Marketing for Sustainable Growth

“B2B Marketing and the 95:5 Rule” - new cartoon and post: In 2021, Professor John Dawes of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute introduced the 95:5 Rule, a simple but powerful concept that challenged conventional thinking in B2B marketing. In his research, John showed that up to 95% of buyers are not in the market in any one time (and perhaps won’t be for months or years). As he put it: “This is a deceptively simple fact, but it has a profound implication for advertising. It means that advertising mostly hits people who aren’t going to buy anytime soon. And in turn, that tells us about how advertising works: it mainly works by building and refreshing memory links to the brand. These memory links activate when buyers do come into the market. So, if your advertising is better at building brand-relevant memories, your brand becomes more competitive.” This runs counter to the short-term pitch approach taken by so much of B2B advertising — trying to drive immediate marketing leads. Marketers can’t push out-of-market buyers to buy now, and only 5% of buyers are currently in market. As Peter Weinberg and Jon Lombardo wrote about Dawes’ work when they led the B2B Institute: “Effective marketing increases future sales in future buying situations. How? By increasing the probability that the brand comes to mind when the buyer goes in-market. Simply put, the brand that gets remembered is the brand that gets bought. You can’t push buyers down a funnel, but you can, to quote Professor Jenni Romaniuk, ‘catch buyers as they fall’.” This framework also expands the remit on B2B marketing to be a heckuva lot more exciting than it is often perceived. It’s not just about features and benefits and driving qualified marketing leads. It’s about long-term brand building. I often think about a quote Eric Ryan shared when we worked together at Method: “There are no low-interest categories — only low-interest brands.” >>> Sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter (link in bio). #marketing #cartoon #marketoon Marketoonist

Brand vs. Sales: Why most get it wrong. Most businesses I talk to, especially in B2B, get in a dangerous cycle… and they don’t even realise it. They pour money into lead generation, paid ads, and promotions because it’s easy to track, CEOs love it, and it delivers instant gratification. This is what I call buying attention. It works, but the second they stop, the attention disappears. So, they spend more. And more. And more. And some more... Until they’re trapped in an expensive game with no way out. The fix? Brand. Not logos, not colours. But real brand-building—the kind that makes customers come to you, that reduces acquisition costs. The kind of brand that makes that company top of mind when the need arises. The problem? Brand takes time. It’s harder to track, and most CEOs lose patience before it starts working. But once brand starts working, you hit the brand flywheel—an upward momentum that attracts the right users and cuts costs across sales, marketing, hiring, and retention. It’s a balance game. Neither extreme works. Too much focus on short-term sales burns money and makes it very hard to stand out and earn trust. Too much focus on brand without activation leads to slow, painful growth. That’s why the strongest businesses do both... in parallel. They buy attention for quick wins and generate attention for long-term dominance. Binet & Field’s research proves it: 60% brand, 40% sales. Start branding today to make the sales of tomorrow easier.

We tend to think the EV transition is being led by rich countries. That is no longer the case. As electric vehicles pass 25% of global new car sales this year, it is emerging markets that are leapfrogging over more advanced economies. A total of 39 countries have now reached an EV sales share above 10%, up from just four countries in 2019. EV adoption is no longer confined to a small club of rich countries – it is rapidly spreading across all markets. And why is this? In many emerging economies, EVs aren't competing against cheap petrol. They're competing against imported fuel, volatile prices and high running costs. Where electricity is domestically produced, often from hydro, and increasingly from solar and wind, the economics can flip very quickly. That’s why adoption is accelerating fastest in countries that import most of their oil, but already have relatively clean and affordable power. ➡️ Ethiopia, for example, has a power system dominated by hydro. To curb oil imports, it banned ICE vehicle imports in 2024, and EVs reached a 60% share of sales that year. ➡️ Nepal followed a similar path. After cutting import duties to reduce oil dependence, EVs reached a remarkable 76% share of new car sales in 2024. ➡️ And in Vietnam, nearly 40% of new car sales this year have been electric, almost all of them BEVs made by local manufacturer VinFast. It doesn't end there. Thailand, Indonesia, Uruguay, Mexico and Brazil are all seeing EV adoption start to take off. And these countries aren't switching to EVs to meet climate targets – they're doing it because it's the lowest-cost economic choice. If cars are being imported anyway, it makes sense to import ones that are cheaper to run and improve local air quality. This transition is now bottom-up as well as top-down. It's spreading not just across countries, but across segments too, from two-wheelers to buses and delivery vans as well as cars. And that's why the momentum is building so quickly. #energy #renewables #energytransition

