B2B is dead, long-live business-to-human

At the end of your B2B strategy will be a human, not a business. Act accordingly argues Cheil UK’s Rikke Wichmann Bruun as part of The Drum’s B2B focus.

After checking into a hotel recently and heading up to my room, I found a welcome note signed by the hotel manager placed neatly on the table. There’s nothing unusual about that; hotels often leave guests welcome notes. What struck me about this particular note, however, was that it not only welcomed me to the hotel but also hoped that I would enjoy the conference I was attending and reassured me that my dietary requirements would be taken care of by both the conference organizer and the hotel during my stay.

I was being communicated with as an individual rather than a business, and I admit it; I was impressed. This level of personalization is still rare, especially in a B2B setting. But it’s coming.

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The hotel’s guest reservation system not only knew why I was there but also what preferences I had ticked when registering on the conference website. This hospitality business had synced with the conference organizer’s reg data to better understand a proportion of its guests and develop a more personalized guest experience as a result.

It’s no longer a B2B approach. This is a B2H (Business-to-Human) data-led strategy and it’s meeting the expectations of tomorrow’s business leaders.

Gen Zers (currently aged 12-27) already outnumber Boomers in most organizations, and by next year, they’ll make up 27% of the workforce in 38 countries, including the UK, US, Australia and most of Europe. This generation demands greater personalization and is drawn to businesses that embrace technology, show empathy and inspire through innovative storytelling.

B2B brands successfully building loyal relationships have shifted their marketing focus from targeting a generic ‘business’ to understanding the human beings behind those businesses.

Business-to-human (B2H) uses AI to understand our preferences and make bespoke recommendations. It relies on creating authentic, comfortable environments that build trust and communicate empathy.

As buyers of products and services, we don’t just want to be informed; we want to be inspired. A decision to purchase is no longer just about the features or benefits; it’s about the story, the values, the impact.

Samsung has been nailing this for a while now – moving beyond specs to showcase real stories where its tech has helped to solve real-world problems. It’s not just selling a product; it’s offering clients a ticket to innovation.

According to LinkedIn data, organizations swapping informational posts for content that is driven by empathy and storytelling receive almost three times more engagement. While on TikTok, successful B2B brands are following in the footsteps of pioneers such as Mailchimp by shedding their professional skins to show off a more creative, fun side instead.

Forward-facing brands know that ROI means more than profit and loss. It’s a return on engagement, a return on long-term loyalty and a return on relationships – it can be fun, memorable and human, helping clients to frame themselves as the hero in their own stories.

It can also help simplify and explain complex B2B products or services by focusing on how they benefit the individual user and their specific needs. Storytelling makes any B2B product more relatable and easier to understand.

Plus, by creating content and interactions that resonate with people on a more personal level, you encourage them to participate and share feedback, which produces data to prove the impact and drive future personalization strategies.

The secret to B2H marketing is a balance of data-led insights and AI-powered solutions, combined with the power of human connection and the ability to tell authentic stories that drive purchasing through empathy.