Podcasts

Welcome back to another episode of B2B Needs Don Draper, the podcast that turns B2B marketing into an art form, Don Draper style!

Today, we’re joined by Sumi Shukla, VP of Marketing at Riverbed Technology. Sumi has been instrumental in shaping marketing strategies for Riverbed, a leader in network performance monitoring, application performance management, and wide area networks. In this episode, we explore how Riverbed, a challenger brand, competes with industry giants like Cisco and Dell through innovative marketing approaches.

We discuss: Riverbed's challenger strategy of leveraging deep customer insights and targeted messaging, the emphasis on customer-centric marketing through personal understanding and journey mapping, the innovative use of video and employee advocacy to drive engagement, the balance between rational product content and emotive thought leadership, and strategies for building brand advocacy through community-building and tailored engagement programs.

Today, we’re joined by Emma Ruffey, former VP of Marketing for EMEA at Cisco. With nearly two decades at Cisco, Emma has played a crucial role in shaping the brands marketing strategies during a time when the digital landscape was rapidly evolving. In this episode, Emma shares her insights on the challenges and opportunities of B2B marketing in large enterprises.

We discuss: The challenge of differentiation in B2B marketing's "sea of sameness," the need to balance boldness with the constraints of enterprise pressures, the vital role of brand building in large-scale campaigns like Cisco's, the value of learning from risky campaigns that don't succeed, and the increasing importance of customer-centric marketing driven by data and AI.

Welcome back to another exciting episode of B2B Needs Don Draper, the podcast that brings creativity and inspiration back to B2B marketing!

David Gentle, the Global Head of Message and Insight at Fujitsu is joining us today. Like Don Draper himself, David is a communication expert with a strong track record of delivering impactful messages. In this episode, we dive into the world of brand marketing and thought leadership at Fujitsu, exploring their journey of transformation and their commitment to innovation and sustainability.

We discuss: Fujitsu’s transformation from a legacy IT hardware provider to an IT services and consulting focus, emphasising sustainability, the crucial role of brand marketing during this shift, cultural differences in advertising between the West and Japan, the importance of aligning stakeholders in large organisations for successful campaigns, and advice on trusting simplicity and creativity in B2B marketing.

Today, we have a special guest, Kristin Owens, VP of Corporate Marketing at Checkpoint Software, a leading global cybersecurity company. Checkpoint is at a pivotal moment in its 30-year journey, reinventing its brand and go-to-market strategies. In this episode, Kristin shares insights into how Checkpoint is evolving its approach to marketing, brand identity, and customer engagement.

We discuss: Checkpoint’s evolution from a firewall company to a comprehensive cybersecurity platform, its strategy of integrating brand awareness with demand generation through pre-funnel engagement, the shift to new media channels like TV and podcasts to broaden reach, and the critical role of educating and aligning internal stakeholders to support innovative marketing initiatives.

In today’s special double feature episode, we’re joined by two industry heavyweights: David Turner, former CMO of Iris Group with a career spanning senior roles at NetSuite, Oracle, and Unit 4, and Richard Parsons, co-founder of True. With decades of experience between them, David and Richard dive deep into the evolution of B2B marketing and the shifting focus between brand building and performance marketing.

We discuss: The generational shift in B2B marketing from creative brand building to performance-driven strategies fuelled by digital tools, the impact of private equity's focus on short-term gains over long-term brand investment, the critical but often overlooked importance of brand valuation for sustained success, and predictions of a renewed emphasis on brand building as the limitations of performance marketing become evident.

Welcome back to B2B Needs Don Draper! In this episode, we dive into the golden age of B2B marketing and why it's an exciting time for businesses in this space. Our two distinguished guests, John Watton, VP of Marketing at Vmware, and Richard Parsons, co-founder of True, share their invaluable insights and experiences in the world of B2B marketing.

John Watton, with over 25 years of industry expertise, discusses the dynamic blend of data-driven approaches and brand storytelling, with a special emphasis on sustainability. He explains why there has never been a better time to be a B2B marketer and how the landscape is evolving.

