B2B Brand Building Is More Important Than Ever

Branding has “never been more important” in influencing B2B buying decisions, according to research recently published by Dentsu.

The research published in the Dentsu Superpower Index is based on responses from 3,528 B2B buyers located around the world in the professional services, manufacturing, financial services and technology sectors.

The top three trends identified by Dentsu that define a winning buyer experience in 2024 include:

1. Brand: buyers emphasise trust and expertise as key to buying decisions, and B2B companies MUST strengthen their brand-building muscles.
2. Customer experience: buyer inertia is a growing problem, but hybrid digital-physical experiences can accelerate deals.
3. The rise of personalised, adaptive go-to-market: for the first time, personal decision drivers outweigh professional drivers in importance and AI is enabling enhanced personalisation.

Buyers are increasingly prioritising trust and expertise in an increasingly uncertain world. Buyers want to feel safe signing a contract – the old adage, “no-one ever got fired for buying IBM” still holds true today…

When the researchers dug deeper into the need for safety, buyers want it to be “easy to convince my colleagues on the brand’s credentials” and to be “reassured by the brand’s track record”. 

This is elevating the need for companies to be known as a good employer AND for them to be known as thought leaders that can help customers navigate an uncertain future.

The Power of AI-Driven Personalization

AI has given brands the ability to deliver hyper-personalized experiences at a scale that was once unimaginable. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI can tailor messages, offers, and interactions for every individual customer.

But here’s the catch: without a strong and differentiated brand foundation, all that personalization becomes noise. Customers might appreciate a perfectly timed email or targeted ad, but they’ll only remember the brands that stand out. 

The research shows that 68% of B2B buyers feel that many of the brands they see at work have very similar marketing and communications messages and all act and sound the same!

Your brand’s identity, values, and story need to cut through clutter. AI can help you create and personalise moments of connection, but only your brand can build lasting relationships.

Building Trust and Loyalty in the AI-Era

Trust has always been the cornerstone of brand loyalty, but in the AI era, it’s become more fragile. AI can analyse your customers’ preferences, behaviours, and even their weaknesses. With such powerful tools at your disposal, the ethical use of AI is critical. Brands that abuse this data - appearing too invasive or manipulative - risk losing trust.

Your brand needs to have an ethical compass that guides how you do business and how you implement AI. If customers trust your brand, they’ll trust the AI-driven personalization and recommendations that follow. 

Brand building isn’t just about attracting customers; it’s about retaining them by proving that you value their privacy and their loyalty.

Balancing AI with Human Emotion in Brand Storytelling

AI can analyze data, forecast trends, and automate campaigns, but it can't feel. And in branding, emotions are what forge lasting connections. 

Human creativity and emotion remain at the heart of storytelling, and this is where AI and brand building must come together.

AI can help deliver the right message to the right person, but only your brand can tell the story that resonates deeply. The brands that thrive in this new landscape will be those that use AI to enhance, not replace, their creative vision.


How are you ensuring that your brand stays strong in the AI era?

If you don’t yet have a plan in place, let’s connect!