B2B Brands Embracing the Power of Branding Over Performance

Idea realisation

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Two years ago, we shared a prediction known as 'the Flippening'.

This event marks the point where B2B companies understand the significance of brand marketing over 'performance marketing'. B2B CMOs will then begin investing a minimum of 51% of their budget into top-of-funnel strategies.

When my colleagues and I left our positions at LinkedIn a few months back, some people thought it meant our B2B brand dream was over. They wondered if the performance marketing empire had won or if the bottom-funnel-feeders had taken us down with their Mickey Mouse metrics.

But that's not the case. In fact, we are even more enthusiastic about our brand than before. The Flippening is happening!

When we departed from LinkedIn, brand advertising had become one of the most rapidly expanding areas of the company. A B2B Benchmark Report released by our alma mater in May 2023 revealed that B2B marketers intended to allocate 30% of their budget towards brand building.

Remember, data is important. However, it's also crucial to consider the trend.

After spending a decade battling the War on Brand, we discovered that data can only take you so far. What truly makes an impact are real-life examples, or 'anecdata'. While it's important to present your finance team with the 900 charts from Les Binet and Peter Field's influential study, The Long and the Short of It, there's another powerful tool you can use when the presentation ends. Simply whisper in the CFO's ear, "Salesforce is doing it."

Many companies tend to focus more on their competitors rather than their customers, which is unfortunate but true. However, you can use this knowledge to your advantage. In order to succeed in a brand campaign, it's not enough to just have evidence that it works. You also need to show that other B2B brands believe in its effectiveness.

When we were just starting out, we looked to Salesforce as a prime example of successful B2B brand building. In our opinion, IBM pioneered B2B brand building, GE perfected it, and Salesforce took it to the next level. Take, for instance, their recent project called 'The Candy Shop'.

This ad checks off all the boxes for a top brand. It immediately catches your attention with a fun and fast-paced approach. The main message it delivers is that AI has the power to make every worker a genius. In this new era of AI, 'Everyone is an Einstein' could easily be the winning tagline. The ad stands out with the Salesforce logo appearing right away, alongside one of its charming and iconic characters. It effectively showcases the product without overwhelming viewers with too many details. Plus, it will be promoted across all major mediums in key markets.

Just five years ago, it was rare to come across Ehrenberg-Bass-style marketing in B2B. Today, there are so many examples that it's impossible to list them all in one column.

But, by God, we will try!

Brands flying the B2B flag

To convince your CFO to spend more, consider combining data with anecdotal evidence.

Let's talk about ServiceNow. You might not be familiar with ServiceNow, but it actually has a larger market value than Ford and Ferrari put together. ServiceNow is gaining recognition for its strategic branding efforts. Take a look at the impressive projects by their skilled team (shown below) and you'll see their successful strategies in action.

The advertisement includes all the important areas for the brand, such as enterprise application development and HR management software. However, it also acknowledges the emotions associated with these purchases. Dealing with unresponsive colleagues can be frustrating, network outages can be stressful, reading case histories can be boring, and so on.

Check out this amazing creative from CS Disco! It's part of a series of three funny vignettes that revolve around important buying scenarios. The character, 'Lady J', not only connects the ad to the Disco brand but also ties the brand to the legal category. And all of this is done in just 15 seconds!

Brand characters are thriving in the world of B2B, and Asana provides a great example with their work-monsters who battle the 'Sunday scaries'. Characters don't always have to be cute creatures or glamorous actors. Intel, known for having the most unique audio asset in B2B, won a Cannes Lions award last year for their creative campaign featuring their own employees as the stars.

Mastercard's B2B solutions are described as 'Priceless'. Toast uses its phantasmagorical brand advertising to tame restaurant chaos. SAS has the ability to transform a billion points of data into a unique point of view. Mailchimp specializes in turning 'clustomers' into customers.

Once upon a time, B2B brand building was mainly found in books and white papers. Now, it's all over the internet and social media, turning potential buyers into profits for businesses of all types and sizes. B2B marketing has evolved from being dull to being creative, unique, and memorable.

We are moving away from the old ways of direct-response advertising and entering a new era of brand building and innovation.

This isn’t the Empire Strikes Back. It’s the Return of The Jedi.

Welcome to the Flippening.

Peter Weinberg and Jon Lombardo were the heads of research and development at LinkedIn’s B2B Institute. Their new venture will come out of stealth and launch to the public on 1 May.

Editor's P/S:

The article highlights a significant shift in B2B marketing, known as "the Flippening," where companies are prioritizing brand marketing over performance marketing. The authors, former executives at LinkedIn, argue that this transition is essential for B2B businesses to connect with customers on a deeper level and drive long-term growth.

They emphasize the power of real-life examples and anecdotes in convincing decision-makers of the effectiveness of brand building. They provide several compelling case studies, including Salesforce's "The Candy Shop" campaign and ServiceNow's strategic branding initiatives. The authors also note the increasing popularity of brand characters and creative storytelling in B2B advertising, highlighting the shift towards more engaging and memorable experiences for potential buyers.. They provide several case studies of successful B2B brand campaigns, such as Salesforce's "The Candy Shop" and ServiceNow's strategic branding efforts. These examples demonstrate how B2B brands can effectively communicate their value propositions and differentiate themselves in a competitive market. The article concludes by emphasizing the transformative nature of this shift and the potential for B2B marketing to become more creative, innovative, and impactful.