Episode 3 Nick Andrews, Knight Frank: The problem with the B2B Blandemic

Nick Andrews, Partner and Head of Commercial Marketing at Knight Frank, delves into what he calls the "B2B Blandemic"—a term borrowed from designer Thomas Heatherwick to describe the wave of uninspired, forgettable content in B2B marketing. 

Drawing from his experience, Nick breaks down why so much B2B messaging fails to resonate and outlines actionable strategies to stand out without resorting to gimmicks. He also explores the implications of over-investing in performance marketing at the expense of brand building, and the importance of balancing short-term gains with long-term value creation.

Key talking points:

• The B2B Blandemic: The overwhelming prevalence of generic, forgettable content in B2B spaces and the need to move beyond this trend.
• Standing Out Without the 'Jazz Hands': Why B2B brands struggle to differentiate and how to create authentic, memorable messaging.
• The Real Cost of Blandness: How dull content results in significantly higher media spend to achieve the same level of cut-through as more creative, engaging campaigns.
• The 80% Engagement Problem: A staggering 80% of B2B content fails to engage, with ads seeing a similarly high rate of neutral responses.
• Performance Marketing vs. Brand Building: The risk of over-investing in performance marketing and neglecting brand-building efforts, and why this imbalance can lead to long-term consequences.
• The 95/5 Rule: Why 95% of your target audience isn’t ready to buy and the dangers of focusing exclusively on the small percentage that is.
• Customer Orientation: The importance of shifting from a product- or sales-oriented mindset to one that prioritises customer needs and market insights

Knight Frank

Peter Weinber and John Lombardo - The Principles of B2B Marketing 

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