When I started building my brand ecosystem publicly, everything shifted. The traditional advice says, "build it and they will come." But after studying founder brands, I've learned that most founders are stuck choosing between getting attention and maintaining integrity. Last year, I watched a brilliant entrepreneur struggle with this exact paradox. When I shared my Brand Trust Equation with her, something beautiful happened. Here's what I learned about building in public through systematic brand development: 1. Identity System Transparency Share your core messaging, positioning, and values openly. Building your identity in public creates accountability for authentic choices. Your audience connects with the journey, not just the destination. 2. Content System Broadcasting Document your strategic output across all platforms transparently. Sharing your content framework helps others while establishing your authority. Your systematic approach demonstrates professionalism and intentionality. 3. Experience System Documentation Show how people interact with your brand at every touchpoint. Building your customer journey in public creates better experiences for everyone. Your process transparency helps prospects know exactly what to expect. 4. Conversion System Sharing Reveal how attention becomes revenue in your business model. Building your funnel in public demonstrates the value of systematic thinking. Your transparent approach shows prospects the clear path forward. 5. Lighthouse Content Strategy Create cornerstone pieces that attract your ideal audience while repelling everyone else. Building your manifesto, methodology, case studies, and vision in public establishes authority. Your transparent philosophy becomes a filter for quality connections. This approach builds long-term brand equity instead of short-term attention. 6. Platform Synergy Framework Show how different platforms serve different purposes in your ecosystem. Building your multi-platform strategy in public creates strategic alignment. Other founders learn how to maximize impact across channels. This isn't just about building brands, it's about creating beautiful, systemized, and authentic businesses that serve both founders and their communities. When you build your brand ecosystem in public, you're not just attracting attention. You're building trust through the Brand Trust Equation: (Consistency × Authenticity × Value) ÷ Self-Promotion. The solution isn't choosing between integrity and attention, it's building systems that deliver both simultaneously through transparent, value-first brand development. The future belongs to those brave enough to build their brand systems in public. __ Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Matt Gray for more. Curious how this could look inside your business? DM me ‘System’ and I’ll walk you through how we help clients make it happen. This is for high-commitment founders only.

This is one of the best strategic masterclasses in personal brand building I’ve heard in years. Not marketing. Not “growth hacks.” But long-term value, ownership, leverage, and purpose. I'm a huge fan of podcasts, and have listened to thousands, but this really stopped me in my tracks. Brilliant. Check it out. Kevin Hart didn’t build a career. He built an ecosystem. Around the 20–35 minute mark of his conversation with Stephen Bartlett on Diary Of A CEO, he drops what I think is one of the greatest playbooks for long-term brand building: 1. Be willing to look stupid. “You get there by being the dummy in the room.” Most people pretend they know everything. Kevin asks the questions that open the right doors. 2. Finish what you start. His mom’s lesson: “If you start it, you’re going to finish it.” Most people quit in year two. Kevin stayed for 13 years before his “moment.” 3. Build the thing that opens every other door. He chose stand-up. Mastered it. Then used that depth, that T-shape, to move into film, business, ownership, and partnerships. 4. Turn visibility into ownership. “My likeness allows me to get in these rooms… but ownership is where the real money is.” This is the part most people never understand. Audience is leverage. Brand is what gets you invited into rooms. But ownership is what turns fame into wealth. 5. Think bigger than your block. Chris Rock’s advice to him early on: “The world is so much bigger than your neighbourhood. Get out the country.” That’s when Kevin stopped performing for a block… and started building for the world. 6. Integrate the whole ecosystem. Fabletics, Chase, C4, Grand Cormino; not as logos, but as aligned extensions of him. “Nothing I’m doing doesn’t go hand in hand.” That’s brand. Not posting. Not reach. Not noise. A true personal brand has layers: Identity → Value → Trust → Leverage → Ownership → Impact. Kevin shows exactly what it looks like when you do this with intention, patience, and long-term thinking. This wasn’t an overnight moment. It was a 13-year runway… then a universe expanding. Brand is not what you look like. Brand is what you can build because of who you are.

