Brand is more

important

than ever

No more playing second fiddle to B2C. Finally, the whole tech B2B market is waking up to the power of brand.

Question 01

Comparing 2021 to 2020, were your organisation's marketing priorities any more or less focused on brand building and brand awareness? (answers for net more focussed)

Question 02

On a scale from being fully led by brand and being fully led by product, where would you rate your marketing?

Question 03

How well, if at all, do you feel you fare against your competitors in terms of a distinctive brand identity? (answers for net well)

Question 04

Comparing this year to last, were your organisations marketing priorities more or less focussed on brand marketing? (answers for net more focussed)

Expert Perspective:

How important is brand in B2B tech marketing?

Dmitry Shamis

Global Head of Creative, HubSpot

This is something we’ve been thinking about a lot as we actually just released our first ever brand campaign.

In enterprise-grade software, your customer is very rarely just ready to buy. That decision has major implications, and there are usually lots of people are involved. It’s important to make your brand known, so that when your buyer is ultimately ready to make a decision, you’re present at the top of their mind.

I don’t think you’re going to do that solely through product marketing. Some people might get excited by a list of features or a new beta, but most people won’t. That’s not going to make you stand out.

But if you can create an emotional hook, if they like your style, then when they do need your product, you’ll have already created that connection – and maybe they’ll bring you into the consideration phase.

“When your customer is ready to make a decision, you need to be at the top of their mind. I don’t think you’re going to be there solely through product marketing.”

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Chapter 03: Key Findings

With pressure from stakeholders and sales teams, it’s possibly no surprise that B2B tech marketing has traditionally emphasised demand generation and product-focused approaches. But this immediate gratification tended to come at the expense of long-term brand building.

Now, that tide has turned. Almost eight out of ten respondents told us their marketing is more focused on brand building today than it was a year ago. And the proportion who’ve increased their focus on brand marketing has increased from 54% last year to 81% today.

In a sector with long, infrequent sales cycles – where an individual company may not be in the market for some time – that makes perfect sense. Indeed, almost twice as many respondents said their marketing is now fully brand-led (13%) as product-led (7%).

However more still (29%) said their marketing is an equal mix of the two. So it might be that marketers aren’t sacrificing the traditional approaches entirely – but instead finding a way to blend them.

79% say their marketing is more focused on demand generation than a year ago.

29% say their marketing is an equal mix of product and brand.

96% are confident or very confident their distinctive brand identity fares well against competitors.