My philosophy for building B2B brands

​B2B and technology brands are much more complex than consumer brands. The buying process is much longer. The consequences of the buying decision much greater. Careers are on the line. Millions of dollars are often at stake. A lot of people in advertising try to "dumb down" the complexity of B2B brands and think of something clever or funny that will "cut through" the noise of the modern media environment. But that trivializes the offering. The key to me is distilling the complexity down to something simple without trivializing it. Boiling the essence of the selling point down to a memorable idea that conveys the depth and complexity of what you do in a simple yet powerful way.​​​

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I think a great B2B brand is defined by a theme that is a distillation of their point of view of the world. Their reason for being. Their argument for "why you" vs "why someone else". And that point of view is then brought to the world in both very quick expressions and also very deep expressions. The key to branding in a fractured media environment is to get the combination of these two things right in tandem. The quick branding is about creating both a sense of PRESENCE (the perception that everyone is working with your brand) and the deeper work creates a sense of SUBSTANCE (the depth of the argument when you have time to lay it out). Understanding the interrelatedness of these two dynamics is the key to building a brand out in the world. A lot of agencies get this wrong, they try to only do the presence part (the quick expressions). 

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Another key idea for building great B2B brands is tapping into the underlying emotion inherent in them. A lof of people think B2B brands are boring and technical, but most of the time they're about things that make other things work. Platforms that empower large groups of people to do what they do every day. There is an incredible amount of emotion there that can be used in advertising to show people that you understand their world and empathize with them.

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And finally, I always look for ideas that will endure over time. A great idea builds on itself but needs time to build up steam. Clever ad campaigns come and go but when you hit on a big idea and stick with it for a few years it builds on itself over time. The key is to constantly imbue it with meaning and refresh the creative off of the big idea to keep it current and react to whatever is going on in market. 

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So, to summarize...If I could boil my philosophy of B2B brand building down to its core ideas I'd say something like:

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Simplify without trivializing.

Distillation of POV.

Tapping into underlying emotion.

The twin forces of presence and Substance.

Ideas that endure over time.​

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Rob Jamieson

January 1, 2025