Trust & Influence in B2B

Joel Harrison
  • 4.1 (7)
  • Marketing
  • Weekly

I’m Joel Harrison, founder of B2B Marketing.net (formerly B2B Marketing magazine) Propolis and the B2B Marketing Awards. It’s been my mission for the past 21 years to recognise, celebrate and evangelise for the amazing profession that is B2B marketing, which has evolved beyond that recognition in that time. In this podcast, I’ll be exploring what I believe is the biggest challenge facing B2B marketers today: Trust. Buyers have always been cynical, hard to reach and even harder to convince, and increasingly expect to be self-directed in their research. In other words, they only want to engage with you on their terms. As if that wasn't bad enough, media and content channels are fragmented whilst AI is opening the floodgates to a tidalwave of content of questionable quality and veracity. It all adds up to a crisis of trust in B2B. In this podcast, I'll be interviewing innovative and inspirational marketers in the front line of addressing this challenge, providing deep insights into the context of this challenge, exploring new insights about its implications and looking at real world solutions and success stories. I’ll be exploring this topic from every relevant angle and perspective, but I’m going to focus particularly on thought leadership, influencer marketing and advocacy as they have particular relevance to this challenge.

  1. 5d ago ·  Video

    Is 'ghost revenue' haunting your boardroom? | How B2B marketers can stop lingering in the shadows of the CEO Blindspot

    Four in five CEOs still see B2B marketing as a support function, not a growth driver. That's the headline finding from new Propolis research, and it's the starting point for this conversation between Richard O'Connor, CEO of B2B Marketing's Propolis platform, and host Joel Harrison. Richard walks through the three blind spots the research surfaced: ghost revenue, the growth marketing creates that sales quietly gets credit for; a credibility crunch, where CEOs say they'd trust marketers more if they understood the numbers; and an AI value trap, where budget cuts are falling hardest on the very work that builds trust over time. He also makes the case, backed by real boardroom examples, for why commercial credibility buys marketers the freedom to take bigger creative risks, and what it will take for marketers to stop lingering in the shadows of the CEO's blind spot. What you'll learn Why 84% of CEOs still see marketing as a support function, and why that starts as a visibility problem before it becomes a trust problem.What “ghost revenue” is, and why the growth marketing creates so often gets credited to sales instead.Why speaking the “language of business” isn't enough on its own, and what actually earns commercial credibility in the boardroom.Why AI is sharpening the CEO's blind spot, and the risk of cutting the very work that builds trust.What it will take for marketers to stop lingering in the shadows and own the growth agenda. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: trust in the boardroom 00:57 84% of CEOs call marketing a support function 01:44 What Propolis is, and how it connects to B2B Marketing 02:33 The shape of the research: 150 CEOs surveyed 05:42 Is the CEO blind spot a trust problem or a visibility problem? 08:41 Ghost revenue: the growth marketing creates that CEOs never see 12:05 Why a CFO said he trusts his marketing function 13:11 The credibility crunch: why “the language of business” isn't enough 15:20 Account-based marketing as a model for commercial credibility 17:51 Why marketing gets excluded from growth strategy and forecasting 19:33 The AI value trap: cutting budgets without understanding the cost 23:23 Richard's advice: own the agenda for growth 24:42 What CEOs actually want from marketing 26:03 Where to find the report Download the CEO Blindspots report here: https://www.b2bmarketing.net/reports/the-ceo-blind-spot-how-b2b-marketers-prove-protect-and-grow-their-commercial-impact/ Follow Richard O'Connor https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmpoconnor/ https://www.b2bmarketing.net/propolis/ Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/ Podcast: htts://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/podcast Hashtags #JoelHarrisonB2B #B2BMarketing #TrustAndInfluence #CEOBlindspot #GhostRevenue #B2BLeadership #MarketingTrust #BoardroomTrust #CommercialMarketing #B2BGrowth #MarketingROI #B2BPodcast

  2. Oct 21

    Is a lack of ‘commercial credibility’ the Achilles heel of B2B brands in the sales conversation? | Lorraine Emmett of Emmett & Churchman on ‘The Trust Advantage'

