The Forgotten Pillar of B2B Marketing: Why Brand Matters

I'm going to be bold here. Perhaps even blasphemous in the world of B2B marketing. If there's one criticism I have of B2B marketers, it's that we forget the importance of brand. We get too tied up in our solutions and offerings and forget that our buyers are emotional people too.

According to a 2023 McKinsey study, B2B companies with strong brands outperform weak ones by 20% in revenue growth, yet 67% of B2B companies underinvest in brand development. So why in B2B does it feel like the brand is an afterthought?

I'm not alone in this thinking. In her book "What Great Brands Do," Denise Lee Yohn stresses that B2B brands must build emotional connections, not just functional benefits. She advocates for integrating brand into company culture and operations.

B2B branding isn't just about logos and visuals but about creating meaningful positioning, demonstrating authentic values, and building relationships through consistent experiences.

Let's Refresh on What a Brand Is...

A brand is the complete set of perceptions, experiences, and associations that people have with a company, product, or service. It's much more than just a logo or visual identity.

At its core, a brand is:

1. A promise to customers about what they can expect

2. A distinct identity that differentiates an offering from competitors

3. The sum of all touchpoints and interactions between a company and its stakeholders

Specifically, a brand consists of:

• Visual elements: Logo, colours, typography, imagery, and design systems

• Verbal elements: Name, tagline, tone of voice, messaging, and communication style

• Experiential elements: Product/service quality, customer service, user experience

• Emotional elements: The feelings and associations people have when they think about or interact with the brand

• Cultural elements: The values, mission, vision, and organisational behaviours that define the company

If you get any element of this wrong, your brand suffers. Owner founders/ CEOs and other marketeers often ask me if there is a silver bullet. Can they shortcut the buyer journey & only do some things well? Then I remind them about how the buyer journey is not longer linear, so your brand has to be consistent across every channel and everywhere.

Case Study: Breaking Down the Slack Brand

Let's look at Slack as a good B2B brand example:

Slack's brand essence revolves around making work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive. They position themselves as the solution to workplace communication chaos, creating order from disorder.

Visual Identity

• Logo: A distinctive hashtag-inspired logo with four colours (blue, green, yellow, and red) representing different communication channels and collaboration types

• Colour Palette: Vibrant primary colours balanced with white space; the purple primary brand colour is distinctive in the B2B space

• Typography: Clean, readable sans-serif fonts that balance professionalism with approachability

• Design System: Consistent, slightly rounded elements creating a friendly yet professional aesthetic

• Illustrations: Custom, slightly playful illustrations that humanise the technology

Verbal Identity

• Voice: Conversational, witty, and helpful without being overly casual

• Tagline: "Where work happens" – simple, direct, and benefit-focused

• Messaging Framework: Focuses on themes of connection, transparency, and simplified workflows

• Communication Style: Clear explanations with occasional humour; technical concepts translated into human benefits

Personality Traits

• Friendly: Approachable and personable in all communications

• Witty: Cleverly humorous without being unprofessional

• Helpful: Solution-oriented and empathetic to workplace challenges

• Straightforward: Clear and direct without unnecessary jargon

• Optimistic: Positive about improving workplace collaboration

Brand Experience

• Product UX: Intuitive interface with thoughtful micro-interactions and personality

• Customer Service: Responsive and human-centred support

• Content Strategy: Educational resources focused on workplace transformation, not just product features

• Community Building: Creates belonging through user groups and events

• Onboarding: Carefully designed to create early wins and engagement

Brand Positioning

Slack positions itself not just as a communication tool but as a catalyst for organisational transformation, focusing on outcomes like transparency, alignment, and connection rather than simply features and functions.

This comprehensive, cohesive approach has allowed Slack to stand out in the crowded B2B SaaS space with a brand that feels distinctly human in an enterprise software world often characterised by corporate blandness.

The B2B Brand Challenge

The question for all of us in B2B marketing is clear: are we building brands that connect emotionally, or are we simply listing features and benefits? If we all had an honesty moment, the pressure to do the latter is immense. Then are we creating distinctive personalities that stand out, or blending into the corporate background noise? I ask myself a question every time I start at a new company & sometimes I do not like the answer.

The I remind myself that behind every B2B purchase decision is a human responding to emotional connections, storytelling, and authentic brand experiences—just like consumers do. Just like I do.

So, B2B marketers, it is time we gave B2B branding the attention it deserves.

The question is: are we bold enough to stand by our convictions and lead the way?