I bombed my first CFO presentation. Badly. If only I’d had AI then. This was early in my career at a startup. I walked into the boardroom with slides full of "user engagement improvements" and "enhanced brand awareness metrics." The CFO looked at me like I'd just presented my grocery list. "What's the payback period?" she asked, cutting straight to it. I stammered something about "long-term value creation." "How much revenue does this generate?" "Well, it's more about building relationships..." I trailed off. She closed her laptop. Meeting over. As I belatedly learned, I'd been speaking marketer to someone who thinks in dollars and cents. So I learned to speak CFO. Best career move I ever made. CFOs don't hate spending money. They hate uncertain outcomes. They think in three key buckets: - What does this replace? (Cost displacement) - What does this generate? (Revenue impact) - What does this prevent? (Risk mitigation) They need numbers, not narratives. "Improves productivity" means nothing to them. "Saves 90 minutes daily per sales rep, enabling 2.3 additional prospect calls, generating $47,000 additional pipeline per rep annually" - that gets their attention. They tend to prefer conservative, realistic scenarios, so skip the hype. Instead of "This will transform your business," try "Worst case, you break even in 8 months. Likely case, 40% ROI by month 12." Want to practice CFO-speak? AI is a big help. Try this: 1) The Translation Exercise: Take your current pitch. Rewrite every benefit as a financial metric. Use ChatGPT with a prompt like: "Turn this marketing benefit into a CFO-friendly financial outcome." 2) The Skeptic Drill: Ask Anthropic’s Claude to roleplay as a cost-conscious CFO. Practice until you can confidently answer "What if this doesn't work?" without sweating (or swearing 😁.) 3) The Benchmark Hunt: Use Perplexity or Microsoft Copilot to dig up industry financial data. CFOs trust peer comparisons far more than vendor promises. A product manager tried this last month. He went from "AI-powered efficiency gains" to "Reduces manual processing costs by $180,000 annually while preventing compliance risks worth $2M in potential fines." His CFO approved the budget in 20 minutes. Learning this changed my entire career. Suddenly, every marketing campaign had a clear business case. Every creative idea came with financial justification. Stop speaking features. Start speaking finance. Your CFO will become your biggest advocate. #B2BMarketing #ProductMarketing #MarketingStrategy #AI

Not every marketing channel does the same thing. Let me explain 👇🏻 Many premium brands thing that they just need to be on every marketing channel possible, and shout as loud as possible on there. Over communicating the same message that doesn't even really resonate. The worst bit - likely wasting resource, capital and energy in the process. But there is a better way to think about all of these channels. 👇🏻 It’s about awareness that feels earned, not forced. Consideration that builds credibility, not clutter. And loyalty that outlasts a single transaction. Here’s how premium brands turn attention into affinity: ✅ Awareness ↳ Make people aware you exist in the right spaces. 👉🏻Platforms: Organic social (IG, TikTok, LinkedIn) Paid social (brand films, awareness) Press & influencer seeding Strategy: Lead with values Cinematic craft stories Aspirational creators / PR Right-place visibility ✅ Consideration ↳ Educate and inspire with proof and craft. 👉🏻 Platforms: Organic: carousels, storytelling Paid retargeting (video/static) YouTube/blog (BTS, materials) Email: Welcome & Education ♟️Strategy: Educate: materials / process Calm, confident tone Proof early (press/reviews) ✅ Action ↳ Turn trust into confident purchase decisions. 👉🏻 Platforms: Google Search & Shopping Paid: conversion/retargeting On-site UX/checkout Email: Cart & Browse ♟️ Strategy: Proof above the fold Align Search–Paid–PDP Frictionless UX & service Gentle scarcity Personalise ✅ Loyalty ↳ Retain and reward beyond the transaction. 👉🏻 Platforms: Email: replen, VIP Community & UGC (ambassadors) Customer service touch points ♟️ Strategy: Rituals & care content Access, previews, community Reward attention, not spend This is how premium brands grow without shouting. Structure before scale. Emotion before metrics. Are you building a funnel that earns attention... or demands it?