    Here's an uncomfortable idea for any B2B business competing for a high-value deal: your biggest competitor may not be a better business. It may simply be one that's easier to believe. That's the starting point for the second year of the Trust Advantage research from Emmett & Churchman, which surveyed 200 senior technology decision-makers and sat down with 19 CEOs making real, high-stakes buying decisions. The finding: capable businesses lose deals constantly, not for lack of capability, but because of what the research calls the commercial credibility gap, the distance between what a business can deliver and what a buyer can see, believe and defend. Joel is joined by Lorraine Emmett, founder and managing director of Emmett & Churchman and the lead author of the research, to unpack why 45% of senior buyers say they've ruled out a supplier for failing to prove its credibility, and what leadership teams can do to close the gap in their own business. Download the 'Trust Advantage' report here: https://emmettandchurchman.com/trust/ What you'll learn What the commercial credibility gap actually is, and why it explains lost deals that looked like safe wins on paper.The three questions buyers are really asking of every supplier, and which one businesses most consistently fail to answer.Why a frank discussion of limitations and risk can build more trust than a flawless pitch.What a smaller or less recognised B2B business can do to compete credibly against a better-known incumbent.The first practical step for any leadership team that wants to close this gap in its own business. Chapters Introduction: the commercial credibility gapWhy Emmett & Churchman ran this research for a second yearThe three questions every buyer is asking: can I see it, believe it, defend itWhy “can I see it” is the one businesses fail mostOverpromising versus candour: the biggest destroyer of trustThe human side of commercial negotiationEquipping your champion: evidence that travels beyond the roomChallenger opportunity: why 57% would choose a trusted smaller supplierReframing commercial credibility as a leadership issueThe CEO commercial credibility testClosing thought: where to start closing the gap Follow Lorraine Emmett LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorraineemmett-b2b-strategic-comms/Emmett & Churchman: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emmett-churchman/home/ Closing boilerplate If you found this conversation useful, the best way to support the show is to subscribe and leave a rating wherever you listen. It genuinely helps more B2B marketers find us. 🌐 Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡ www.joelharrisonb2b.com 💬 What's costing your business the deals it should be winning: capability, or credibility? Let us know in the comments below. 🔔 Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. www.joelharrisonb2b.com/podcast #JoelHarrisonB2B #B2BMarketing #ThoughtLeadership #TrustAndInfluence #B2BSales #CommercialCredibility #B2BBuyers #MarketingPodcast #B2BInsights #CMOLeadership #B2BGrowth

  3. Oct 14 ·  Video

    How to win trust in ABM's biggest deals

    Why AI makes human experiences more valuable, not less, with Claire Ellis of JPC ABM was supposed to be about relationships. As AI makes targeting and personalisation cheap and abundant, the thing ABM was meant to build in the first place, trust with the people who actually decide, has become the real differentiator. Nowhere is that more acute than in ABM's biggest deals, where a single account can be worth millions and keeping it can matter even more than winning it. ➡️ Joel Harrison is joined by Claire Ellis, Managing Director of JPC, to unpack experiential ABM: human moments designed to move specific stakeholders, rather than events that simply fill rooms. Claire explains why buyers are now using AI to form preferences early and out of sight, why so much supplier activity is noise rather than relationship progress, and how to work out who really carries the room. She shares how BT moved from infrastructure provider to strategic partner with Translink, where organisations should deliberately keep human judgement in the loop, and why accountability matters more than accuracy when AI shapes what a senior buyer sees. If you run ABM, or are weighing up where your next experience budget should go, this conversation will sharpen how you plan, measure and own those moments. This episode is sponsored by JPC. What you’ll learn Why AI has made trust harder to earn in complex deals, and what buyers rely on instead.How to design experiences around the change you need in specific stakeholders, rather than around the format.How to spot who really carries the room, and when to rethink your account plan.Where to deliberately keep human judgement, and how open to be about AI's role.What credible relationship movement looks like, and who should own what happens next. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: trust and ABM in an AI world 01:55 Claire Ellis and JPC 04:29 Where suppliers go wrong in complex deals 08:26 AI cuts both ways: why trust is harder to earn 11:59 Influencing an account before the opportunity exists 15:30 What experiential ABM is, and what it isn't 18:06 Why the format gets decided first, and what it costs 22:00 Finding who really carries the room 26:17 BT and Translink: when co-creation is real 31:14 Where to keep human judgement in the loop 35:13 Accuracy, authenticity and accountability in AI 37:44 What credible relationship movement looks like 41:47 What a CMO should ask before booking anything 44:11 Close and where to find out more Follow Claire Ellis Claire Ellis on LinkedIn ▶ https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireellisjpc/ JPC ▶ https://thinkjpc.com/ Find out more Read JPC's report, The human advantage in an AI-powered world ▶ https://thinkjpc.turtl.co/story/experiential-abm-roundtable-recap/page/1?pid=6aabbc5b8632548bf34bd33c Hear Claire and JPC at the Global ABM conference ▶ https://events.b2bmarketing.net/abmconference If you care about making B2B marketing more meaningful, useful, and memorable, this conversation is for you. It's honest, reflective, and packed with takeaways that can help elevate your approach, whether you're a marketing leader, an ABM practitioner, or working alongside sales on your most important accounts. 🌐 Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡️ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/ 💬 What's the last event in your account plan that actually moved a relationship? Let us know in the comments below. 🔔 Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. 📲 Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web: LinkedIn ▶ https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/ Podcast ▶ https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/ Instagram ▶ https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/ #JoelHarrisonB2B, #B2BMarketing, #ABM, #AccountBasedMarketing, #ExperientialABM, #ExperientialMarketing, #B2BTrust, #AIinMarketing, #EnterpriseSales, #StrategicAccounts, #SalesAndMarketing, #MarketingPodcast, #B2BInsights, #JoelHarrison, #B2BStrategy, #CMOLeadership, #B2BGrowth

  4. Oct 7

    Everyone's talking about BGM, but how do you measure maturity? | Analysis from Pretzl's new Buying Group Index

