saying that a new approach needs new metrics to match. You can’t grade brave but balanced brand campaigns against the goalposts you used for MQL-hunting campaigns. 

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This is where you can shift the wider conversation away from marketing as a cost, to marketing as an investment. 

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Our panellists recommended aligning your new metrics with your brand’s three and five-year strategy pillars, as well as your overall business targets. And, to avoid presenting brand building marketing and lead generation activity as separate entities. Instead, they suggested measuring them together in a holistic, integrated plan where brand building activities create the future demand and pricing power that lead generation will depend on, later down the line. 

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The ‘3Fs’ of brand performance were also a big factor in this conversation. Specifically, how you can measure factors such as the mental availability in the 95% of buyers currently not in the market, the emotional connection that your audience feels to your brand, and how recognisable your brand is as measures of success for brave, brand building campaigns. And, of course, tracking not just paid reach, but earned media value too. 

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Lasting change might be hard work, but it's worth it

Phew, thanks for sticking with me there, I appreciate it was a long one, but I was keen to capture as many of the gems from our discussion as possible. Hopefully, you’re leaving with a bit more of a practical insight into how to practice braver marketing. 

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Before I go, I’d like to leave you with something that one of our panellists said that really stuck with me. I can talk for hours about why we need to prioritise bold and brave B2B but this sums it up best:

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If you throw someone one ball (like say, a single-minded, bold proposition), they will catch it. But, if you throw them three or four balls at one (multiple safe, data-heavy messages), they will more than likely drop most, if not all of them - leaving your investment on the floor. 

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I don’t know about you - but I’d hate to see all my hard work wasted because it gets lost in a jumble of other, safe ideas. So why not push yourself to be that little bit braver? 

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