Sustainable transformation will not be achieved through technology alone. It also requires understanding the human perspective. Much of today’s sustainability debate focuses on technological solutions: cleaner technologies, more efficient products, smarter systems. These are essential — but they are not enough. 💥 If we want real sustainable transformation, we must also understand how mainstream consumers think and decide. ➡️ This is the core idea behind our book The 60% Potential. For sustainable products and business models to scale, we cannot design only for niche consumers. We must reach the mainstream. In our terms: not just the Eco-Fans, but the 60%. Why this matters becomes clear when we compare how these two groups think about sustainability. ➡️ Mindset of Eco-Fans – Sustainability has a positive connotation – They spend a lot of time gathering information to make the “right” decision – Ecological sustainability is the decisive criterion in purchasing decisions – Ecological sustainability is a differentiating factor – Perfection is expected; accusations of greenwashing arise quickly – The environment is the common denominator – The primary goal is to make the world a better place ➡️ Mindset of the 60% – Sustainability has an image problem – They want to do the “right” thing with as little effort as possible and seek shortcuts – Price beats sustainability, but brand beats price – Ecological sustainability is no longer a differentiating factor – Fear of greenwashing can lead to greenhushing; sustainability is seen as a journey – The understanding of sustainability varies significantly – Sustainability must be “worthwhile” and improve people’s own lives *** That’s why we wrote our book. To show how marketing and business can unlock the overlooked 60% potential (the mainstream consumer), for both business growth and the planet. The German version of this book was published last year under the title: Das 60% Potential– Mit Marketing die breite Masse für grünen Konsum begeistern. GetAbstract nominated it in 2025 for the International Book Award. 💥 Our book is now available in English! The 60% Potential – Using Marketing to Win Over Mainstream Consumers for Sustainable Consumption (Campus Publishing) Available on Amazon and all major retailers. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing key insights on how to activate this untapped audience. Stay tuned.

When McKinsey & Company, Harvard Business School, and the entire effectiveness research community agree on something, it's worth paying attention. Binet. Field. Sharp. Ritson. Nelson-Field. Sutherland. These aren't brand romantics waxing poetic about purpose. They're effectiveness researchers. Econometricians. Data people. And they've spent decades proving the same thing from every possible angle: Long-term brand building drives disproportionate commercial returns. Not "might drive." Not "sometimes drives." --> DRIVES. _ Stronger pricing power _ Higher marketing ROI _ Sustained revenue growth _ Better resilience in downturns HubSpot's 2025 report shows 92% of marketers are increasing brand investment. Harvard reports 91% of leaders link brand building to long-term success. The evidence isn't emerging, it's overwhelming. So why do most organizations still allocate 80% of marketing budget to short-term activation? Because we've been optimizing for the wrong scoreboard. Measuring the wrong timeframe. Asking the wrong questions. 2026 isn't the year brand suddenly matters. It's the year we stop pretending the data doesn't exist. The research has been screaming at us for a decade. Maybe it's time we listen.

Pathways to integrate sustainability into brand strategy 🌎 Legacy companies face increasing pressure to evolve their sustainability efforts. But not all strategies require the same level of disruption—or customer involvement. Understanding the landscape is key to driving both environmental impact and business value. A helpful framework from HBR maps four brand strategies for sustainability onto a 2×2 matrix based on two dimensions: the market served (existing vs. new) and the role of the customer (purchase vs. participation). Fertilizing focuses on improving products or operations in existing markets. It requires minimal customer engagement and is often the most accessible entry point for legacy brands. The goal is to deliver sustainability as a built-in benefit of the purchase. Transplanting extends sustainability benefits into adjacent markets. The company broadens its scope while still leading the effort, asking customers to follow. The offering must deliver credible value beyond environmental claims—on price, convenience, or performance. Grafting emphasizes behavioral change. Brands remain in existing markets but rely on customer participation to realize sustainability outcomes. The success of this strategy hinges on incentives, habit-shifting design, and perceived fairness. Hybridizing is the most ambitious strategy. It combines entry into new markets with brand reinvention and customer transformation. This model suits companies seeking to reset growth or lead systemic shifts within their industries. Each approach offers a distinct balance of risk, complexity, and impact. Selecting the right strategy depends on a brand’s market position, maturity in sustainability, and ability to engage its consumer base credibly. The matrix is a practical tool to sharpen strategy, clarify internal alignment, and evaluate readiness for change—whether through low-barrier enhancements or broader repositioning. Source: HBR #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg