Discover valuable perspectives from Patrick Culhane, Director of Business Strategy and Development, with 21 years of agency experience.

Perspectives from Patrick Culhane | Brunner

Vice President, Brand Strategy

Patrick  Culhane

Explore the latest trends in B2B solutions with Brunner.

Explore the latest trends in B2B solutions, where we recognize that B2B customers are just like everyday consumers. Discover insights on how to adapt your marketing strategies to meet evolving customer expectations and drive meaningful connections in a digital-first landscape.

B2B Solutions Content and Perspectives: Trends and POVs | Brunner

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When your company buys goods or services from other brands, what’s the top influence on your decision?&nbsp;Features and benefits? Price and value proposition? Reviews and testimonials?Or maybe it’s the brand’s identity and reputation?Research shows a brand’s values increasingly drive purchase decisions, especially as millennials and GenZers move up the ranks as business buyers:

Discover how putting brand values at the heart of B2B marketing can drive authentic connections, foster customer loyalty, and enhance business growth.

5 Ways to Put Brand Values at the Heart of Your B2B Marketing

Explore key strategy insights from our team.

Discover valuable insights from our strategy experts as we explore essential marketing principles. From defining your brand position to understanding your audience, our insights will help you create effective strategies that drive results and growth for your business.

Our Perspectives on Strategy: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

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B2B marketing leaders from all types of industries shared insights, examples, and light-bulb moments about the latest in B2B thinking at this year’s <a href="https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/ms-b2banc-jun24" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANA Masters of B2B Marketing Conference</a> last week in Naples, Fla.&nbsp;Here are some key takeaways on hot topics, including C-suite alignment, brand-to-demand, AI tools, and the growing importance of Latino audiences.&nbsp;<h2>For Impactful Marketing, Build Alignment across the Org Chart</h2>Several speakers reinforced that for marketing to be most effective, all levels and departments must be aligned. In his talk, Jeff Lowe, chief commercial officer at SMART Technologies, zeroed in on his C-suite peers as essential allies and collaborators, more so than the marketing team. At SMART Technologies, all members of the C-suite share the same organizational goals and understand each other’s role so fully they can stand in for each other at presentations.&nbsp;For Northwest Mutual, integration meant viewing marketing and sales as collaborative in the brand-to-demand process, according to CMO Lynn Teo. She highlighted the importance of a CMO starting out by understanding what drives sales activity.&nbsp;Brunner POV: If you do not have a fully aligned C-suite and are not including your CFO in your marketing conversations, find a partner or agency that can provide a roadmap to get you there, including how to get buy-in to the concept.&nbsp;<h2>To Brand or Not to Brand, That Is the ‘Brand-to-Demand’ Question</h2>From presentations to hallway conversations, the phrase “brand-to-demand”&nbsp;became a frequent topic across all three days. Brand-to-demand is the insight that your buyer is not in the market for your product 95% of the time. During this stage, brands need to stay top-of-mind so they’re in consideration when the buyer moves in-market and needs your product or service. At this point, you move to marketing that drives conversion. Speakers shared several funnels to bring this approach to life.&nbsp;Lou Aversano, chief brand and marketing officer at The Cigna Group, offered a distinct perspective on the role “brand” plays in your marketing.&nbsp;He was the only presenter who expressed the viewpoint that brand is never a separate activity. Brand, he said, should be built into all marketing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Brunner POV:&nbsp;The word “brand” has taken on several meanings within an organization. The brand should clearly define your organization’s strengths, your profitable target customers’ needs and passions, and the white space you want to own or defend from the competition. Then, every campaign or communication should focus on the strength that matters to the customer in that part of their journey, in a way that continually separates you from the competition.&nbsp;<h2>AI Tools Are Essential But Should Make Us Even More Human</h2>Unsurprisingly, many presenters discussed the role of AI tools and their impact on marketing.&nbsp;For example, did you know it is now possible to research virtual B2B buyers to get campaign insights? The overall message from speaker after speaker was that brands that are not using AI tools and solutions&nbsp;will lose out to those that are.&nbsp;David Edelman, senior lecturer of business administration at Harvard Business School and former CMO at Aetna, shared the most holistic approach to using AI in your marketing. This five-step process recommends considering how AI can help each customer:&nbsp;<ul><li>Empower me. With 75%+ of in-market research now done independently by buyers, how can you make that process easier for them?&nbsp;</li><li>Know me. Throughout the buying process, how can AI help you show that you know the individuals within your target audiences and take personalization to the next level?&nbsp;</li><li>Reach me. Can AI tools find the triggers that allow you to reach out when it matters most?&nbsp;</li><li>Show me. How can you create an experience, powered by AI, to show solutions specific to that buyer?&nbsp;</li><li>Delight me. Moments of surprise and delight give brands a competitive edge and drive incremental sales. How can AI help create experiences that help you stand out in your category?&nbsp;</li></ul>Brunner POV: If you are not considering how AI can help you holistically, find a partner that understands how to build buyer-centric CX and have a team focused on the ever-changing AI landscape.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Latino Audiences Need More Than a Translation</h2>The Latino audience is driving small business growth. This group opened 82% of new businesses last year, and their businesses grew 10x faster than the national average. If they were a country, U.S. Latinos would be the fifth largest economy in the world.&nbsp;Eric Miller, marketing leader–home centers for Owens Corning, showed how the company is winning with the vitally important Latino audience:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>Represent the Owens Corning brand through the Latino audience&nbsp;</li><li>Invest in Latino communities&nbsp;</li><li>Transcreate, not translate&nbsp;</li></ul>Brunner POV: We apply these principles for a range of clients, including Owens Corning, Church’s Texas Chicken, and Dairyland. The Latino audience is a growing force that values brands that genuinely represent them.&nbsp;<h2>What Was Missing: The Modern Business Buyer</h2>A key B2B topic that didn’t receive attention is&nbsp;the growth of millennials within business buyer positions. Brands that know what drives this audience will better understand why the points raised in the conference matter. You can learn more about this modern buyer by watching our recent presentation with Rob Pongonis, CMO of Great Southern Wood Preserving (maker of YellaWood lumber products), where we cover what drives this audience. <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/b2b-solutions/brands-for-humans-insights" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn more.</a>