We discuss: why there's never been a better time to be a B2B marketer, the connection between brand and lead generation in B2B marketing, how channels like Programmatic TV have enriched brand storytelling in the B2B space, strategies for scaling a brand while maintaining a human touch in B2B, the changing landscape of B2B events and the role of events like "Explore Barcelona" in the marketing mix, the shift from CMOs being 'revenue marketers' to coming from a brand and creative background, along with its impacts.

Jose Pepe Gorbea is an inspirational leader guiding HP's pursuit of revolutionizing digital packaging technology across the globe. Jose is the head of Brands, Agencies and Sustainability Innovation at HP and manages an international team focused on educating and inspiring brands with a human-centric communication framework.

We discuss: Embracing the power of simplicity and significance in achieving business goals, how to not just be creative but able to sell and market your ideas and solutions effectively, how to find purpose and meaning in your marketing career, how to take a proactive approach to problem-solving and making positive changes in the world, prioritizing human-to-human connections in marketing strategies.

Carolyn Henry is VP, CMO of Americas Regional Marketing at Intel and is the driving force behind their captivating marketing activations. Leading a team of over 70 marketers, she oversees strategies for consumer, commercial, gaming, and enterprise segments.

We discuss: the balance between creativity and delivering a clear, compelling message, how to develop creative strategies that resonate with different personas, how Intel tracks and evaluates the impact of creative elements, creating a culture of innovation and creativity within marketing teams.

Kerstin Koder is Head of Marketing EMEA at SAP. SAP was named the most valuable brand in Germany by BrandZ and is also recognised as the most valuable brand in Europe. Kerstin has more than 20 years of experience as a B2C & B2B marketer and leader in the IT, telco, media and retail space.

We discuss: the role of marketing at SAP and what the brand means to B2B customers, the channels SAP are using to talk to the CEO/CFOs of the world, balancing the priorities of maintaining a strong brand vs lead generation, brand loyalty versus increasing market penetration.

Gerard Vicente is VP of marketing at JP Morgan. He works specifically with wepay.com - JPMorgan's small business, financial tech, and payments division - and is currently responsible for partner, product, and brand marketing. Prior to this role, he was "Funny Manager" at Comedy Central.

We discuss: What being a comedian taught him about brand building and creativity, the dilemma of creating a "branded house" or a "house of brands", overcoming the challenge of partner acquisition, the right channels to get brand messaging to the right people.

Justin Garrett is the Global Head of Brand and Digital Marketing at Broadridge, a global fintech leader with $5 billion in revenues, handling millions of daily trades. Before leading this operation, Justin held roles at Accenture, JP Morgan Chase and Citi.

We discuss: How to get great B2B stories, bringing Broadridge's brand message to life, communicating the depth of brand offerings.

Jennifer Garcia spent five years as the head of integrated marketing at Instagram. Before this, she held senior roles at Google and Nokia. She has fifteen years of experience in both B2B and B2C marketing. During this time, Jennifer has collated knowledge in integrated marketing, brand marketing, product marketing, corporate communications, and go-to-market strategy.

We discuss how working at Instagram and Google has shaped her as a leader, convincing senior leaders of the power of brand, how to find forward-thinking marketers that understand brand, types of media needed for brand building versus sales activation.

Brian Rowley is the VP of Marketing at Panasonic Connect. He leads all functions of the brand marketing team, including: brand strategy, creative, go-to-market execution, PR, and brand voice.  As a natural storyteller, Brian also uses creative campaigns to grow brand awareness. This has allowed him to deliver revenue and profitability for five business units valued at $1B in annual revenue.

We talk about: influencing the minds of future buyers and balancing competing priorities of brand and demand. As well as, how B2B marketers can harness emotional messaging and the power of distinctive assets.

Mark Choueke is author of the new book ‘Boring to Brave’. Mark has spent over 20 years at the heart of B2B marketing. Over that time, he’s helped grow more than 50 B2B technology companies across the world and was formerly the editor of Marketing Week Magazine.

