Sales Over Night, Brand Over Time
CMO Confidential
The Marketing Podcast for those looking to navigate the ever-changing waters of marketing the C-Suite and the board room
CMO Confidential Newsletter: Week of Nov 11th
The Inherent B2B Marketing Problem – And What To Do About It
Hosted by Mike Linton with guest Tom Stein, Chair & Chief Brand Officer of Stein IAS
This episode dives into the complex world of B2B marketing with Tom Stein, an industry veteran and B2B brand champion. Together, they unpack why B2B marketing often falls short of its potential and explore actionable ways to change that narrative.
Top 5 Insights from This Week’s Episode
1. The B2B Momentum Is Real Tom asserts that B2B is far from a "recession" or “trough” as some believe, calling this decade the “B2B Decade.” He says, “There’s real energy and momentum in B2B, driven by advancements in AI, market demand, and the potential of brand value.” B2B’s evolution, Tom believes, is only gaining speed, poised to outperform other sectors as it increasingly embraces technology and data.
2. The Rise of B2B Brand Value One of Tom’s most compelling insights is around brand investment in B2B. “B2B is leaving a trillion dollars in brand value on the table,” he shares, citing recent data from Brand Finance. B2B companies are starting to realize that brand-building isn’t just for consumer businesses; brand equity can significantly boost enterprise value. Tom believes B2B organizations that recognize this shift will be the frontrunners in the years to come.
3. B2B’s Need for Big Ideas - Creative Effectiveness Matters Gone are the days when B2B marketing could get by with “three yards and a cloud of dust.” According to Tom, today’s B2B landscape demands “big, long ideas”—concepts that span the entire customer journey and engage buyers across multiple channels. “An idea must be big enough to stick, and long enough to endure,” he emphasizes. In a space with complex buying cycles, marketers need strategies that capture attention, hold it, and drive meaningful engagement from awareness through decision.Tom believes that creativity in B2B often takes a back seat to data and performance metrics, to its detriment. “We’re only just starting to see B2B embrace creativity as a driver of effectiveness,” he explains. Creativity shouldn’t be confined to consumer marketing; it’s a powerful asset in B2B as well, especially as buying cycles lengthen and competition increases.
4. Bridging the Brand-Demand Divide - Structure for Success vs. Optimizing the Parts One of B2B’s biggest challenges to marketing success, is the disconnect between brand-building and demand generation. “Brand lives here, with its own budget and KPIs, and demand is over there, with a separate set,” he notes. This siloed approach weakens results and fragments strategy. Tom advocates for a seamless transition from brand to demand, with alignment not only between marketing and sales but across every touchpoint in the customer journey. He sites Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs), a common B2B metric, as an example of the short-term focus that hinders long-term success. “MQLs are a symptom of things being wrong—easy to measure but often disconnected from real value.” True growth requires metrics that go further and focus on the entire customer journey from initial interest through to sales and repeat purchase. 5. Trust and Structure: The Foundation of Effective Growth vs. Optimization In Tom’s view, trust in your team and a comprehensive marketing structure are essential to B2B? growth. He urges B2B leaders to cultivate environments where marketing is seen as a growth driver in addition to sales support. “If you can’t build trust in marketing’s strategic role, it’s going to be a tough battle,” he warns. Companies that position marketing as a core growth function, with the necessary autonomy and executive buy-in, will be better positioned to make meaningful impacts. Tom offers? advice for marketers looking to make a meaningful impact in B2B: seek roles in companies that believe in marketing. “Look your potential colleagues in the eye—especially the CRO and CEO—and gauge whether they see marketing as a growth engine or just a support function.”?
WHAT YOU SHOULD READ OVER THE WEEKEND:
StockX CEO Outlines the Vision
Robert Flack Talks Einride
What Does A Second Trump Presidency Mean For DEI
Next On the Show - Chris Andrew, CEO, Scrunch AI
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