Learn about the key takeaways from the ANA Masters of B2B Marketing, focusing on C-suite alignment and the impact of AI.

C-Suite Alignment and AI Impact Shine at ANA Masters of B2B Marketing

C-Suite Alignment and AI Impact Take Center Stage at ANA Masters of B2B Marketing

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Like many brands that need to reach consumer and business audiences, YellaWood wanted a way to win the hearts, minds —&nbsp;and business — of B2B and B2C lumber customers. The goal was to engage with these audiences equally, across all YellaWood’s marketing channels.“Six years ago, we came to Brunner with a very simple request — to cut through the clutter,” recalls Rob Pongonis, CMO of Great Southern Wood Preserving, maker of YellaWood. “Brunner threw a lot of stuff on the wall. What stuck was this group of beavers.”

Brands for Humans (B4H) marketing delivers impressive results with authentic, human-centered strategies that build connections and drive success. Learn more.

Delivering Results for YellaWood Through ‘Brands for Humans’ Marketing

How Brunner is Delivering Big Results for YellaWood Through ‘Brands for Humans’ Marketing

If you lead marketing at a B2B company, how do you describe your customers? Do you list off the businesses that purchase what you sell?Or do you talk about Joshua, Jessica, and Javon — the people who buy from you?In today’s rapidly changing marketplace, your B2B customers are not your parents’ customers. Increasingly, today’s buyers are millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and they bring a very different set of expectations to the buying experience. To win their business, brands must connect with millennials on a deeper level, as people first.At Brunner, we work with business brands like <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/our-work/yellawood" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YellaWood</a> on marketing to hearts, not businesses. Instead of B2B, it’s now B4H — Brands for Humans.&nbsp;We start from a deep understanding of current business buyers.<h3>The Rise of Millennials: A New Generation of B2B Buyers</h3>Today’s business customers increasingly bring their emotions, desires, and unique perspectives into the workplace. They expect employers and brands to meet their needs like never before. Their workplace and living space are blurred, and so are the communication channels they use. They are happy to FaceTime a family member, switch to a Teams meeting, and then catch up on a social trend — all in less than an hour.The behavior shift is generational. Today, <a href="https://www.forrester.com/press-newsroom/changing-b2b-buying-behaviors/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">millennials make up more than half of business buyers</a>, according to Forrester. Zippia estimates that the <a href="https://www.zippia.com/director-procurement-jobs/demographics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">average age of a procurement director is 46</a>, which millennials are about to reach. In 2021, <a href="https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/millennial-b2b-buyers-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-wave-of-decision-makers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">millennials made up 60% of all buyers in the B2B tech market</a> with that number expected to grow in the coming years, according to <a href="https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/millennial-b2b-buyers-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-wave-of-decision-makers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trust Radius</a>. And millennials are a growing proportion of small business owners, up from <a href="https://www.guidantfinancial.com/2023-small-business-trends/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">12.9% in 2023</a> to <a href="https://www.guidantfinancial.com/small-business-trends/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">16% in 2024</a>, according to Guidant’s annual Small Business Trends report.&nbsp;<h3>How to Resonate with Millennial Business Buyers</h3>As millennials take the procurement reins, their expectations and behaviors are reshaping the B2B landscape. Business marketers need to understand and act on these key trends.1.&nbsp;Personalization is an ExpectationMillennials are online natives.&nbsp;They are&nbsp;<a href="https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/millennial-b2b-buyers-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-wave-of-decision-makers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">twice as likely as older generations to discover products through online searches</a>, Trust Radius found. Their predecessors relied on traditional channels, but millennials use search engines, social media, and digital platforms to find solutions. They expect their business searches to be as intuitive and personalized as their Amazon searches.<ul><li>Takeaway:&nbsp;Business brands must optimize and personalize their online presence to provide a level of self-service for this tech-savvy audience.</li></ul>2.&nbsp;Customer Reviews Matter More than EverMillennials trust their experiences with a product, free trials, product demos, and user reviews more than any other resources when researching products. According to the Trust Radius study,&nbsp;<a href="https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/millennial-b2b-buyers-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-wave-of-decision-makers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">80% of millennials won’t purchase without reading a review</a>.