In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict speaks to Jeroen Kuppens about how B2B marketers get caught up in online marketing theories.  Obviously everyone in a business knows that their work has to relate to business goals, right? …Right? Well, in the social media age, it is easy to get distracted, and B2B marketers are not immune to this. While marketers know their work has to contribute to the business goals, it’s very easy to read the success stories and endless...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to Scott Gainey about the challenges of creating a new category as a disruptive company.  In order for a company to be an innovator in the world today, it requires significant effort into creating something truly new for the industry you’re in. In the case of many B2B companies, this effort is put into creating a whole new category within the sector by offering a solution that reshapes how people view a type of product or...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict speaks to Pavlina Louki about the unique challenges of scaling a marketing function at pace.  There are several considerations when it comes to scaling a marketing function. The biggest of these is most likely bringing in exceptional talent that will help build the business. But when the business scales much more rapidly than average, everything changes. How can marketing leaders in such positions prioritise effectively in...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Uwe Hook to discuss the often overlooked issues around AI. It’s impossible to deny that AI has become one of the most hot-button topics in the world of business this year. There’s so much talk around how AI is going to change how people work across a variety of sectors. But concerningly,  the conversation hasn't spent enough time focusing on the implications of AI on people’s jobs. It’s important to not let...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to David Remaud about how AI will affect the future of MarTech. It’s no secret that AI is one of, if not the most talked about topic in business spaces. There is a lot to discuss regarding AI because it has the potential to totally change how we view marketing and how we work. But, while everyone tries to get their two cents on the matter, are we actually considering in what ways AI will be useful to us? What are the...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict chats to Ian Macleod about all things product proposition, and how B2B marketers can step up their product marketing. There’s no denying that there’s some incredible products available in B2B industries. However, a great product alone will not guarantee excellent marketing, let alone reaching the right audience for the product. That’s where the ideal product proposition comes in. But creating an effective proposition that will...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with John Huntinghouse to discuss how to build a culture of experimentation within B2B marketing. Within B2B, it’s very easy for marketing to fall in line. The status quo has an unhealthy grip on marketers. This isn’t necessarily due to a lack of desire to shake it up, but rather a series of hurdles that make it much more difficult. However, in order to break the mould and create marketing with an impact, it’s crucial...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Steffen Hedebrandt to discuss what B2B marketers really need to know about the buyer journey and data analysis. While it may seem that B2B marketers are masters of data, the reality is that very few actually understand what’s happening at any given moment in the buyer journey. This mostly comes down to marketers not having precise tools and accurate analysis methods to get a clear picture of what’s happening....

