Ten things I learned interviewing great B2B leaders in 2024

The best part of my job as Editor-at-large at B2B Marketing is spending time with some of the most inspirational leaders in B2B, many of whom I've also interviewed for the B2B Marketing podcast during 2024. So as the year draws to a close, it seems only right to provide a compendium of advice from this pool of insightful conversionations, which will hopefully take your marketing on to bigger and better things in 2025.

1. Be Bold But Authentic - Andrea Herbert from Gamma. The most impactful B2B marketing often comes from being willing to push creative boundaries while staying true to your brand essence. Gamma's giant purple mascot broke B2B conventions but resonated because it authentically reflected their culture and values. "What may be thought of as just a bit of creative with a blue monster or mascot...it's a reason to have a conversation. And when you talk about this memorable what is that? And then you start to get into the proof points."

   
   

2. Focus on Human Connection - Jill Wiltfong CMO, Korn Ferry. Even in B2B, marketing needs to connect on a human level. Wiltfong emphasizes authenticity and bringing your whole self to work. "When I got to a point in my career where I was like, I've just got to be me...that's when everything changed. I often say, I wish I knew now what I know about the impact...it would have been a hell of a lot easier to position the value."

   
   

3. Build Powerful Proof Points - Sally Croft CMO, Ericsson. In their AI native networking campaign, Croft emphasizes the importance of demonstrating real capability rather than just claiming it. "AI native networking...we had real value from it. I mean customers were saving like 90% of the effort that would come in when people would be filing in trouble tickets...when those go away and you already have limited resources, our customers were like, this is a game changer for us...when you have that kind of feedback from customers that it's just, it just works, it's just better, it's just different."

   
   

4. Find Your Blue Ocean - Conrad Ford Chief Product Officer, Allica Bank. Success often comes from identifying and owning an underserved market segment rather than competing in overcrowded spaces. "Our segment of established SMEs is very underserved by banks and also by new digital fintech providers...it's that Blue Ocean where we've really focused and that focus on the segment is one of the reasons we've been so successful."

   
   

5. Balance boldness with kindness - Jean English, CMO, Juniper. Success in B2B marketing requires both courage to push boundaries and empathy in how you work with others. English highlights how the pandemic revealed the critical importance of kindness in business leadership: "During the pandemic, our world blended so much between business and personal. When my kids were just sitting a couple of feet away from my office, I wanted them to hear me and respect the way that I was treating other people...I want to be like the best person. So it's about being the best leader, about being the best partner, best collaborator, but I also just want to be the best person. The legacy that I want to leave...is be bold and be kind."

   
   

6. Champion Cultural Change - Helen Whetton, Global Brand Director, BT. Marketing can drive organizational transformation by bringing fresh perspectives while respecting heritage. "We're on a journey...to really go from what I inherited was very much more of a marketing service team where we would deliver outcomes...to being at the front of the ship and going how does marketing become a growth engine?"

   
   

7. Balance Art & Science - David Burnand, CMO, Staffbase. Successful B2B marketing requires both creative boldness and commercial rigor. "Being commercial...shouldn't need to be said that commercial thinking needs to be central to marketing...but I think what really makes a difference is balancing best practice with being different."

   
   

8. Lead with Purpose - Gabie Boko, CMO, NetApp. Connect marketing activities to larger organizational and societal purpose. "We talk about ourselves as being a partner of our customers...we talk internally about we're Q to James Bond...he never, ever lets James Bond down...with absolute confidence that the car's going to work."

   
   

9. Build Strategic Partnerships - Annabel Rake, CMO, Deloitte. Major sponsorships like Deloitte's Olympic partnership need to go beyond logo placement to deliver genuine business value. "What I would say to my team is what I call show, don't tell...if we just say that we're a relationship bank, we love SMEs, it's just noise...we must show people very quickly we're different. There are four points of differentiation which we basically came up with, which are things that are proof points that people will grasp really quickly."

   
   

10. Break Category Conventions - Victoire de Margerie, VP Corporate Marketing, Dassault Systèmes. Don't be constrained by traditional B2B marketing approaches. "I'm totally convinced that Dassault System needs to be known by the people because of the positive things we are putting on the market...it's not because we are not selling B2C...but we are in the daily life of the final customer."

The common thread across these conversations is that B2B marketing requires both creative courage and commercial acumen. The most successful leaders find ways to push boundaries while delivering measurable commercial business impact.

Thanks to the above, and others, for agreeing to be interviewed by me in 2024 - I'm already excited about the conversations in store for 2025!