<ul><li>Takeaway:&nbsp;Brands should encourage customer reviews, make it easy for a customer to provide one, and leverage those reviews as powerful, authentic social proof.</li></ul>3.&nbsp;Purpose-Driven Brands Win HeartsMillennials gravitate toward brands that align with their values. One study found that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/10/24/why-millennials-in-charge-are-making-a-difference/?sh=625e969f4172" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">91% of millennial consumers are willing to switch brands</a>&nbsp;to one associated with a cause. Purpose-driven marketing resonates with this audience. It’s not just about selling a product; it’s about knowing a purchase helps make a positive impact.<ul><li>Takeaway:&nbsp;Brands that champion social causes, environmental sustainability, and ethical practices create a deeper emotional connection with millennials.</li></ul><h3>How Brands Can Pivot to Brands for Humans Marketing</h3>To thrive in this new era of Brands for Humans marketing, business brands must take proactive steps:<ul><li>Invest in Data Analytics: Understand your audience’s behavior, preferences, and pain points. Leverage data to create targeted campaigns.</li><li>Prioritize Personalized Self-Service: Excellent online self-service is non-negotiable. Prompt responses, clear communication, and personalized assistance go a long way.</li><li>Educate and Empower: Provide valuable content that educates and empowers your audience. Be a trusted, credible resource, not just a seller.</li><li>Humanize Your Brand: Shift from a transactional mindset to a relational one. Show empathy, engage in conversations, and build lasting relationships with customers.</li><li>Embrace Purpose: Define your brand’s purpose beyond profits. How do you contribute to a better world? Communicate this authentically and show how your company is making a difference.</li></ul><h3>Winning Hearts Is Winning Business</h3>As marketers, we must recognize that behind every business decision lies a human being who is driven as much by their heart as their head. Brands that connect emotionally with people, address real needs, and champion authenticity will win customers.Remember: It’s not about selling widgets; it’s about touching lives. Meaningful connections drive success.<h3>Ready for Brands for Humans Marketing?</h3>If you’re ready to energize your B2B marketing, let’s talk. Just like we’ve helped YellaWood, we can help your brand connect with business audiences. Contact us to talk through your challenges and ways your brand can win the hearts of business buyers.

Connecting with B2B customers presents greater hurdles than before. How can you achieve this? Through personalized, human-centric marketing. Learn more.

To Reach Today's Business Buyers, Use Brands for Humans Marketing

To Reach Today's Business Buyers, Brands Must Embrace Brands for Humans Marketing

<h2>Using Data and Research Can Uncover Customer Insights That Can Drive Growth and Change How You See Your Business</h2>A true customer insight can transform your brand.&nbsp;Just ask Victoria Lozano. She’s executive vice president of marketing at Crayola, a brand whose products have long been considered to be for kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lozano shared the story at this fall’s <a href="https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/ms-anc-oct23" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANA Masters of Marketing</a> conference of how Crayola identified a key audience insight that has helped the company unlock sales to an entirely new audience — adults.&nbsp;Her presentation reinforces a core truth that brands willing to dig into data and conduct research can uncover customer insights that will help them:&nbsp;<ul><li>better understand their current and potential customers&nbsp;</li><li>create more effective marketing campaigns&nbsp;</li><li>drive business growth&nbsp;</li><li>change how they see their business going forward&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>Crayola’s ‘A-ha’ Customer Insights and New Campaigns&nbsp;</h2>In her presentation, Lozano shared the key customer insights that revealed a big gap in customer beliefs and helped reshape Crayola’s thinking about who would use its products:&nbsp;<ul><li>A whopping 92% of parents believe that creativity has lifelong benefits for their kids&nbsp;</li><li>But only 55% of parents think they themselves are creative&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>As a brand with 89% market penetration of households with kids, these customer data points inspired Crayola to pursue sales with adults and educators through campaigns that give those audiences permission to be creative, just like kids.&nbsp;Crayola developed a foundational idea that “Kids need a champion.” From that concept, the company launched campaigns including Creativity Week, where Crayola supports educators in making creativity a core classroom focus for that week

Uncover how a single customer insight enabled Crayola to broaden its brand focus and reach new audiences, as discussed at the 2023 Masters of Marketing.