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to Kelly Brown about making every brand interaction count in B2B. While the current viewpoint is that B2C and B2B are more similar than ever before, there are still distinct differences that shouldn’t be neglected. One such difference is relating to customer experience. Unlike B2C, B2B has a finite pool of potential customers, so ensuring that every touchpoint with a customer is as optimised as possible for both the...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict chats to Andrea Linehan about marketing’s potential for driving revenue in B2B. There’s a problem with revenue in B2B marketing. Marketers are not maximising the potential for marketing to drive revenue when it is so crucial to the business’s success. Is the issue down to marketers not willing to put their reputation on the line, or are there bigger problems with current strategies? Either way, in order for marketing to justify...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict speaks to Lucy Birch about what a divestment means for B2B marketing, and the CMO’s role in guarding the business’s values. Divestments are unique opportunities as it provides a chance for marketing to re-shape the brand values so that they align with the business’s future. However, this is much easier said than done; it’s tricky to balance establishing new, authentic principles that will guide the business going forward and...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Nandik Barbhaiya to discuss how to get the board on board with brand. It’s fair to say that most marketers understand the intrinsic value of brand-building. Even if they are not prioritising it for their business, marketers know how building a strong brand helps the business longer-term. However, it can often be difficult for marketers, and even the CMO to articulate that importance to the board, especially if...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict speaks to Andrew Davies to break down the implications of M&A on marketing.  Mergers and acquisitions put companies in unique positions regarding their brand. When integrating marketing teams together, there is both an exciting and daunting opportunity to unify the new business and create a bulletproof brand that will progress the company forward post-M&A. But what do you really need to know about how to appropriately...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict chats to Sam Shrager about what truly effective content and SEO marketing looks like. It’s really easy to get caught up in the idea that you have to push out content to keep up certain appearances, but if you’re approaching content strategy this way, it becomes increasingly difficult to actually give your audience what they want. And it definitely becomes harder to make an impact on them. What do B2B marketers really need to...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Madlen Nicolaus to discuss how obsession with pipeline could have an impact on brand awareness. With an impending recession, there are valid concerns about how companies are going to hit targets. There has been a growing concern on how to optimise pipelines and ensure short-term results. Focusing too much on pipeline will take time and budget away from long-term brand building. There needs to be a balance of the...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to Birim Gonulsen about the consumerization of B2B, and the lessons B2B can learn from B2C. Historically, there was the assumption that B2B and B2C marketing are completely different and separate from each other. However, this is becoming increasingly less true. There will always be a distinction, but as it becomes more important to market to the individuals of a business as opposed to the vague idea of the business as a...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with James Watson to discuss all things thought leadership, and how it can educate B2B industries. Thought leadership is everywhere in B2B industries. However, it doesn’t always make a lasting impact on its target audience, and it almost never actually educates the target audience on a given concept. Effective thought leadership has to leave the audience with a piece of insight, and that they are walking away with...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to Malcolm Fried about the crucial need for evidence-based marketing. With technology and data ever changing the B2B industry, marketers have more evidence than ever to effectively activate campaigns. However, it would certainly seem that marketers still don’t take a truly evidence-based approach to their marketing. Why have marketers not embraced decision-making qualified with data? And what are their concerns regarding...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Ben O’Connor of alan. agency to discuss the truth behind B2B marketers’ ambitions and convictions. In alan. agency’s recent research report, ‘The Power of Provocation’, business leaders agreed that marketers needed to raise their ambitions and take charge of their work. However, is it true that B2B marketers have no ambition? Or are there numerous factors inhibiting a marketer’s ability to pursue and create...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Ilaria Pasquinelli to discuss all things regarding the Creative B2B Lions. B2B isn’t really known for being all that creative, at least historically, and the industry as a whole doesn’t fully understand its value. However, the advent of the Creative B2B Lions is signalling not only that creativity in B2B should be uplifted and celebrated, but also that there is a shift toward a more creative industry overall. But...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Faith Wheller about employee retention, coaching, and what the pandemic means for the future of working in marketing. It’s no secret that the working world is forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost two years of working from home has changed the way employees want to work, how they collaborate with their teams, and what expectations they have of their employers. Businesses are required to reconsider...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to Melton Littlepage about how the B2B buying journey is evolving, and how businesses can adapt to a new era. Buyers have more control over the process than ever before, and they could possibly go through the whole process without ever interfacing with the seller. Because of this and the buyer journey in B2B is so much more complicated than in B2C, marketers are discouraged from taking risks. But a new era is already...

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Adam Morgan, Executive Creative Director at Adobe, to talk about why the future of B2B is creative. In B2B, it’s already difficult enough to prove to businesses that creativity is a better long-term investment despite having ample well-researched studies stating exactly that. Then there’s the additional hurdle of companies not truly understanding what it means to be creative. Is there a traditional point of view...

In this special edition of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with the team at alan. to discuss their new report, ‘The Power of Provocation’. In 2017, business decision-makers fired a warning shot when 71% voiced their discontent. Five years, on the mob is angry. This year, 82% chastised B2B marketing as boring, predictable, repetitive. Frustration is boiling over. Through research conducted by alan, we argue for marketers to make B2B electrifying, deeply moving, and we...

In this final episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth of the year, Benedict and our lovely guests will bring us the thrilling conclusion to our provocative breakdown of B2B Marketing in 2022. With the world being so unpredictable, it is hard to truly know what’s coming next. But it’s important to think about the possibilities that come with the new year as it might have a bigger impact on marketers than initially thought. To conclude 2022, we reflect on what has and hasn’t stuck with...