Boring2Brave

A former award-winning journalist, Mark has built a reputation as a leader with a 20-year career at the heart of the global B2B marketing and communications arena. He’s been the ‘media’, the ‘agency’ and the ‘brand’; has operated within large corporates and startups alike and has raised investment to found and run a successful business. Mark was editor of Marketing Week magazine and earlier, B2B-focused marketing titles Precision Marketing and Data Strategy and was a business correspondent on newspaper The Sunday Telegraph. Quitting journalism in search of adventure, Mark went to an agency where he worked alongside genuine advertising legends to create stuff that helped grow some of the world’s greatest brands. Since, Mark has served - either on senior leadership teams in-house or as a strategic advisor - more than 50 B2B technology companies across the world, spanning retail, marketing, advertising, e-commerce, travel, financial services and business operations. Mark has built (and continues to build) a powerful global network of ‘brave’ people, including editors of relevant media including B2B Marketing, The Drum, Digiday, Advertising Week and Marketing Week. Mark also regularly collaborates with leading thinkers and rebels across business, brands and culture. He’s hosted two B2B technology marketing podcasts with a total listenership of more than 200,000 and appeared on various others. He’s spoken on hundreds of industry stages in numerous countries including the likes of ‘Think with Google’ in London and ‘Viva Technology’ in Paris and invented benchmark industry events including Marketing Week Live. Passionate about coaching and developing others, Mark has mentored for The Founder Institute and was a founding board director, media partner and speaker for The Marketing Academy. A believer in ‘always saying yes’, in 2020 Mark performed live comedy improv with nine other chief marketing officers to raise £30k for Comic Relief.

Prelims

About your author

About this book

Foreword

Main text

1) How The Hell Did We Get Here?



View From Inside B2B’s Tech Marketing Bubble
Shouldn’t "Technology Marketing" Be A Bit More Rock ’n’ Roll?
Han Solo & C3PO: Only One Of Them Is 'B2B Tech Marketing'...
Planet Earth 2016-2020 (and beyond): Why Your Customer Deserves More
Why Are We B2B Marketers So Willing To Settle?
B2C - Bravery2Creativity
B2B - Boring2Brave
The Boring2Brave Mindset: Be The Entrepreneur Within



2) Boring



The ‘Safety’ Gamble: A Risky Game
The Metrics Of Mediocrity
Strategy And Tactics Without ‘Brand’
Winter Of Our Dissed Content



The Five Boring Beasts of B2B Marketing



The Sales Blog
The White Paper
The Webinar
The E-BookThe Trade Event



B2B Marketing’s Black Hole
The Tale Of Two Daves Battery-Farmed “Creativity”

3) Brave



Different Is Good
Vive La Difference
B2Beatles: Why John, Paul, George And Especially Ringo Should Be Your New Role Models
‘Fast And Slow’: How To Master Two-Speed Marketing
True Impact vs Fake News: The Right And Wrong Analytics
Grab A Spear: It’s Time To Slay Some Dragons
Data vs Instinct And The Power Of Being Gutsy
Trusting In Magic You Can’t Measure
Learn To Brief Braver
Making Bravery Profitable
‘Growth Two Ways’ - Personal and Organisational



4) Boring2Brave



Don’t Look Before You Leap: Lessons To Apply Today
Speaking Truth To Power (And Trying To Avoid Getting Punched By A Deputy Prime Minister)
Frankensteins in Salt Lake City
The Truth About Data
Weaponise Your Instinct
ROI: A Never-Ending, All-Out Sprint
Brand Awareness: Growth While You Sleep
Don’t Be A Marketer, Be A Go-To-Marketer
‘Brave’: A Happiness Mindset