How a Single Customer Insight Helped Crayola Expand its Brand Focus

Masters of Marketing 2023: How a Single Customer Insight Helped Crayola Expand its Brand Focus

Tony Ezell strode to the ANA conference stage and posed a provocative question for marketers: “Are B2C and B2B marketing and brand evolution really any different?”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bd.com/en-us/about-bd/our-company/ezell-tony" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ezell</a>, executive vice president of North America and chief marketing officer of <a href="https://www.bd.com/en-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Becton, Dickinson and Company</a>, delivered a resounding “no” in his presentation at the <a href="https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/ms-anc-oct23" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANA’s Masters of Marketing</a> event last month in Orlando.&nbsp;During his talk, Ezell told the story of how BD, a global medical technology company, realized during the COVID-19 pandemic that it needed a more unified approach across hundreds of BD brands, both B2B and B2C. That pivot meant moving away from independent brand strategies and campaigns to a more consistent brand purpose, with two primary goals: driving growth and delivering value to customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ezell shared the successes BD has had due to its more unified B2B/B2C approach and an integrated brand architecture strategy. In addition, research from various sources backs up that same viewpoint — that B2B and B2C principles are the same.&nbsp;<h2>The Fundamental Similarities of B2B and B2C Marketing&nbsp;</h2>Ezell explained that Becton Dickinson recognized that B2B and B2C approaches require similar insights and approach:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>a deep understanding of the target audience, their needs, and their pain points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>a clear value proposition that resonates with the target audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>a strong brand identity that differentiates the company from its competitors.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes a mix of channels such as social media, email marketing, and content marketing.&nbsp;</li></ul>Taking a B2C approach to their B2B marketing helped the BD team redefine their business, revamp their product communication, and reshape their marketing plan. Those steps and strategic shift resulted in improved business performance, Ezell said.&nbsp;

Understand why it’s time to blur the lines between B2B and B2C marketing for more effective strategies, as discussed at the 2023 ANA's Masters of Marketing event.

It’s Time to Stop Thinking B2B and B2C Marketing are Different

Masters of Marketing 2023: It’s Time to Stop Thinking B2B and B2C Marketing are Different 

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At this year’s <a href="https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/ms-anc-oct23" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANA Masters of Marketing Conference,</a> more than 2,000 marketing professionals applauded impressive success stories and oohed over the inspiring work shared during the gathering Oct. 24-27 in Orlando.&nbsp;Then they got something extra.&nbsp;As each speaker concluded their presentation, Bob Liodice, ANA president and CEO, asked the same question: What was one insight marketing professionals should take back to their workplace?&nbsp;Here’s a recap of insights shared by a dozen marketing executives from prominent brands. Hint — knowing your brand, having customer insights, and bringing the two together are core. At Brunner, we think so, too.&nbsp;

At this year’s ANA Masters of Marketing Conference, over 2,000 marketing professionals celebrated standout success stories. Dive into key insights from top executives.

Masters of Marketing 2023: Key Insights from Top Marketing Executives

How did AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, drive significant sales growth and move to the top for Cannes Lions awards, the world’s most respected benchmark for creative excellence? In short, by harnessing creativity as a driver of business growth, according to Marcel Marcondes, AB InBev’s global chief marketing officer.

Uncover four key steps to harness creativity for driving business growth. Learn how innovative thinking can transform strategies and fuel success.