We talk about: how bravery benefits B2B brands and how to produce marketing that drives long term growth. Also utilising emotional storytelling to connect with B2B audiences, and how taking risks in B2B can differentiate you from competitors

Sara Richter is CMO at Emarsys, the omni-channel customer engagement platform, which empowers marketers to build, launch, and scale personalised cross-channel campaigns that drive business outcomes. Sara is a creative marketing leader with more than 15 years of experience in high-growth, fast-paced martech organisations. She is passionate about building revenue-oriented marketing teams.

We talk about: the challenge of marketing to marketers and advice for B2B brands facing a likely economic downturn. As well as how big brand campaigns can drive short-term sales, and why now is the ‘Golden Age’ of marketing.

Richard Parsons and Cos Mingides are the co-founders of True, which was recently named B2B Creative Agency of the year - and the brains behind the B2B Needs Don Draper podcast. Our latest season of the podcast has welcomed some fantastic guests from a broad spectrum of brands giving their views on how B2B Marketing is changing and how they’re running marketing in their organisation. Richard and Cos respond to key points shared last season and their thoughts on the matter.

We talk about: Why now is a good time to be in B2B Marketing, emotion and creativity, the key lessons B2B brands can learn and the problems facing B2B right now. And also, what being a bit more Don Draper means for B2B brands.

Kirsten Stagg is the Marketing Director at Skoda UK. She has delivered record-breaking marketing performance, market share and profit growth whilst delivering a 53% increase in average product sales. Using creativity and self-deprecating humour, Kirsten has helped transform the brand into an incredible success story and has elevated the ŠKODA brand.

We talk about: how Skoda used emotional marketing to refresh brand perception and utilising the power of creativity to engage a greater audience. And why there is a lack of creativity within the automotive industry.

Mariska van Beukering currently works for Equinix: the world’s biggest digital infrastructure company, where businesses can scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, and deliver world-class experiences. Mariska comes to us with deep experience in IT and has skills in brand management, marketing planning, lead generation, and strategic marketing.

We talk about: Effective B2C strategies that can be applied to B2B, the power of hyper-targeting specific audiences, and balancing long-term brand building with short-term sales activation. Also, the best ways to drive growth for B2B brands, and how to build strong brand awareness with new audiences.

Danielle Regan is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Mace, a construction company at the heart of the built environment. Mace connects expertise across the entire property lifecycle for the benefit of their clients, communities and society more widely. Danielle has 18 years’ of experience working in marketing communications teams within the property and construction industry.

We talk about: how B2B marketing influences policy and how the build environment affects people’s lives. When Mace use emotional messaging vs rational messaging and the future of B2B marketing.

Nikki Stenson is a senior global marketing leader who has led marketing functions at Oracle, Macafee, and TIBCO. For Nikki, it’s all about relationships - whether working with sales teams, suppliers, partners or colleagues, success for her has come through continuous and highly effective collaboration. Nikki Believes B2B marketing is not human enough and is passionate about changing that.

We talk about: Imposter syndrome in the marketing industry, and how to build a strong personal brand in B2B marketing. Also, the power of marketing in sales-focused businesses, and what the future holds for B2B marketing.

Cos Mingides is the Co-founder and Head of Effectiveness at True, which was named B2B Creative Agency of the year in 2022 by the Association of National Advertisers. True is in the business of making a difference. They harness data-driven and cultural insights to unearth powerful human truths that are creatively transformed into memorable brand communications – and delivered with pinpoint media accuracy.

We talk about: the key takeaways for B2B marketers from EffWorks Global, including, the difference between efficiency and effectiveness; how the best B2B marketers approach investment for growth; balancing brand building vs short-term sales activation; and the importance of ‘reach’ when it comes to effectiveness.

Nick Copson is the B2B Marketing Director at Reach plc, the UK's largest news media company with an audience of over 48 million people. Nick has launched new publications and apps across the UK and managed teams with large budgets across online and offline channels. Now, most of his time goes towards developing B2B lead generation.

