The CMO council determined that most B2B marketing efforts are largely ineffective. Buyers and influencers characterize marketing as “self-serving, irrelevant, hyperbolic, and hyper-technical,” lacking the “depth, objectivity and strategic context” they need.

Research Foundation⌗

In 1974, Purdue professor Jacob Jacoby studied how consumers process product label information. His finding was counterintuitive: increased packaging information actually decreased consumers’ likelihood of selecting products matching their initial preferences. This challenged the assumption that more information improves decision-making.

The Rational Choice Theory Problem⌗

Traditional marketing relies on rational choice theory—the idea that people have clear preferences and make impartial decisions. However, this approach proved ineffective in practice. Marketers often overwhelm customers with technical details, sometimes even deflecting value propositions back to buyers: “What do you want it to do?”

A 2003 CEB/Motista study revealed that 86% of surveyed respondents saw “no” meaningful difference between top vendors, despite functional capability variations.

Decision-Making Reality⌗

Research demonstrates that group opinion and risk aversion heavily influence purchasing decisions. People avoid recommending vendors that might damage their professional reputation.

Specialize: Focus on specific target markets rather than diluting messaging across multiple segments.

Foster emotional safety: Build relationships with industry analysts and thought leaders; referrals provide social proof and reassurance.

Foster trust: Learn about customer goals and create targeted material connecting products to specific needs through unexpected insights.

Reduce cognitive load: Develop clear value propositions rather than expecting customers to intuit solutions independently.