Four Steps For Using Creativity to Drive Business Growth

At the most recent <a href="https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/ms-anc-oct22" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANA Masters of Marketing conference</a>, Marc Pritchard, the chief brand officer at Procter &amp; Gamble Co., presented the seven habits marketers need to adopt to drive business growth — in particular, multicultural market growth.“We believe it is the most significant opportunity for the industry, for companies like P&amp;G, for our brands, and for our consumers we serve,” he told the audience. “Accelerating market growth requires superior experiences for all consumers — Black, white, Hispanic, Asian Pacific, Native Indigenous, LGBTQ +, people with disabilities, religions, age, and every other multicultural consumer group.” (Watch a <a href="https://youtu.be/sl8O0BBbMq4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video summary of Pritchard’s talk</a>)<h2>Adopting Even One Habit Can Make a Difference</h2>Pritchard credited 50% of P&amp;G’s growth to these seven habits. While your brand may not have P&amp;G-sized budgets, you will still benefit from adopting one or more of the habits he shared.<h3>1. Change your mindset</h3>If you are wondering how to get better at multicultural marketing – STOP. Speak to any Gen Z (born 1997-2013) about digital marketing and you’ll sound out of touch because for them everything is digital. In the same way, talking about multicultural marketing as a distinct category doesn’t make sense when 100% of America’s population growth comes from people who identify as minority groups (<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/all-recent-us-population-growth-comes-from-people-of-color-new-census-estimates-show/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brookings Institute, 2021</a>). Changing your mindset means understanding that multicultural marketing is all marketing. Knowing the diversity of your audience in terms of culture, economics, and preference — and the opportunities those insights present — can be your strategic advantage.<h3>2. Conduct inclusive research</h3>Does your research help you see your customers through a generic lens or does it help you get to the nuances of your customers? If your research methodology looks for a national average and reports one set of results, it may lead to average outcomes. You do not want your brand to have average appeal. Consider research methodologies that help you focus and report on the audiences that offer the greatest growth opportunity. Seek results highlighting the differences in brand attitudes and usage, then make these consumer truths your drivers of success.<h3>3. Represent all your customers</h3>Look at your marketing messages holistically. Do you see the makeup of your audience fairly reflected? Think about where you show your messages. Does it reflect the population you’ll find in cities such as Atlanta, San Jose, or San Francisco? When P&amp;G did this exercise, the finding showed the company was underrepresenting Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Indigenous people.<h3>4. Show relevant consumer truths in your marketing</h3>Build marketing messages that matter. There is no such thing as an average customer — and let’s be honest, you don’t want average customers. You want brand fans. Representation is more than ensuring you have the right mix of ethnicities or members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Representation is showing truths that matter to all your audiences. It is about showing that you understand the cues that matter. For example, when Old Spice, a P&amp;G hair and skin care brand, researched why the product wasn’t resonating with Black audiences, the findings showed that their audience wanted Black men represented as positive role models, not frat boy stereotypes.<h3>5. Diversify your media reach</h3>Are you in the right place to reach groups with the greatest source of growth? Incorporating more minority-owned media into your mix can help move you from average reach to 90%+ of specific groups (based on Pritchard’s stated P&amp;G results). Having your brand be a part of outlets such as Univision, Telemundo, and UniMás, or publications such as Latina, goes a long way toward being a ‘brand for me.’<h3>6. Maximize your resonance</h3>Firing on habits three, four, and five by type of audience will provide maximum resonance with your audience. You are now designing work based on what your audience already knows to create a heightened emotional response. Research by the ANA’s <a href="https://www.anaaimm.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing</a> shows that marketing with resonance creates a 17% bump in sales and a 48% increase in brand trust.<h3>7. Accelerate investment</h3>You may not have the budget to fund a new movie or TV series. However, as you lean into habits one to six, the increased sales and budgets create a virtuous cycle and the opportunity to invest more in minority-focused outlets. Over time, this will position your brand as a genuine partner.<h2>Putting Diversity Marketing Into Action</h2>In 2020, Brunner started a journey with <a href="https://goodwillng.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goodwill of North Georgia</a> to help the nonprofit organization appeal to a more diverse and younger customer as the next generation of thrift store shoppers. You can see <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/our-work/goodwill" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">our latest work with GNG</a>.At Brunner, we believe your organization can see similar growth from adopting the seven habits Pritchard described because they are the same principles we apply to our own clients.

Learn about seven effective marketing habits that can help drive growth in multicultural markets.

Seven Marketing Habits to Drive Multicultural Marketing Growth

Discover expert tips and creative inspiration to build a standout brand identity that captivates your audience.

Discover expert tips and creative inspiration to build a standout brand identity that captivates your audience. Explore insights from our experts to develop a unique voice and establish emotional connections that resonate in the marketplace.

Branding Content and Perspectives | Brunner

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Let’s start with, what is a challenger&nbsp;brand?&nbsp;It is a brand&nbsp;with&nbsp;big dreams, wanting&nbsp;to do bold things to overcome disadvantages such as restrictive budgets, low awareness,&nbsp;or declining brand energy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Being&nbsp;a&nbsp;challenger brand has benefits. It creates a brand strength that minimizes wasted time. You look for messaging that delivers emotional intensity and makes media budgets achieve more. Disruption becomes a part of your DNA so you can achieve the previously unthinkable when delivering measurable value.&nbsp;The question is, how do you know if you are the challenger brand you want to be and if it is enough?Our&nbsp;Challenger Focus Assessment&nbsp;helps.&nbsp;Here’s&nbsp;how it works.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Step one:</h2>Rate where you want your brand to be on the Challenger Spectrum, where 1 is we are happy to follow what others do&nbsp;as long as&nbsp;we do it well and customers are satisfied, and&nbsp;100&nbsp;is we want to be a brand that defines the category and has passionate fans.&nbsp;<h2>Step two:</h2>Answer all the questions below, based on the guidance&nbsp;provided, and give your brand a score between 1 – 10.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Challenger focus questions:</h3>

Uncover what it means to be a challenger brand and take control of your industry. Take our quiz to see how your brand stacks up against the competition.

