Insight
Humanizing B2B 2.0
There’s a shift happening in B2B marketing. It’s subtle, but seismic. Not another martech stack. Not a new attribution model. Something deeper.
We’re witnessing the quiet collapse of content saturation, campaign fatigue, and the myth that automation alone can deliver connection.
And amidst it all, something unmistakably human is rising.
A decade ago, Humanizing B2B was the rebellion.
We wanted to break the rules. We fought for creativity. For brands with character and emotion. For marketing that felt more like connection than communication.
That was Humanizing B2B 1.0. A rebellion against the sterile, the rational, and the safe.
We gave B2B brands permission to feel.
Now, the landscape has changed. And so must we.
AI is here. It’s writing the blogs, building the journeys, scoring the leads. It’s fast, scalable, and impressive.
But it can’t do what humans do best: Spark trust. Create meaning. Move hearts and minds.
And so, a new evolution begins - Humanizing B2B 2.0.
This time, it’s not just about what the brand says. It’s about who is saying it, and whether we believe them.
From messaging to messengers.
Buyers aren’t reading whitepapers anymore. They’re following practitioners on LinkedIn. They’re tuning into conversations, not campaigns. They’re influenced by people, not personas.
The most progressive B2B companies are already shifting:
- Building platforms for internal experts – not just external thought leaders.
- Equipping teams to show up as themselves, with clarity, conviction and humanity.
- Designing experiences around conversation, not just conversion.
In short: They’re distributing trust through real people.
This Isn’t a Trend. It’s a redesign.
The future of B2B will be defined by:
- Brands that still lead with story, creativity and emotional depth.
- People inside those brands who are trusted, visible, and human.
- A buyer journey shaped less by persuasion, more by participation.
This is Humanizing B2B 1.0 and 2.0 working together:
- Emotion × Expertise
- Story × Voice
- Brand × People
What This Means for CMOs.
If you're a modern marketing leader, you’re already feeling this. You’ve seen the data perform, but not always connect. You’ve built the funnel, but still crave resonance. You know that creativity and credibility are not mutually exclusive.
So, here’s the challenge: Don’t choose between brand and human. Build both.
Build the brand your market remembers. And the voices they want to follow.
That’s not just marketing. That’s modern influence.