Impersonalization at Scale

Most B2B marketers think the funnel is working - marketing fills the top, sales closes the bottom. But new research from LinkedIn tells a very different story: on average, only 16% of buyers are actually reached by both marketing and sales. That’s what we call the “circles of doom.”

B-to-b creative tends to follow a set formula: product features + disembodied voice-over + generic visuals. You know what we’re talking about—stock images of professionals in gray suits sitting around a conference room table shaking hands. Text that describes your product in excruciating, quantitative detail. 111% ROI, 33% faster speeds, 77% reduction in costs. Generic attributes that could apply to any brand—“innovative,” “reliable.” And don’t forget the voice actor with the soothing baritone. And then, at the absolute last second, the big branding reveal.

The history of marketing is synonymous with consumer brands, but now B2B is the key driver of economic growth and it will be marketers who build those businesses. The marketing industry is obsessed with B2C brands. We love to talk about Coke and Pepsi, Rice Krispies and Frosties, Daz and Dove. Their every logo refresh and agency review gets covered in breathless detail. B2B is the opposite – nothing gets covered in any detail. “Put me on the B2B account,” said no creative director, ever.