How Much of a Challenger Brand are you? 

As you know the Millennial cohort (born between 1981-1996) is a focal point for almost all B2C marketers. They have developed new buying behaviors and influence other generations to follow suite, forced change on go-to-market strategies, and essentially determine the fate of most brands. However, they shouldn’t just be a priority for B2C. They should be front and center for B2B organizations as well.How Well Do You Know Millennials?In 2020, Millennials became the dominant force in the workplace, making up more than 50% of the U.S. workforce. In a recent Demand Gen survey, 56% of Millennial respondents held director-level positions or above, and another forty-two percent held managerial positions. Twenty-one percent of the respondents were vice presidents or held C-suite positions – and this number will only increase.According to the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/16/how-millennials-compare-with-their-grandparents/#:~:text=1%20Today%E2%80%99s%20young%20adults%20%28Millennials%20ages%2021%20to,Silents%20or%20Boomers%20did%20when%20they%20were%20young." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PEW Research Center</a>, Millennials are the most educated generation ever. They are also the most socially connected generation ever; they have grown up with cell phones, social media, and have an on-demand mentality. According to a joint study between Cone Inc and AMP, these two factors have Millennials feeling more empowered than previous generations, specifically more confident in their ability to effect change.However, with empowerment comes a sense of responsibility. Seeing their parents “sold to” during the ‘80s and ‘90s, Millennials are skeptical when it comes to marketing messages. According to Forbes magazine, they mistrust all one-way communication. And with growing up post-recession they place value on experiences vs things, celebrating the small, meaningful moments.So what does this mean for you who needs to needs to sell to your modern customer? It means that you need to focus on the aspects that this generation embraces. Here are a few suggestions:<ol><li>Be Authentic. <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/what-we-do/strategy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get to know your emerging audience</a>. Create personas that embrace their behaviors, their pain-points, their desires, and their ambitions. Then create content that matters to them.</li><li>Be Consistent. Millennials want to care about your brand, but they want you to be a brand worth caring about. Ensure that you have a <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/what-we-do/marketing-strategy/brand-strategy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">brand strategy</a> built from a solid foundation based on your ‘why’ and that all content supports this message.</li><li>Be Empowering. Millennials are far more likely to do independent research than seek the advice of a sales rep. That may be why B2B researchers in large organizations skew Millennials. They grew up learning all they needed to know through Google or on platforms like YouTube. So make learning about your product as simple as possible and consider providing free trials where possible.</li><li>Be Ready. 69% of Millennials prefer that you reach out electronically while they are in the research phase. Almost as many will have shortlisted your brand before contacting you. Think about your <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/what-we-do/crm-marketing-automation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">contact strategy</a> and how you use e-mail and messaging platforms to stay in touch and provide clear reasons for Millennials to contact you.</li><li>Be Responsive. 82% of Millennials say mobile is a crucial research tool. Mobile matters for two reasons; optimize everything from your e-mails to your website for the mobile customer experience; your audience expects answers at their fingertips, so consider the use of artificial intelligence and bots to provide immediate engagement.</li></ol>By 2030, Millennials will make up 75% of B2B buyers, and the things that matter to them today will be even more vital to the success of your brand tomorrow. Increasing your focus on this audience now will deliver long-term sales benefits. Working with a partner that understands both Millennials and your needs as a B2B brand will get you there even faster.

Explore the traits of today's modern buyer and learn how to adapt your marketing strategies to meet their ever-changing needs.

Now Is The Time To Get To Know The Modern Buyer

For over 12 years, I helped sales teams from the strongest challenger brands to the world’s most recognizable brand names sell their products to retailers of all sizes. After sitting through hundreds of B2B sales presentations, the number one piece of advice that I can offer is that it is never about your brand.Far too often, I watched as the salesperson fired up their well-designed presentation and then spent the next 20 minutes solely focused on demonstrating their brand’s success, influence and unique qualitities. Then, without skipping a beat or a moment to pull their audience in, the seller would move into the ‘how we want to work with you’ section, where they’d present a series of fully completed ideas without room for dialogue on how and if the concept can easily be adopted by the retailer. With every minute passed, the buyer looked increasingly disengaged and is left wondering about the sales team’s definition of, “working together.”This is why I always start my consulting conversations with B2B sales teams by saying, “it is never about your brand.” Retail buyers see hundreds of ‘look at my brand’ presentations every year. The fact is, most buyers do not care about your brand. They only care about their brand and how you can help them. So why spend 20 minutes talking about something they don’t care about?<h3>Here is a structure of an effective B2B retail sales presentation:</h3><ul><li>Put yourself in the retailers’ situation. What are their pain points, their needs, the new news, and where can sales and profits come from? Once you have answered these questions, it then creates a checklist for the rest of your presentation. A structure that will help the buyer see that you understand their world and have answers to their problems.</li><li>Tell a single partnership story. No, not your brand story, and stay away from empty partnership clichés. Instead, find a unique angle that aligns your brand with the retailer’s needs. For example, are you more flexible and responsive than other brand’s in your category? Can you be nimble and therefore, can work more easily with the buyer’s needs? Get this right, and it will be the thing the buyer remembers most once you’ve left the room.</li><li>Have a logical flow. Every story has a set-up, a catalyst for change, a middle, and an end. Set the buyer’s expectations by sharing the presentation’s journey upfront. An example narrative can go as follows, “trend research shows your customers want more connected experiences. Through this transition, your sales will decline. However, we have several ideas that we could develop together to overcome declining sales and still exceed customer expectations. Here’s the idea. As a result, you can expect to bring more customers in-store, delivering profitable cross-category sales.” Get this right and you’ll have buyers nodding along.</li><li>Look the part. Remember, this is not about your brand. Reflect that in both what you say and how you say it. Don’t just put the retailer logo on the front page of your presentation. Use their brand colors, their iconography, incorporate their lexicon, and use images of their customers. Get this right, and it’ll be easier for the buyer to share your ideas internally to gain buy-in.</li></ul>It will feel counter-intuitive at first, but based on 12 years of experience, the moment your sales team starts talking less about your brand is the moment retailers will start talking about you more.If you would like a free assessment of your current sales presentation, or if you would like to know more about how to create retailer-specific solutions, contact Patrick Culhane, VP, Brand Strategy.

Understand the key principles of selling to retailers and why focusing on their needs is crucial for success. Read more.

Selling to Retailers is Never About You

It’s no surprise&nbsp;that in today’s world,&nbsp;how&nbsp;we buy&nbsp;products&nbsp;is&nbsp;drastically&nbsp;changing.&nbsp;&nbsp;What once was normal walking&nbsp;up and&nbsp;down your&nbsp;local&nbsp;grocery store aisle to select&nbsp;your favorite products&nbsp;now seems like a&nbsp;strange concept. The new norm is&nbsp;sitting&nbsp;patiently in your car, parked in the curbside pickup spot,&nbsp;as a retail worker loads your trunk with your new groceries that someone else&nbsp;hand-picked for you.&nbsp;&nbsp;If how we buy our products is constantly evolving, so should our marketing approach.&nbsp;However, many CPG brands have been slow to respond, and thus, are behind the eight ball.What’s to blame? Failure to focus, segment and personalize.Today’s customers are&nbsp;demanding and will settle for nothing less than an exceptional brand experience when searching for and purchasing a product. And&nbsp;with everything&nbsp;conveniently at their fingertips, their attention span is shorter than ever, and in a blink of an eye they’re onto the next brand.&nbsp;So how do you focus on your core audience, segment your most valuable customers, and personalize your message? Follow&nbsp;these steps:&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>1.&nbsp;Leverage&nbsp;(and trust)&nbsp;first-party data.&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>The most successful marketing campaigns are rooted in first-party data — and have a team that understands and leverages the information to make informed decisions. From collecting email addresses to assessing intricate behavioral data online, first-party data can be any information you can gather about your audience via owned, earned and paid media.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to a study&nbsp;conducted by&nbsp;Advertiser Perceptions&nbsp;and&nbsp;MightyHive, less than 5% of marketers say they’ve yet to realize 80% or more of the potential of their first-party data.&nbsp;Is your CPG brand one of them?&nbsp;&nbsp;To earn the highest ROI from your marketing programs, start with data. Gather, curate, organize and enable the data to better understand your customers’ behaviors.&nbsp;Once you discover those data insights, allow them to guide you in your decision-making going forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>2. Blend that data with creativity.&nbsp;</h2>Once you discover and assess the data,&nbsp;it’s time to put it to work. How? Let&nbsp;it&nbsp;inform your creative strategy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Many people may think that data can limit creativity, but when they are blended, data can&nbsp;improve and inspire storytelling, while ultimately transforming business outcomes.&nbsp;&nbsp;We all know content marketing is important, but data-driven&nbsp;content marketing is impactful. Interpreting the data will allow you to understand your audience better. To do that, use the data to develop audience personas along their consumer decision journey. Figure out what drives consideration and purchase.&nbsp;Once uncovered, use those insights to&nbsp;inform the basis of your&nbsp;creative.&nbsp;&nbsp;From there, creating content will be easier than ever before. You’ll be able to discover your brand’s underlying truth&nbsp;— what your audience can relate to and engage with most in your brand’s story&nbsp;— which will allow the creative juices to run wild.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>3. Create a holistic omni-channel strategy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>You’ve trusted the data, understood your customer, and developed a data- and audience-driven content framework based on those insights.&nbsp;It’s now time to implement.&nbsp;&nbsp;From your data and insights, you learned your customers’ journey and that there are multiple touchpoints in the decision-making process.&nbsp;With this in mind,&nbsp;it’s important&nbsp;— especially for CPG companies&nbsp;— to be there for customers across multiple channels.&nbsp;&nbsp;To drive business performance, you must develop an omni-channel strategy that places your brand when, where and how your audience&nbsp;expects&nbsp;you to be throughout their&nbsp;journey. Does your target customer primarily use Facebook? Do they spend&nbsp;the majority&nbsp;of their day in a car with the radio playing? Are they spending more time at home in front of the TV screen? All of these questions and more need answered and will impact the channels in which you develop a media plan.&nbsp;&nbsp;The best advice for an omni-channel approach? Be agile.&nbsp;Test, learn and optimize your creative and media channels to determine what’s most effective. Because behaviors&nbsp;— especially in this day and age&nbsp;— change so quickly and suddenly, it’s important to stay nimble and be ready to adapt.&nbsp;&nbsp;Navigating your brand through culture shifts and ever-changing consumer demands is difficult, but by following these strategic best practices, your brand will not only survive, but thrive.

