B2B Doesn’t Have to Be This Boring.....(And that’s where the opportunity is.)

Let’s be honest.......huge amounts of B2B brands feels… beige. Same colours, same icons, same rational lead messaging, same stock photography, same vague “solutions-led” language, same decks full of words that sound important but say very little.

Which is strange, when you consider that this is where billions are being spent, reputations are on the line, and growth is either quietly compounding......or quietly stalling.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: B2B isn’t broken; in most cases, it’s just unimaginative. And that creates a massive opportunity for any brand willing to do something very simple:

Make the stuff 10% more interesting. Not radical.Not flashy. Just noticeably clearer, differentiated, truthful, more human, more embedded and more memorable. In my career, I have spent a lot of time reviewing and pressure-testing what actually drives B2B effectiveness, not opinions, not trends, but evidence. Below is a 10-point pick question set you can take straight into your next leadership, marketing, or growth meeting.

1. Are We Spending a Fortune… and Forgetting to Be Memorable

In 2024, B2B advertising spend hit $38bn. Only 15% of B2B ads are considered distinctive. If memorability is how brands win, and it is, then most budgets are being quietly wasted for little return.

Reality check: Efficiency starts with distinctiveness, not optimisation.

2. Are We Playing the Long Game?

95% of B2B buyers are out of market at any given time. The average B2B sales cycle is 379 days. If your strategy assumes short-term demand capture alone, you’re not being ambitious and you’re being unrealistic.

Reality check: Brand memory beats last-minute persuasion.

3. Are We Building Fame To Win Deals Before Our Sales Teams Ever Show Up?

81% of B2B buyers choose a brand they already knew on Day One. Brand-led B2B campaigns deliver 2.2x ROI, compared to 0.7x for activation alone. Forgetfulness, not competition, is the real drain on growth.

Reality check: If you’re not known early, you’re not chosen later.

4. Are We Tapping In to Business Emotions?

70% of B2B decisions are emotional, or a blend of emotional and rational. A bad decision doesn’t just cost money; it costs internal credibility and personal reputation. So yes, business is personal. It always was.

Reality check: Rational arguments get you shortlisted. Emotion gets you selected.

5. Are We Developing a Strong Share of Voice?

A 10% increase in share of voice drives 0.7% market share growth per year. Yet 75% of B2B ads score poorly on emotional engagement. Good ideas aren’t enough. Under-investing in them is how they quietly fail.

Reality check: Creativity needs commitment to create impact.

6. Everyone Wants to Be Human. Almost No One Is.

97% of B2B marketers say they want to humanise their brand. Only 26% actually do. Meanwhile, 71% claim a USP and 68% of buyers disagree. Your brand isn’t what you say it is.....it’s what the market remembers or forgets.

Reality check: Intent doesn’t equal execution.

7. Making (and Keeping) a Promise Still Works

Brands with a clear Promise to the Customer dramatically outperform those without across brand health, penetration and market share. Standing out by doing what you say you’ll do shouldn’t be radical. But in B2B, it often is.

Reality check: Consistency is still a competitive advantage.

8. Live Experiences Are Becoming AI-Proof

77% of people trust brands more after a live interaction. 70% feel more knowledgeable after live brand exposure. In a world flooded with AI-generated noise, presence matters again.

Reality check: Real connection is harder to scale and therefore more valuable.

9. Following Up Is the New Battleground

Delayed B2B opportunities cost $1.9 trillion globally. Well-executed Account-Based Marketing improves reputation and drives revenue growth. Knowing how to stay relevant without becoming annoying is now a core CX skill.

Reality check: Persistence without empathy is just spam.

10. Trust Beats Trends

Brands that grow trust see 65% more commercial impact. Trusted brands outperform their sectors, especially in times of crisis. When AI floods the zone and shared reality fractures, trust becomes the signal.

Reality check: Trust compounds. Hype decays.

What This Looks Like in the Real World

This is where the theory becomes a commercial reality.

Take Prime Systems. A successful health and safety reporting system, Prime Systems had a strong product and heritage, but was starting to lose ground to newer competitors with fresher stories. Think Collectiv was commissioned to refresh the brand end-to-end: full discovery, market research, customer interviews and competitor reviews. The outcome was a sharper strategic focus on "preparing for tomorrow," grounded in provenance and authority captured in the idea of "Being the First for Safety Systems”, and expressed through the promise of making places and spaces safer. That strategy was translated into everything: vision, mission, values, creative direction and a modernised brand system including a new website. The result wasn’t just a new look. It was a clearer, more confident story that stands up in a competitive, long-cycle B2B market.

Or look at Propel Tech. Formerly PACE IT, this was a well-established technology consultancy ready to move to its next stage of growth after 15 years. Think Collectiv led a full brand review and discovery process, working closely with the owners and leadership team to define positioning, messaging and direction. The name Propel Tech was chosen to reflect the outcome-led nature of the business and the real-world impact of its technical solutions. Alongside strategy, Think Collectiv delivered the renaming, creative identity and now oversees ongoing marketing strategy, ensuring the brand remains consistent, relevant and mentally available as the market evolves.

Then there’s The Vending People. A brand created to unify 12 merged businesses, a scenario where confusion is almost guaranteed without a clear strategy. Think Collectiv delivered a 12-week Brand Enlightenment programme, combining qualitative and quantitative research, senior board workshops, and full brand definition: vision, mission, purpose, values and manifesto. We led the name creation, positioning, brand launch strategy, and briefed and managed all creative and website development.

The insight that unlocked the brand was simple but powerful: "people delivering to people." That human truth shaped the name, personality and core USP, giving the new brand warmth, clarity and distinctiveness in an otherwise functional category.

So What Does This Mean for B2B Leaders?

It means the opportunity for B2B brands is entrenched in building meaningful difference and do so with commitment and emotion - it isn’t to be more rational - it’s to be clearer, braver and more human. It means doing the fundamentals better than your competitors, making a promise and delivering your brand difference at every touchpoint and doing it for longer. And it means recognising that in B2B, boring is optional, but deep relevance and a commitment to brand is not.

At Think Collectiv, this is the work. Helping ambitious B2B brands build fame, trust and momentum, and in a world where most B2B marketing still fades into the background, being 10% more distinctive is often more than enough to win. Get in touch and see how we can transform your brand into a strategic growth leaver.