We talk about: the state of UK media and advertising, and how Reach PLC support programmatic ad buying. Also, the digital transformation of Reach PLC and how traditional local media publishers can remain relevant.

Martin Harrison is the Strategy Director at True. Before joining True, Martin was Strategy Partner at Wunderman Thompson. He’s also held senior positions at Huge and TMW. Martin helps brands of all sizes grapple with the challenges and opportunities of the digital revolution. He was the winner of an IPA Effectiveness Award and is a regular speaker on digital strategy, including at SXSW.

We talk about: the opportunity for creativity in B2B and how B2B marketing can become more ambitious. Also, considering fame, customers and the importance of category reach.

Michael Bouteneff is the Director of Integrated Marketing Strategy at SVB, (which was formerly known as Silicon Valley Bank). SVB helps founders of high-growth tech businesses achieve their often ambitious goals. Michael has a background in growth marketing and brand-building, spanning both B2C and B2B industries, having worked at both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. Prior to SVB, he held senior roles at Mastercard and IBM, to name just a few.

We talk about: How SVB grows brand awareness with their target audience and what brand marketers are doing wrong. Also, the importance of retention vs winning new customers, and how B2B marketers can use advertising to better achieve goals.

Isobel Sita-Lumsden is the Head of B2B Marketing Europe at TikTok. Prior to this, she held senior roles at Time inc, AOL and Verizon Media. Isobel is a creative and strategic marketer, passionate about big media brands and driving business growth. TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video, whose mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.

We talk about: How TikTok helps B2B businesses achieve their marketing goals and what B2B brands should know about TikTok audiences. Also, why B2B marketers undervalue the importance of creativity and the role of humour in TikTok’s B2B Marketing.

Shane Mansfield is the Marketing Director at Just Eat for Business. He’s an all-around experienced marketer, having worked in both B2B and B2C environments, clientside and agency. Just Eat for Business offers a huge variety of great-tasting and quality food, all through a single account.

We talk about: which parts of “Just Eat” are carried across to a B2B audience. And what media is best for sales activation and brand building, how to balance brand-building with driving demand, and the process of rebranding and selling to senior stakeholders.

We catch up with True’s Richard Parsons, Co-Founder, and Martin Harrison, Strategy Director, fresh from the excitement of Cannes 2022. We thought it’d only be right to bring them back on the show to talk about what they’ve learned from the event, which has been something of a landmark since it’s the first time there’s been an award for B2B creativity.

We talk about: Why this year’s Cannes Lions was so important for B2B marketing and what work got recognition at Cannes this year. And also, a dive into advertising vs product extension vs business models, and the focus on work around social purpose.

Miriam Faber is the UK Head of Business Marketing at Facebook by Meta. Miriam has worked in B2B strategic marketing roles for 17 years, delivering award-winning content for agencies such as M&C Saatchi, Adjust Your Set and Oliver Agency, before moving to Meta. She helps people understand how Meta can help build communities and drive business growth. Miriam is also a strong leader in driving Diversity & Inclusion within Meta and sits within the trade body of D&I boards at the IAB and ISBA.

We talk about: the best strategies to drive long-term growth for B2B brands and what separates great ads from average ones. Also, when to start thinking about brand management, as well as, what the Metaverse is, and the implications for brands.

David Tiltman is the SVP of Content for WARC. They provide the latest evidence, expertise and guidance to make marketers more effective. Their clients include the world’s largest advertising and media agencies, research companies, universities and advertisers. WARC features advertising case studies and best practices from more than 50 respected industry sources, including Cannes Lions, The IPA and the DMA.

We talk about: Why now is a great time to be in B2B marketing. As well as the B2B Effectiveness Ladder (and how to move up it) and a scientific approach to B2B marketing.

James McCarthy is the Director of Product Marketing at Similarweb. Now a public company and a ‘unicorn’, James leads the positioning and messaging across their products to market. Prior to Similarweb, James was CMO at Exonar and held senior roles at Microsoft across both B2B and B2C products.

