Jon Lombardo and Peter Weinberg built a reputation as the gurus of B2B marketing, being named as the Les & Peter of B2B Marketing (by Les and Peter) and they took time out of their yacht hopping in Cannes to join me to talk about what they are up to since leaving the B2B Institute. Before we get into the details of the episode, in a highly controversial moment, Jon and Peter take time out to clarify and rectify a comment they made on the Uncensored CMO podcast recently.  Now getting into the conversation we have, we of course talk about their journey at LinkedIn and why they decided to leave. We dive into the core principles that guided their work at the B2B Institute, including the influence of Ehrenberg-Bass and Binet & Field on marketing effectiveness. They reflect on the impact they had at LinkedIn, helping elevate B2B marketing, and how they perceive the opportunities in B2B sector growth compared to B2C. They explain the challenges they faced with scaling traditional market research in the B2B sector, citing its high costs and slow pace. This led them to explore and adopt 'Synthetic Research' as a scalable solution that leverages AI to mimic customer responses accurately and cost-effectively - it is fascinating. We  discuss how their new company Evidenza aims to build finance-friendly marketing plans using synthetic research. This method allows marketers to generate reliable insights quickly and more affordably, democratising access to robust market research. They emphasise the importance of asking the right questions and how synthetic research can help marketers avoid limitations like 'survey fatigue' and 'survey remorse.' Jon and Pete also explore the unique benefits of working independently after leaving LinkedIn, highlighting their newfound creative freedom and ability to directly apply marketing theories to their business. Their vision for Evidenza is fascinating and speaking to them about it, the passion is incredible, their innovative approach is set to revolutionise the field by making customer insights more accessible, faster, and cost-effective.  00:16 Uncensored CMO comments rectified 01:10 Leaving LinkedIn: The Big Decision 01:28 Challenges in B2B Marketing 09:44 Global Marketing Insights 12:50 The Role of Finance in Marketing 16:12 Brand Consistency vs. Change 19:22 Introducing Evidenza 22:30 The Importance of Asking the Right Questions 22:38 A New Way of Marketing 23:36 Synthetic Research: Faster and Cost-Effective 24:29 Creating Synthetic Samples 25:55 Comparing Synthetic and Traditional Research 30:28 The Flexibility of Synthetic Research 33:24 Democratizing Market Research 43:01 Global Reach and Future Potential 45:12 Transitioning from LinkedIn to Startup The Cannes Sessions are brought to you by Freedman International Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.