Stop Treating Brand Like a Campaign (and Other B2B Realities) with Sarah Roberts. In the latest episode of Babel’s Back2Brave podcast, Ash Lockett is joined by Sarah Roberts - recently named a top 100 global CMO - to dissect what B2B tech marketing and comms is actually all about, why it feels like it's stuck in the past, and crucially, what to do about it.
Whether you're selling a billion-dollar infrastructure solution, or a mobile phone, you're selling to a human. Sarah argues that B2B marketing needs a fundamental shift to a more "B2Human" mindset. She details her experience at Boldyn Networks, where she led a massive global rebrand, using AI to build a distinctive visual identity that resonated with engineers (internal stakeholders) and buyers alike.
The conversation also covers:
- Why we need to stop treating "brand" as a short-term campaign.
- How to build internal trust (and champions) by executing "grit work" and pilots before asking for big budgets.
- The dangers and pitfalls of working with AI and how to protect originality in your work.
B2Human Marketing, Brand Transformation, and Proving Value - with Sarah Roberts of Boldyn Networks
Ash Lockett hosts Babel’s Back to Brave podcast, welcoming guest, Sarah Roberts, a top marketing leader and former Global CMO of Boldyn Networks, discussing how to champion a B2Human mindset in B2B by focusing on customers’ ambitions, fears, and motivations, alongside their product requirements. Roberts explains, combining research, internal stakeholder input, and iterative customer dialogue to shape messaging, especially across M&A, where Boldyn unified multiple businesses under a single purpose (centered on an interconnected future). She describes bringing teams along on the rebrand journey, using AI-generated imagery to create a distinctive visual identity that also built credibility with engineers, while noting AI’s limits for repeatable style and originality. Roberts outlines the “grit work”, that marketing leaders can't avoid, as piloting foundational initiatives to build trust and gain internal advocates. She also details aligning marketing metrics to business strategy, by moving from vanity metrics to value metrics tied to true revenue outcomes.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:45 Sarah Roberts Background & Bio
02:04 What B2Human Means
04:48 Finding Human Insights
08:38 Listening and Iteration
09:43 Unifying Brands After M&A
12:56 Rebrand Change Management
17:09 Engineers and AI Credibility
22:12 Brand Versus Performance Trap
23:16 Grit Work and Pilots
27:16 Turning Naysayers Into Champions
30:32 Measuring Brand Value Metrics
35:42 Brand Metrics Beyond Campaigns
38:04 Dashboards to Business Alignment
39:21 Sales Marketing Metric Handoffs
42:16 AI Visual Identity Experiment
48:25 Originality Trust and Human Edge
53:26 Implementing AI Without Tool Sprawl
57:35 Quickfire Bravery Takeaways
01:01:23 Create Value Without Permission
01:03:38 Closing Thoughts and Thanks
A creative B2B tech & telco marketing and PR specialist who helps B2B brands stand out from the crowd. With global experience and a mini-MBA in marketing, Ash works in partnership with our clients to enhance their overall brand positioning and targeting, executing tactical campaigns that generate long-tail demand.
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20+ years' experience leading M&A integration, brand and growth transformation for CEOs scaling and repositioning complex organisations across enterprise, public sector, B2B and B2C environments.Recognised as a PRovoke Media Innovator 25 EMEA, B2B Global CMO 100 honouree, US B2B Marketer of the Year Silver winner and B2B Marketer of the Year UK finalist.
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