Why B2B marketers need black sheep thinking

95% of B2B buyers are not in the market at any given time. Yet the vast majority of B2B advertising continues to target the 5% who are.

According to System1’s database of over 2,500 U.S. B2B ads, most campaigns still rely on rational, product-led messaging designed for in-market buyers. The result? A failure to build emotional memory or brand salience with the 95% who aren’t buying today but will be in the future. According to The Extraordinary Cost of Dull research from System1, Adam Morgan and Peter Field, B2B ads are 7% more dull than the U.S. advertising average, with “Neutral” being the most common audience response. And when people feel nothing, they do nothing, now or later.

When Fleming joined ServiceNow as CMO, one of his first moves was to ask the board to bet on brand as a strategic growth lever. His message was clear: if 81% of the buying decision is made based on initial brand impressions, then ServiceNow needed to be top of mind long before any RFP was issued or demo requested.

There’s a stubborn B2B myth that business buyers are somehow different from regular consumers. That they think in spreadsheets, not stories. That they want specs, not soul. But B2B buyers are people too. They laugh, they listen to music, they care about culture. They make emotional decisions backed by rational justification, just like everyone else.

The future of B2B marketing isn’t cold logic. It’s relevance, resonance, and brand building that speaks to real people.

From disillusionment to differentiation

Fleming points to the five stages of technology adoption outlined in the Gartner Hype Cycle, where AI has slid into stage three: the Trough of Disillusionment. The buzz is fading, flaws are showing, and confidence is starting to crack.

B2B marketers risk using AI to double down on short-term, product-focused messaging – targeting only the small group of buyers ready to buy now and missing the rest. This catalyzes dull advertising strategies. When every brand promotes the same technology in the same way to the same 5% of in-market buyers, differentiation fades. The chance to stand out, to create emotional resonance and drive future demand, gets lost in a sea of sameness.

Fleming believes that in our obsession with performance marketing and technological efficiency, we have sidelined the very qualities that drive brand growth. Curiosity and creativity are not soft skills: they are business critical. The marketers who tap into them will not only shape how technology is adopted but will also lead the brands that define the future of B2B.

Familiarity breeds contentment

So how can brands engage broad audiences, stand out creatively, and still showcase cutting-edge product features? The answer lies in familiarity. In System1: Unlocking Profitable Growth, System1 founder John Kearon argues that innovation succeeds when brands lean into what feels known and comfortable. Fleming echoes this, explaining that autonomous AI agents can seem intimidating and alien to many. At ServiceNow, a strategic decision was made to reframe them as personal minions – a simple metaphor that made AI feel approachable, useful, and grounded in real life.

This approach is rare in B2B and often dismissed as too risky. But the data says otherwise. System1’s Test Your Ad database reveals that only 5% of B2B brands in the U.S. use emotional marketing. Yet those that do see significantly stronger commercial returns.

Building on the principle that B2B buyers are people first, ServiceNow also tapped into the power of celebrity. Trusted figures not only shape how messages are received but also make unfamiliar technology feel more accessible, less intimidating and more believable. When B2B brands use celebrity ambassadors, emotional engagement increases by an average of +0.4 Stars. It’s one of the most effective ways to build future demand and connect with the 95% of buyers who are not yet in the market.

When ServiceNow launched its new brand platform featuring Idris Elba, it was far more than a celebrity stunt. It was a strategic blend of message, metaphor, and messenger. As Colin put it, “There is a wink and a nod, a little bit of humor, and a chance to bring real personality to the company.”

In a category that often defaults to the safe and the serious, ServiceNow chose to stand out. They embraced curiosity, creativity, and emotion. And in doing so, they proved that in B2B, the B does not have to stand for boring.

The full, uncensored conversation with Colin Fleming is now live here. For the latest insights, be sure to subscribe to Uncensored CMO Confidential and stay ahead of the curve.