The 95:5 rule is the new 60:40 rule

For B2B firms, investing in brand marketing is the best bet in good times, and it’s an even better bet in bad times when the pool of current buyers shrinks from 5% to 1%. “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.” That colourful quip comes from Warren Buffett, who built a $110bn fortune by deftly navigating economic downturns. So today, let’s ask ourselves the $110bn question: if Warren Buffett were a B2B marketer, how would he invest during a recession?

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.

Marketers have a toxic relationship with data. We love data, we fetishize data, we wax poetic about the glories of “data-driven marketing.” And don’t get me wrong, data is very important, especially in B2B. But not all data is created equal. We assume most data is good data. But it’s not. Most data is bad data. And sooner or later, our over-reliance on big bad data is going to cause a crisis.