Key insights into the opinions, challenges, and priorities of 500 B2B brand marketers across the world.
The landscape at a glance...
61%
say brand building is a strategic business priority
81%
say brand is "very important" to revenue growth
44%
say growing brand awareness is a top marketing priority
The role of B2B brand building is evolving
B2B boardrooms have long neglected the role that brand has to play in business growth. Today, the lines between brand and demand are blurring. And attitudes toward the importance and value of effective brand building are shifting.
So, what does this mean for the marketing leaders who have suddenly gained greater accountability for brand success? Are they concerned or confident? And what do they believe the future will bring?
Find out in The State of B2B Brand Building 2022 research report by Transmission.
COVID-19 and competitiveness
The widespread impact of COVID-19 and the pioneering work of Binet and Field, and Lombardo and Weinberg at the B2B Institute have highlighted the leading role that brand has to play today.
But as organisations turn to brand marketing as a point of distinction in a hyper-competitive B2B landscape, how they build their brand matters more than ever.
Balancing purpose and profit
Heightened customer and employee expectations around authentic brand building have left B2B marketing leaders in search of the delicate balance between ethical brand marketing and commercial performance.
And while brand can be a world of creative and purpose-driven opportunity, one wrong move has the potential to harm brand trust and reputation in the marketplace.
We surveyed 500 senior marketing leaders worldwide to understand:
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How B2B brands are currently performing on brand health indicators
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The relationship between brand and the boardroom
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Key challenges and barriers to brand building success
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The risks and realities of building a purpose-driven or cause-based brand
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The role of employee insights in brand building
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Top brand building priorities for the year ahead
Six key highlights
1.
B2B brands are only performing "well" on their BHIs
Brand trust, likeability, and compassion are the highest-scoring Brand Health Indicators. Brand differentation and brand activisim are the lowest-performing.
2.
B2B brands admit that purpose-washing is "likely"
56% of B2B marketing leaders admit they are “highly likely” and “somewhat likely” to be promoting misleading caused-based messages or claims to their customers.
3.
B2B brands are thinking ethically, but not always for ethical reasons
76% of B2B marketing leaders “feel a lot of pressure” and “some pressure” to take an active stance on societal issues. Only 9% build cause-based brands purely “for ethical reasons”.
4.
Brand building is now a business priority for B2B boardrooms and CEOs
Over 60% of B2B marketing leaders say that brand is now considered a strategic business priority. 71% say "brand marketing has increased in importance" in the last 12 months.
5.
Brand is "equally as important" as demand generation and ABM
54% of respondents say brand building is “equally as important” as demand generation in achieving their marketing goals. 61% say the same applies to ABM.
6.
A lack of creativity is impacting brand differentiation
42% of respondents state that improving creative stand out and creative identity was the second most important brand building focus area for the year ahead.
Our methodology
The State of B2B Brand Building 2022 report is based on research data from a mixture of online panel participants and Transmission clients. All participants worked in B2B organisations and were senior decision makers or influencers in regard to how marketing budgets were allocated and spent.
The research data was gathered via an online questionnaire that ran during April 2022, across Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Singapore, the UK, and the USA. Research was conducted for Transmission by Jigsaw Research, an international strategic-insight agency with an exclusively senior team.
Data integrity, validation, and analyses were performed by Transmission in conjunction with Jigsaw Research. Data and outliers were validated in accordance with standard research industry rules, disciplines, and best-practice approaches.
About Transmission
Transmission is the world’s largest independent global B2B marketing agency. Our award-winning, full-service offering combines data-driven intelligence, innovation, and creativity across brand, demand, and sales, enabling us to craft powerful, behaviour-changing marketing that drives business performance.
Our team of B2B brand strategists draw on customer insight and the principles of behavioural science to inspire memorable propositions grounded in emotional truths and authenticity: building brands that deliver impact now and into the future.
With offices in eight countries worldwide, Transmission has the global agility and experience to help B2B brands drive the now and define the next.
© 2022 Transmission. All rights reserved. Transmission is a trading name of Pulse Comms Ltd, registered in England and Wales no. 8724506. VAT number: GB175238887
