A tale of David Beckham, B2B Marketing, and Bedtime Stories

Bobby Hare – VP, Relationship Growth @ Just Global

Anyone who spends any time on LinkedIn will know that a favorite pastime of some luminaries on there is to spuriously draw parallels between popular culture and the world of professional business.

Well, you can add another piece of thought leadership to that pile – but, hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ll be convinced that the Beckham documentary on Netflix is a treasure trove for B2B marketers looking to influence high-value, hard-to-reach audiences. Unconvinced? Read on…

For those not familiar, David Beckham is a global phenomenon. Such is his transcendent appeal and success, many people miss just how good he was at his original craft – playing football. Or soccer, depending on where you live. This devilishly handsome icon attained glorious heights, once being voted the second-best player on our planet, with many commentators opining that he was unfortunate to be cast as the bridesmaid.

Irrespective, Beckham’s story is a remarkable one. (‘Story’ is the operative word, so keep it in mind.) Fans poked fun at his perceived lack of intelligence, effigies were burned after his World Cup sending off in 1998, while press intrusion in his private life was off the charts. Nevertheless, this was a player whose on-field focus was laser-guided, a bit like one of his many free kick masterpieces.

Shortly after the release of his documentary, which this author binge-watched in time honored fashion, something interesting happened. In an era where football teams are guided by precise patterns and tactics, preferring to get closer to the goal frame before taking a shot, players started launching efforts from much further out. This was a change in behavior against the prevailing orthodoxy of the globe’s most popular sport.

And it wasn’t just amateur players on boggy pitches being watched by dog walkers and their furry companions. No, this was happening at the most rarefied layer of the game – the Premier League.

Football players notoriously live in a bubble and beyond a close circle of coaches and confidants, it is nigh on impossible to meaningfully influence them. It’s hard for them to live ‘normally’ because they get hounded when out in public. (A bit like that CEO or VP you’re currently trying to engage.) Many of them spend downtime from training and matches on unremarkable pursuits, such as playing video games or watching box sets.

Box sets. That brings us back round to the Beckham story.

We can’t say for sure, but there’s a clear statistical shift that illustrates top-level players shooting from longer distances at a notable rate, right after the documentary aired. (Beckham is an all-time great in long distance passing and shooting.) So, how can we interpret this notable trend?

One explanation could be that scores of players watched this well-polished show on a platform they likely spend lots of time on, especially since it was relatable to their careers and lives. What’s more, this isn’t just any bloke. It’s David Beckham, one of the most storied players in history – and that carries authority. Humans love proof points. ‘Do this, that will be the outcome. Next step, superstardom.’

I work with a lot of growth-driven B2B marketers. Very often, we receive a brief that centers on a desire to run paid media campaigns that will generate demand and deliver pipeline for the sales function. Media is vital to our business, but we also talk a lot about the importance of a connected experience, which is to say all the component dots – such as strategy, creative and analytics – must be joined together for success.

You need to understand your audience, what they are interested in and where they spend their time, both on and offline. But hitting them with a subpar message will lead to a subpar result. You need to capture their attention, excite them, and initiate a journey across multiple channels. (Incidentally, the Beckham documentary was supported by omnichannel advertising and PR that drove an irresistible word of mouth movement.)

And once you have their full attention, you need to tell a good story. Beckham’s wasn’t a run-of-the-mill chronological review of his career. It was a slickly-produced tale that made the audience at once be inspired, shocked, appalled and in awe. It’s tonality was a mixture of fact, opinion, humor and seriousness. It perfectly balanced the rational with the emotional, just like any B2B brand story that wants to achieve differentiation should.

If you want a no-nonsense answer to a question, always ask a child. I asked my eldest, who is six, “why do you like stories?” Her response was enlightening and instructive in its brilliant simplicity. “They’re nice. They tell you about things in a fun way and you can imagine. And I like it when you or mummy tell me stories at bedtime.” Right from when we’re young, stories are a brilliant comfort blanket. A device to get a point across in a memorable, disarming and warm way. This is so important in the world of B2B, where too many marketers are bogged down by commoditized features. You need to make your audience feel something, even if that is simply, “yeah, this company gets me and that would make my work life much easier.”

My daughter loves football. Maybe she’ll be whacking them in from 50 meters one day. Or maybe she’ll be a B2B marketer like her dad. Who knows? Her story is still being written.