Controlling the controllables: The importance of a “singular” brand

Your brand is your controlling force within modern B2B buying

B2B selling is hard. Period. You're navigating long decision cycles, crowded categories and buyers who’d rather play it safe than take a chance. According to Forrester’s 2024 Buyer’s Journey survey, 41% of B2B buyers already had a vendor in mind before they even kicked off the purchase process (Source: Forrester Research). If your brand isn’t already top of mind, you have a steep mountain to climb.

On top of this, the purchase journey has more voices involved than ever before. Information is everywhere—industry analysts, committee members, review sites, influencers and peers to name a few. Also, you often aren’t involved in these conversations buyers are having. Sure, you have tried and true marketing to insert yourself, but if so much of the purchase decision is happening without you involved, how can you even attempt to control the purchase decision?

Here’s your lifeline: your brand. It’s your controlling force to steer the narrative when you are not there. It inspires consistency of message when information gets passed from sellers to search results to AI-generated outputs. Without it, you end up with head-scratching value props and mis-aligned buyers. Investing in a brand that is clear, unmistakable and trustworthy helps control the narrative. Here are a few tips to get started.

Distill brand to its singularity

Every brand has values, pillars, attributes and guidelines. They are key for establishing a strong identity. But the best brands take it a step further. They remember to ask themselves a simple question: If your brand stood for just one thing, what would it be?

This isn’t about boiling everything into an overly simplified cliche. It’s about defining your unique value for when B2B information sharing gets complicated.

Think about a game of telephone: if the game was 4 or 5 people deep (even more in modern B2B buying!), what do you think would get remembered more upon the final pass off—a singular message or a list of attributes, adjectives and identity statements?

Don’t get us wrong—establishing a comprehensive brand identity is crucial for a brand coming to life. Keep doing that, it’s important. But while you are doing that, remember to distill your brand to its singularity as well. It keeps your intent as a brand intact no matter how many uncontrollable forces are discussing your product.

Resist being everything to everyone

We know it innately: when you try to appeal to everyone, you end up resonating with no one. But we often forget this. Or at least it gets lost when the messaging demands of product, sales, R&D and marketing teams collide.

The root cause makes sense—the more problems you solve, the more money you make. It’s economics right? But the hidden cost is watered down messaging and lost product potency.

This rings true in the world of branding as well—especially when appealing to emotions and telling stories. The best brands aren’t afraid to say no. They lean into what they uniquely stand for, and say no to the things that don’t align. Nothing communicates “trustworthy” more than being honest about what you don’t align with.

To exemplify this—think about Liquid Death. Sure, it’s not a B2B brand—but the principle applies. Their edgy image isn’t for everyone. And that’s the point. Because in turn, this builds a sense of camaraderie and the people who do enjoy their image end up loving them even more.

Quote graphic stating: ‘The best brands aren’t afraid to say no,’ with bold black text and orange quotation marks.

Explore “pattern interrupt” moments

In the world of psychology, “pattern interrupt” is an event that jolts someone out of their routine. Translate this to marketing: communication that gets people to stop and pay attention.

Many B2B campaigns look and sound similar. But it’s natural how we got here—most companies are competing to solve the same industry problems. So when talking about their solutions, this can spill over into similar language and messaging. And similar messaging can cause audiences to tune-out. Enter pattern interrupt.

Think about a fresh tone, surprising visuals or an inquiring, context-aware headline. To find these sparks, look outside your category for inspiration. If you’re in healthcare, study consumer. If you’re in finance, look at tech. That’s where the sparks of originality often hide. With that, pattern interrupt doesn’t mean random—it means strategically unexpected. So stay true to your brand in the process.

Take UserGems. While the world buzzes about AI, they are leading marketing campaigns with “Hire Humans” as a headline. And as an AI based company, it may feel like a contradiction. But it stops you in your tracks, and makes you look twice.

How we help brands find their singularity

At (add)ventures, it’s in our mission to help brands “simplify the complex.” We help brands zoom out, find their essence, and communicate from their core. Ready to polish your brand into the controlling force it is meant to be?

Start with a SOLVEsession. Conduct a collaborative workshop to build consensus around distilling the one thing you want buyers to remember?
Take inventory of your campaigns. Do they all sound born from this singularity?
Invest in the emotional side of your brand. Beyond guidelines—focus on what it feels like to experience your brand.

In a B2B world filled with an ever-growing list of influences and voices speaking on your behalf, your brand can be the one thing that stays focused.

Control what you can. And start with your brand.