We talk about: The benefits and drawbacks of hyper-targeting and when to invest in above the line advertising. Also, how the best B2B brands tell compelling stories full of emotion and how Similarweb budgets towards brand building vs sales activation.

Max Kahn is the Head of Growth for SAP.IO. Max is helping to scale SAP's start-up partner ecosystem, make connections between start-ups and enterprise customers, and expand into new markets across the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.

We talk about: the role of design and creativity within brand growth and when to focus on brand building vs demand gen. Also, staying true to brand while showing innovation and difference, and how to effectively communicate brand purpose.

Ben Rhodes worked as Group Marketing Director at Royal Mail and Vice President, Head of Brand Marketing & Sponsorship at Mastercard, and is now the Group Brand Director at Phoenix Group, the largest long-term savings and retirement business in the UK.

We talk about: The best way to drive long-term growth in B2B businesses and his approach to growing B2B business for Royal Mail. Also how to keep a team at the sharp end of creativity and creating an environment that performs today and creates the future.

Jazz Berry is the Senior B2B Marketing manager at Deliveroo for Work, which is a 'creative food solution for every area of your business'. Her most recent achievements include rebranding two different businesses within 12 months. She now heads up the marketing of Deliveroo’s corporate offering; Deliveroo for Work in 10 markets.

We talk about: The size and scale of the B2B side of Deliveroo and communicating a B2B proposition with a ubiquitous consumer brand. The framework for successfully rebranding a B2B business and how to use advertising to grow existing customers - and win new ones.

Cos Mingides & Richard Parsons are the Co-founders at True and the minds behind the B2B Needs Don Draper podcast. Returning back on the show to talk about what we have learnt from our guests, the state of the industry, the latest research from The B2B Institute and discuss why 2022's a big year for B2B.

Steve Vinall is the Director of Global Communications at Rackspace Technology. He articulates and shares the Rackspace story with all audiences. Steve leads their PR, AR, Customer Advocacy and Internal Communications teams across EMEA. He is a member of the Global Marketing Senior Leadership Team and is also accountable for Internal Communications globally.

We talk about: The key parts of the Rackspace story; how internal communications have shifted; the main tools and channels used to build customer advocacy; & how Rackspace manages brand building and sales activation. The best ways to drive long term growth in B2B marketing; and how advertising impacts the company's ability to set prices and build B2B brands.

Amie Stankiste is responsible for building and executing the global marketing strategy for S&P Global Market Intelligence, now a $2 billion+ business within a highly competitive industry. Amie leads an award-winning team of 80 marketing professionals focused on driving growth, through generating quality leads and converting them into a sales pipeline.

We talk about: How ESG plays a role in communications and brand building; merging two globally recognised brands. Her view on 'Big Impact" campaigns and how they can be used; and the importance of emotional messaging in FS marketing.

Katherine Lamb is the Global Head of Marketing Strategy for the commercial and investment bank at HSBC. She’s in charge of planning and executing global marketing strategy, her scope covering global proposition development and business stakeholder management across 54 markets. She also mentors and coaches a team of 45 people.

We talk about: How HSBC uses marketing to engage with customers and drive business goals; is it better to increase brand loyalty or increase penetration; how the pandemic has impacted customer engagement with financial services. The impact advertising has on HSBC's ability to set prices and build brand; how to split your budget between lead generation vs longer-term brand building. The role sustainability plays in the way HSBC builds their brand; and how B2B can best harness the power of emotion.

Michelle Goodall is the Chief Marketing Officer at Guild, a platform for professional communities and networking. She’s responsible for driving Guild’s growth. She also has over 20 years of experience in marketing, digital and communications - both client-side, agency-side and as a consultant. In previous roles, she’s worked with some of the world’s most recognisable brands including Unilever, the BBC, Viacom, Direct Line and General Mills, to name a few.

We talk about: How Guild successfully grew their user base; creating a community & how it can help B2B brand growth; the role of ‘belonging & purpose’ when building a brand; splitting your budget between long term brand building and short term sales activation; and what’s more important: the idea or the execution.

