B2B’s great tension: Lead gen v brand building, why tech hardware firms and DocuSign are racing to brand and Zenith’s Nickie Scriven on lifting B2B cut-through, webinar overload

There’s been a dramatic shift in B2B marketing over the past 18 months. B2B marketers have slowly clocked on that they over-invested in performance marketing tactics and hadn’t seen the long-term growth they expected. For tech hardware firms, global supply chain issues have meant they’ve had no choice but to try brand – there’s little to sell. “We’re definitely seeing this swing away from your heavy focus on that lower funnel activity,” says LinkedIn’s Prue Cox. DocuSign, a cloud-based e-signature platform, is a case in point. It boomed through Covid and has just launched a brand campaign with influencers like Boost Juice’s Janine Allis and former Nine host Jules Lund. CMO Andrea Dixon says DocuSign had to pivot from B2B to “business to everyone” – virtually overnight. Meanwhile, Zenith Media CEO Nickie Scriven reckons there’s a real opportunity for B2B firms to lift their cut-through on lead gen. “I get at least 20 (emails) a day and I just delete every single one of them,” she says.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.