Your brand is your number one differentiator – so why are B2B brands still making this massive mistake?

The Problem: Playing It Safe with Your Brand

Here’s the truth bomb: your B2B brand is boring. It’s safe. It’s corporate. It’s forgettable. And it’s time to stop copying the big players just because they seem “safe.” You know the ones: the abstract logos, the corporate blues, and the perfectly clean lines. They’re easy to forget, and guess what? Your customers forget them too.

Why is this happening? The problem lies in the fact that many B2B companies play it too safe with their branding, relying on tired conventions and sterile imagery. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, B2B marketing often feels like a “race to the bottom”, where companies compete over who can look the most generic, rather than who can stand out with personality. When your brand is indistinguishable from the competition, you become part of the noise—never quite able to cut through it.

What’s worse? When you don’t invest in your brand, you’re playing a game of “hide and seek” where the customers are hiding, and you’re never going to find them.

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Actionable Insight #1: Make Your Brand Unmistakably You

The solution? Create a brand that’s unmistakably you. Be bold. Be memorable. Be “in world.” Take a page from Salesforce, Crowdstrike, and Wiz—they didn’t play it safe. They created a brand that’s full of personality and one that speaks directly to their audience.

Salesforce? They turned Dreamforce into a magical forest. Crowdstrike? Their falcon logo represents more than just an image—it tells a whole story about security and protection.

Brands that avoid being “cookie-cutter” and play it safe are the ones that remain forgettable. The Digital Marketing Institute article calls this “the blandification” of B2B marketing, where businesses often focus on sounding professional over sounding interesting, engaging, or human. Instead of adhering to the status quo, look for opportunities to inject personality into your brand. Speak to your audience in a way that connects on a human level, and challenge the conventional, “safe” approaches that leave you looking just like every other brand in your space.

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Actionable Insight #2: Invest in Your Brand Personality

Here’s where most brands get it wrong: they assume that branding is all about the logo, colours, and fonts. Yes, these are important, but a logo alone isn’t what makes a brand memorable. It’s the personality behind it.

Brand Personality is a concept that defines how a brand communicates with the audience, what emotions it evokes, and how it resonates on a deeper level. When done right, brand personality builds trust, cultivates loyalty, and sparks real connections with consumers.

In fact, the Design Council’s report on the value of design highlights how strategic design decisions—such as a brand’s personality—directly influence customer loyalty and overall business performance. According to the report, businesses that prioritise design see an increase in customer satisfaction, which results in higher market share and improved business performance. Strong branding that communicates the right personality helps establish an emotional connection, making the brand not just a name or logo, but something people identify with and trust.

This personality should reflect your business’s values and mission, and it needs to be consistent across all touchpoints. From your website and advertising to your customer service and social media, the experience should feel like a cohesive narrative that your customers can relate to. It’s not just about being different for the sake of it; it’s about being authentic and showing up consistently in a way that aligns with your audience’s needs, aspirations, and emotions.

Take, for example, Mailchimp. Their brand personality blends quirky humour with professionalism. They don’t just offer email marketing tools—they offer a brand experience that's fun, approachable, and useful. This combination makes them stand out in an otherwise dry industry, demonstrating that personality isn't just nice to have, it's essential to creating a connection with your audience.

Brand ROI is often cited as “hard to measure,” and it’s true that some of the results might not show up directly on a balance sheet. However, the Design Council also points out that measurable impact comes from long-term customer loyalty and engagement—both of which are driven by a strong and well-executed brand personality.

Actionable Insight #3: Don’t Wait Too Long to Invest in Your Brand

Here’s where businesses really get it wrong: they wait too long to invest in their brand. You don’t need to wait for your brand to become a giant before investing in it. The sooner you start, the better. The longer you put it off, the more likely you are to blend in with everyone else.

How to Measure Return on Brand Investment

Measuring a brand, like measuring happiness, isn’t always easy or straightforward. Thankfully, there are a multitude of metrics and studies that prove branding can be measured and that branding is one of the best investments a company can make. Here are some ways you can measure the return on your brand investment:

Measuring Market ROI

To actively measure the ROI of your brand within the market, you can:

• Review price points in comparison to the market
• Analyze lead metrics or sales reports
• Conduct an overall brand audit to assess how customers perceive your brand compared to competitors

Measuring Customer ROI

To actively measure the ROI with customers, consider:

• The total number of customers
• The number of recurring customers
• The average amount spent per customer
• The company’s net promoter score (NPS)
• Time spent on your website
• Email open rates
• Consumer reviews

All of these metrics are clear indicators of how well your brand is resonating with your audience, influencing their purchasing decisions, and encouraging repeat business.

Measuring Staff ROI

Internally, the ROI on branding can be measured by:

• Reviewing employee retention rates
• Analysing the cost of recruiting new employees
• Tracking new hire referrals
• Gauging employee happiness through internal surveys

Strong brand identity not only attracts customers but also helps to foster a positive company culture, attracting top talent and retaining staff long-term.

The Solution: Make Your Brand Memorable

Stop blending in. Start standing out. Create a brand that’s unmistakably yours—one that’s full of personality and speaks directly to your audience. Don’t play it safe and don’t copy the big guys. Make your brand your number one differentiator, and watch as your customers start to take notice.

Your brand is your most valuable asset. The sooner you invest in it, the sooner you’ll see the benefits. A memorable brand isn’t just a logo—it’s a story, it’s personality, and it’s the key to standing out in a crowded B2B world. So, get started today. Your brand deserves it.