Learn three essential keys to ensure your brand thrives despite shifts in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry.

Don’t Let CPG Shifts Debilitate Growth: 3 Keys for Your Brand to Thrive

Don’t Let CPG Shifts Debilitate Growth: 3 Keys for Your Brand to Not Only Survive, but Thrive

Social media is a key way to communicate with your customers. Hear from our teams.

Social media is a key way to connect with your customers and foster meaningful relationships. Hear from our experts as they share insights on building authentic engagement, crafting compelling content, and staying ahead of trends in the organic social landscape.

Organic Social Media Content: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

organic social media

Brands navigating social media controversy is nothing new. However, the groundswell of cultural and social change in 2020 has underlined the debate for any brand manager – “should I respond?” “How can my brand’s marketing remain creative without igniting a social media crisis?” While a complex topic, there are three simple points to think about when building your approach:<ol><li>Understand what values are important to your audience</li><li>Use your brand values as your North Star</li><li>Have a game plan</li></ol>When it comes to understanding your audience, consider these statistics regarding consumer expectations and behaviors:<ul><li>A report from Piplsay via Marketing Dive noted that, “more than half (56%) of consumers are most willing to buy from brands that speak out against racism, with Gen Zers and millennials overindexing at 60%.”</li><li>Moreover, brands should reevaluate evergreen growth strategies to ensure alignment with consumer expectations and trends, per McKinsey.</li><li>“Many CPG companies have been renovating the brand equity of their large brands, imbuing them with more purpose, more originality, and more relevance… Particularly in the context of COVID-19, delivering on the brand’s promise is necessary but not sufficient. Consumers, especially younger consumers, want brands that understand them and share their values. They also want to know that the brand is virtuous on local community contributions, equitable commerce, and environmental performance. Trust and purpose matter more than ever.”</li></ul>So, how do you manage these concerns and opportunities for your brand? Here’s a few core considerations:<ul><li>Understand what values are important to your core audience:&nbsp;In today’s environment, consumers will see right through any ingenuine message or activation. If it’s not truly sincere, why should they care? As consumer behavior shifts to be more socially conscious, this can ultimately be a reason to buy or to not buy your product. This is especially imperative if your core audience is Gen Zers or Millennials (with Millennial expectations the highest, per Kantar). By truly understanding your consumer, you can make sure the causes and degree of messaging align – this shouldn’t stifle creativity. Rather, view this as more insights and another layer of data to understand your consumer when developing any plans.</li><li>Use your brand values as your North Star:&nbsp;Understanding your audience’s purchase journey is one thing, but if there’s a disconnect between words and actions, expect your approach to backfire. Consumers are expecting brands to lead by example with their marketing. In fact, Piplsay’s report found “31% of consumers [surveyed] wanting to see action within an organization before advertising that speaks out against racism, as consumers look to brands to put their money where their mouth is.” The best way to make sure there’s not a disconnect is to ensure values permeate through your organization and are not just a campaign message. Simply put, be authentic.</li><li>Have a game plan before releasing a new campaign:&nbsp;When it comes to putting anything in market, the above two points are core to build into your approach of how to manage your social media presence. Your social media responses should be an extension of the values you’re portraying in your marketing, and your values can help inform the degree to which you respond. In this cycle, you should always be listening to your consumer. Social listening is essentially free market research that you should be using to understand not only your brand’s perception, but also what your customer is thinking and needing.</li></ul>Of course, there is always a risk of backlash from some consumers. This is why using your company values as a North Star is so imperative. By remaining true to your values, you can build a strong foundation to approach a complex topic.

Discover how leveraging your brand’s values can help you navigate cultural and controversial issues effectively. Learn more.

Patrick Culhane

Vice President, Brand Strategy

Patrick Culhane

Vice President, Brand Strategy

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