We love a good B2B brainstorm – it’s one of our (many) nerdy fascinations. So, when given the opportunity to attend the B2B Marketing Ignite 2019 conference, we simply couldn’t resist. Not to mention, our dear friends and clients at Fujitsu would be speaking on account-based marketing, something we’ve been actively involved with their team on. It was one we couldn’t miss!

Some of the key themes in the streams we attended at this years’ conference? The changing role of data in B2B marketing, and the importance of an emotional appeal.

What does that mean for our B2B future? There was a lot of conversation around how the strategy has been lost in favour of the tactical – and how data can be both a help and a hindrance depending on how it’s used. The important part of data to remember is that humans look for evidence to support their biases – as it was put in the Ditch the Marketing Cures breakout session, “the brain is a lawyer, not a judge.” Stats show that 46% of consumers want a brand to feel emotional, while 54% demand rational. We’re sitting at the convergence of two very different ideas.

But just because they’re different, doesn’t mean they can’t work together (our diverse team is evidence of that!). By applying strategic marketing that appeals to the emotional and the rational, business-to-business marketers have the opportunity to push boundaries in the industry. Gone are the days of same-old, same-old. Through a confluence of data and emotion, businesses have a unique opportunity to reach their audiences – and the C-Suite are willing to listen.

This is a space Immediate Future has been living in for years (and years and years) and it’s why our reporting always includes a key learning and a real-life stat. We could tell you our recent B2B video promotion of Fujitsu World Tour was watched by 120,311 people, or we could tell you the reach of the segments to our target C-suite audience was the equivalent of filling Wembley Stadium one and a half times over. Data resonates, especially with the help of a little bit of emotion.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Immediate Future uses data and emotion in tandem within the B2B space, drop us a line!