Here’s a hard truth nobody wants to admit: 90% of B2B brands are invisible because they’re desperately trying to look “professional.” While you’re debating whether your logo should be navy or dark blue, your competitors are stealing market share by actually connecting with humans.
The “Professional” Brand Delusion
Walk into any B2B marketing meeting and you’ll hear the same tired phrases: “We need to look credible.” “This feels too casual for our industry.” “Our buyers expect professionalism.”
Bullshit.
Your buyers are humans who scroll TikTok, laugh at memes, and roll their eyes at corporate speak just like everyone else. The myth that B2B buyers transform into emotionless robots the moment they step into the office is killing your brand.
Look at O2 Business, who turned their perceived weakness—being “just a mobile provider”—into a £300M revenue engine by embracing the human truth: “We Get People.” Not “We Provide Enterprise Telecommunications Solutions.” Not “We Enable Digital Transformation.” We get people.
That’s it. Simple, human, real.
Why Your Branding Isn’t Working (The Brutal Truth)
Problem #1: You’re Solving the Wrong Problem
Most B2B companies think their branding problem is creative. It’s not. It’s strategic.
You can’t design your way out of a positioning problem. You can’t logo your way to relevance. And you definitely can’t stock-photo your way to trust.
Microsoft Teams figured this out when they ditched traditional B2B marketing for a B2C approach, resulting in a 38% increase in followers and 28% higher engagement. They didn’t just change their graphics—they changed their entire approach to human connection.
Problem #2: You’re Competing on Features When You Should Be Competing on Feelings
Here’s what every B2B brand does: Lists features, talks about “solutions,” mentions “best-in-class” everything, and wonders why nobody cares.
Here’s what works: Making people feel something.
Fear. Relief. Confidence. Excitement. Pick one.
Dell discovered that 49% of business decision-makers were skeptical of IT providers, so instead of more feature lists, they went to Reddit with humor. Not because humor sells servers, but because humor builds trust. And trust sells everything.
Problem #3: You’re Trying to Appeal to Everyone (And Therefore No One)
The fastest way to kill your brand is to make it “broadly appealing.” Generic brands get generic results.
Amazon Business spent massive resources creating over 100 customized assets for different segments because they understood a fundamental truth: better to be loved by some than ignored by all.
The Uncomfortable Truth About B2B Branding
Most B2B branding fails because it’s designed by committee, approved by lawyers, and watered down until it offends nobody and excites nobody.
Real branding requires making choices. Hard choices.
- Choose a personality, even if some people don’t like it
- Choose a position, even if it excludes potential customers
- Choose to stand for something, even if it means standing against something else
Mailchimp chose to reposition from “email tool” to “marketing automation platform” with their “Guess Less, Sell More” campaign. They didn’t try to be everything to everyone. They picked a lane and owned it.
What Actually Works (The Contrarian Playbook)
Contrarian Strategy #1: Lead With Your Flaws
Everyone tries to hide their weaknesses. Smart brands weaponize them.
Too expensive? “Because cheap doesn’t work when your business depends on it.” Too complex? “Because simple solutions don’t solve complex problems.” Too new? “Because the old way is why you’re looking for something better.”
Your flaws are your differentiators if you own them instead of hiding them.
Contrarian Strategy #2: Say What Everyone Else Is Afraid To Say
Every industry has truths that everyone knows but nobody discusses. Those are your brand goldmines.
- “Most marketing automation platforms are glorified email tools” (looking at you, marketing automation space)
- “Your current security solution isn’t protecting you as well as you think” (cybersecurity reality)
- “Digital transformation projects fail 70% of the time” (consulting honesty)
Contrarian Strategy #3: Be Useful, Not Clever
Clever taglines win awards. Useful brands win customers.
Spotify Advertising created personalized songs for CMOs not because it was clever (though it was), but because it was useful—it got them 1.5 billion impressions and 185,000 new users by solving a real problem: how to get a busy CMO’s attention.
The Branding Bullshit You Need to Stop Believing
Myth #1: “We need to look like everyone else in our industry” No. You need to look like the obvious choice for your specific customer.
Myth #2: “Our buyers don’t care about brand” Wrong. B2B buyers are 5x more likely to buy from brands they recognize and trust.
Myth #3: “Branding is just marketing fluff” Tell that to the companies losing deals to “less qualified” competitors with stronger brands.
Myth #4: “We can’t be too bold in B2B” The biggest risk isn’t being too bold—it’s being too boring.
Your Brand Reality Check Framework
Week 1: The Honesty Audit
Ask yourself (and answer honestly):
- If our company disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice?
- What do we stand for beyond making money?
- What would our customers say is our biggest weakness?
- Are we memorable for any reason other than our low prices?
Week 2: The Differentiation Test
- List your top 3 competitors
- Write down their key messages
- If your messaging sounds like theirs, you’ve failed
- Find the gap they’re all avoiding and live there
Week 3: The Human Translation
Take every piece of corporate speak in your messaging and translate it:
- “Leverage synergies” → “Work together better”
- “Best-in-class solutions” → “Stuff that actually works”
- “Digital transformation” → “Fix your broken processes”
Week 4: The Courage Conversation
- What’s the most honest thing you could say about your industry?
- What truth are all your competitors avoiding?
- What would happen if you said it first?
The Bottom Line (And Why This Matters)
B2B branding isn’t broken because of bad design or insufficient budgets. It’s broken because most companies are terrified of having an opinion.
They’d rather be safe and ignored than bold and noticed.
But here’s the thing about playing it safe: the safest brands are the most dangerous ones to work with. Because if they can’t take a stand on their own positioning, how can you trust them to take a stand for your business?
Stop trying to be professional. Start trying to be memorable.
Your competitors are counting on you to keep blending in.
Don’t let them down.
Marissa Homere 