The new B2B power play: turning customers into fans

Think of Adobe’s creative community, Salesforce’s Trailblazers, or HubSpot’s Inbound. These aren’t just campaigns – they’re cultures. And they tap into belonging, recognition, and shared identity.

B2B fandom

While fandom is most visible across consumer and entertainment events, we’re increasingly seeing it take hold in the B2B world, too.

Take Diageo’s World Class – the world’s largest bartending competition – where bartenders don’t just compete; they belong to a close-knit, highly influential community fostered and uplifted by Diageo. Beyond the thrill of competition, it’s a program built on mentorship and education, where rising talent learns from masters, and where the hospitality trade connects through shared craft and pride. It’s the kind of high-energy, high-emotion experience that feels less like a program and more like a movement.

We’ve seen firsthand how incorporating principles that evoke a sense of movement can power any B2B program that seeks to do more than inform. Through a combination of purpose, immersion, and recognition, B2B experiences can educate, connect, and inspire a sense of shared purpose.

Start by anchoring everything in a shared belief – think purpose, not product. The strongest communities form around ideas that people care about. Make your audience feel like co-architects of that mission.

Create environments that feel less transactional and instead invite attendees to immerse themselves in the subject matter, building intimacy through learning and practice. Swap out breakouts for masterclasses or creative labs, where your audience doesn’t just attend, they contribute.

People don’t just want to participate – they want to be seen and recognized for their contributions. Celebrate expertise and achievement within your audience by turning your top customers into mentors, advocates, and role models. The result: a ripple effect of aspiration that drives engagement long after the event ends.

Trust touchpoints

Why do so many B2B brands miss the fandom moment? Because they’re still measuring clicks instead of cultural impact, or over-investing in demand gen at the expense of identity, or treating customers as audiences, instead of communities.

Sure, finance or IT might not scream ‘fanbase.’ But every business has a story worth believing in, from innovation and resilience to sustainability and craft. The key is finding your emotional core and giving people something to rally around.

Start by designing experiences that activate pride, rather than ones that just create awareness. Tap into the pride of belonging to a like-minded community by crafting experiences that celebrate what makes that group unique and creating moments where they can actively contribute to its shared success.

Build content ecosystems that feel like a community hub, not a corporate blog. Create year-round platforms where customers can share ideas, stories, and peer learning – whether through a live series or mentorship network.

Rethink account-based marketing (ABM) as advocate-based marketing. You’re not just cultivating leads, you’re cultivating champions. Shift from sales touchpoints to trust touchpoints by rewarding advocacy, inviting customers into product development, and making them part of the brand’s story.

Even in the most technical industries, people crave connection. You just need to give them the story to believe in. Fandom doesn’t show up in your CRM – but it drives everything that does.

Belief wins

The next era of B2B growth won’t be won by the brands with the biggest tech stack: it’ll be won by the brands people believe in.

Fandom is the future of loyalty. And for marketers, that means designing brand experiences people choose to come back to, again and again.