B2B Marketing that Made me Feel Things ? - April 2024

Best use of popular culture: Rillion ??

Rillion does AP Automation, competing with many largely identical solutions. But under the guidance of the new CMO Frida Ahrenby???? , it is investing in brand and exploring a new tone of voice. I dedicate this to everyone who says their vertical is too boring to create spicy ?? content.

Why it works: 'Fame' is a communications strategy 4x more effective than any other (source: Institute of Practitioners in Advertising). It relies on latching onto popular culture to get seen and be liked. Game of Thrones = popular culture. You get a banner ad that (for once) actually provokes curiosity. Job done. ??

Best 'you didn't know you needed this': TL;DV ??

tl;dv - AI Meeting Assistant are my long-time favourites when it comes to SaaS content. If you still haven't seen their Product Hunt launch video ??- you're missing out. If you've ever wondered how to make a feature demo that someone actually wants to watch (and show to others) - here is a lesson! ??

Why it works: 'It got me thinking about things that I could do with it that it wasn't meant to do.' Is it gonna work? Is it not? Oh hell yeah, you got my attention! ?? Also...dogs. Just...like...it's a reliable marketing tactic, honestly. ??

Best use of 'memes against all odds': Divly ??

Divly 's CEO Carl G?rdsell was scheduled to give a speech about crypto tax software. Sandwiched between a tax lawyer and...a local tax authority. How much TAX can a room really handle? Carl decided that his job is to stay true to the company brand (and the crypto bros) and entertain. Here's one of his slides. ??

Why it works: Context. People remember the beginning, the end, and the highlight. Decide to BE the highlight, even if it feels risky. In B2B, awareness is a much bigger concern than likability (source: The B2B Institute of LinkedIn). If you're still sceptical about this point - DM me, I have nerdy charts for you. ??

Best use of 'mirroring its audience': Semrush ??

Semrush is making all the 'one-person Marketing departments' feel seen with this Instagram post. (Have a watch, really!) Props to Olga Andrienko and...Chris. If you see a 'Chris' in your life, make sure you hug them. ??

Why it works: Strokes the ego of EVERY (junior / senior / head of) tired marketeer told to 'do more with less'. Makes a Marketer feel that their MarTech provider 'has their back', at a time when the profession seems to be widely misunderstood and undervalued. 'Has my back' = less likely to move to another provider. ??

Best use of 'huh?' copy: PostHog ??

PostHog helps engineers build better products, but it also has a soul and a sense of humour. ?? I will let you go down the rabbit hole that is their glorious ??homepage to enjoy the visual identity, but for me...this line stood out.

Why it works: It's 100% 'show not tell', and 'weirdly' feels more authentic and self-aware than the general BS of 'best-in-class', 'market leading' and 'cutting edge'. Adore this. ??

Btw, here's how you know you've built a brand and are nailing marketing...

-I'm analysing what our users do inside the product atm.

-Oh cool, how are you doing that? Hotjar?

-No, PostHog.

-Oh, I've heard of them. They're really cool. Love the brand. (NEVER used it.)

Best use of 'disarming humility': HOOLOOVOO

HOOLOOVOO Global is a Serbian development company I've never heard of, but became a fan of...5 mins after bumping into this ad. ?? That's a way to do a job ad - let you future boss front it! The ad leads here, addressing the elephant in the room (being: who the hell are you?!) head on, with humility and humour.

Why it works: A foreign company entering a new market (for employees, local clients it already has) knows exactly where it stands - it's at best invisible, at worst suspicious. So it adopts a 'challenger brand' mindset (the one most SaaS companies SHOULD btw ??) and flips the convention - 'humans' over 'candidates'. Hats off! ??

Best use of...Salt-N-Pepa ??: Nextel

A vintage pick for you, from Nextel, circa 2000, but resurfaced on my Instagram feed (of all places, huh?) last week. I see people (not necessarily the target audience) STILL hyping it up in the comments, I wish I was there to see what it did for the business numbers back then. ??

Why it works: Mass fame is a driver of growth of any business (source: The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science), it's just that in B2B we call it 'strategic appeal to the C-level as much as the end user'. ??

That's your selection for April. If you think it should be longer, send me your favourites for next time. ??

Greetings from Stockholm. ??

Diana