Keith Browning is the Brand Marketing Global Lead at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. With over a decade's marketing experience in start-up and blue-chip companies alike, Keith currently leads Brand Marketing globally for LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions business unit. He has created stand-out marketing campaigns across the US and Europe for a number of well-known brands across the travel, tech & hospitality sectors. Keith is a keynote speaker in many areas of Marketing, most notably B2B Marketing and Brand Marketing.

We talk about: Unaided brand awareness - what it is and its strategic value; what makes an effective campaign and how to measure success; why LinkedIn invests in TV advertising; what makes great B2B advertising; how B2B can harness the power of emotion; and how do the best B2B brand builders use Linkedin to build their brand.

Rosie Guest is the CMO at Apex Group and a member of their Executive Committee. She’s led and scaled the Group Marketing and Communications function at Apex as it’s grown from a mid-sized asset management provider to an institutional-sized financial services provider. She now runs a centralised global team across all functions and sub-brands.

On top of all that, she was also the Winner of 'Disruptor of the Year' at the 2020 Women in Finance Awards.

We talk about: How to get skeptical execs to believe in the power of ‘brand’; the role of the brand positioning; how to best drive long term growth in B2B financial services marketing; finding the balance between short-term sales activation and long-term brand building; and brand loyalty vs increasing market penetration.

Susi O’Neill is Head of Brand Content at Kaspersky. She leads global editorial and creative delivery for B2B brand projects for Kaspersky, the world's largest privately-owned cybersecurity firm. Susi leads multi-disciplinary teams to transform data insight into high performing brand strategy and digital experiences. Her team crafts video, multimedia and thought leadership brand awareness content that turns heads and wins awards.

We talk about: How Kaspersky makes content relevant for all customer bases; what Kaspersky's brand strategy 'Bring on the future' means; how to make the topic of cyber security engaging & fun to build brand; the role of fame & how B2B brands should think about achieving it; and what makes a successful agency and campaign.

Mark Bogaerts is the Director of Brand & Sponsorship for Tata Consultancy Services. TCS is part of the Tata group, India's largest multinational business group. Mark is responsible for driving the TCS brand & sponsorship strategy across the UK & Europe and applying a consistent, integrated brand strategy. He was also global sponsorship manager for Heineken for over ten years, where he led rugby partnerships for the Rugby World Cup and Heineken Champions Cup, among others.

We talk about: What it means to be 'A bit more Don Draper'; what he learned from 10 years at Heineken that he now uses to build brand at TCS; why TCS sponsors sporting events; the hidden risks involved with sponsorships; harnessing the power of emotional messaging, and how TCS use Purpose to build their brand.

Mark Cullen is the Chief Marketing Officer at Simon Kucher & Partners. Simon Kucher & Partners is a global consulting firm specialising in strategy, marketing, pricing, and sales. Founded in 1985, the company now has around 1,400 professionals worldwide and is regarded as the world's leading pricing advisor and thought leader.

We talk about: How stand-up comedy experience translates into marketing; risk taking and making the difference; growing your top line vs cutting costs; and the importance of writing a good creative brief.

Cos Mingides is one of the Co-Founding Partners at True, one half of the creative spark for this podcast series. True was founded in 2012 to be a different type of B2B agency - to break free from the world of short-term 'performance' and the kind of marketing that swamps the industry without much deeper impact.

We talk about: What being 'a bit more Don Draper' means to him and his purpose behind launching this podcast; why he co-founded True; what B2B advertising is lacking; the 5 principles of growth in B2B marketing, and why some marketers don't use it.

Richard Parsons is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at True, one half of the creative spark for this podcast series. True was founded in 2012 to be a different type of B2B agency - to break free from the world of short-term 'performance' and the kind of marketing that swamps the industry without much deeper impact.

We talk about: What being 'a bit more Don Draper' means to him; Richard's purpose behind launching this podcast; why he co-founded True; ABM and how it should be done properly; and what makes great work stand out.