    Everyone's talking about buyer group marketing. Far fewer are doing it well, and most organisations have no reliable way of knowing how mature their approach really is. For this sponsored episode, Joel Harrison is joined by Greg Salmon, CEO of Pretzl, and Jeff Lowe, Pretzl's go-to-market advisor and a former CMO and Chief Commercial Officer at SMART Technologies, to unpack the 2026 Buyer Group Index. Produced in association with the ANA and research firm NewtonX, the Index surveyed 200 senior go-to-market leaders and measured 28 practices against commercial outcomes, from pipeline velocity to time to market. ➡️ Greg explains why so much of what passes for buyer group marketing is persona-based nurture under a new name, why the single score of the MQL is so comforting and so misleading, and how to reach the hidden influencers and build trust with people a vendor may never meet. He also warns that AI can scale bad assumptions as easily as good ones. Jeff draws on his years client-side to argue that separate sales and marketing teams are an outdated idea, explains why connected data has become a CMO's problem, and sets out what the leading organisations do differently. What You'll Learn Why so much of what passes for buyer group marketing is persona-based nurture under a new name, and how to tell the difference.How to identify the hidden influencers in a buying group and build trust with people you may never meet.Why AI is speeding up go-to-market activity without automatically improving growth, and what to do about how AI represents your brand.Why connected data and genuine sales and marketing alignment are the highest-impact practices, and among the weakest.What the leading organisations do differently, and how to benchmark your own maturity in around 15 minutes. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Pretzl and buyer group marketing 01:57 Introducing the 2026 Buyer Group Index 03:59 When buyer group marketing is persona nurture by another name 04:38 What a maturity score of 63.2 tells us 07:01 Why the MQL is so hard to let go of 10:06 Who the hidden influencers are 11:25 Building trust with people you never meet 12:28 Practical step: mapping your buyer group 14:57 When most buyer research happens out of sight 16:31 Why AI isn't automatically improving growth 17:36 How AI represents your brand 18:49 Practical step: the next 90 days 20:09 Jeff Lowe: from client-side to Pretzl 20:59 Why the real benchmark is lower than 63.2 22:18 Connected data and the systems gap 24:00 Should sales and marketing be one team? 26:56 What the leading organisations do differently 29:23 Practical step: benchmark your own maturity 31:31 Wrap-up Follow Greg Salmon, Jeff Lowe and Pretzl Greg Salmon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-salmon-280a1412/ Jeff Lowe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefflowe2/ Pretzl: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pretzlco/ Take the free Buyer Group Index assessment: [link] If you're responsible for go-to-market and want an honest view of where your organisation stands, this conversation is for you. It's practical, candid and packed with first steps you can act on now. 🌐 Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡️ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/ 💬 Is your buyer group marketing the real thing, or persona nurture with a new name? Let us know in the comments below. 🔔 Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1 📲 Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web: LinkedIn ▶ https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/ Podcast ▶ https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/ Instagram ▶ https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/ #JoelHarrisonB2B, #B2BMarketing, #ThoughtLeadership, #MarketingPodcast, #B2BInsights, #JoelHarrison, #B2BStrategy, #BuyerGroupMarketing, #BuyerGroups, #GoToMarket, #GTMStrategy, #SalesAndMarketing, #ABM, #RevOps, #AIinMarketing, #CMOLeadership, #B2BGrowth

  5. Sep 29

    B2B nostalgia: how and when to go retro in your campaigns | Five creative approaches from the B2B Marketing Awards entries, with Guy O'Brien of Custom Influence

    Nostalgia sells everything from trainers to TV reboots, yet it barely registers in B2B marketing. To find out why, Joel Harrison went through three years of B2B Marketing Awards entries in search of the exceptions, and invited Guy O'Brien, co-founder of B2B influencer marketing agency Custom Influence, into the studio to make sense of what he found. ➡️ Together they unpack five ways B2B brands are going retro, from Exel Composites retelling the Three Little Pigs to Allica Bank's bowler hat, and ask why so few try it. Guy's verdict is that nostalgia isn't wrong for B2B, it's just hard: target the wrong generation and you alienate the buyers coming through; lean too far into the joke and people remember the ad but not the brand. Joel adds a warning of his own about nostalgia that stirs the wrong memories. If you're weighing a bolder creative idea, this conversation will help you judge when going retro will pay off. What You'll Learn Why nostalgia is everywhere in consumer marketing but rare in B2B, and why that comes down to difficulty rather than suitability.The five creative approaches B2B brands are using to go retro, with campaign examples from the B2B Marketing Awards.How to avoid alienating buyers from other generations as B2B buying groups get younger.Why the brand, not the nostalgic idea, has to be what people remember.How a nostalgic idea can build a community rather than a one-off moment. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: where this conversation came from 01:52 - Guy O'Brien and Custom Influence 03:44 - Nostalgia and the humanisation of B2B 04:27 - Trend 1: Generational era cues (Just Group) 09:45 - Why nostalgia is so rare in B2B 11:25 - Trend 2: Childhood storytelling (Exel Composites) 17:16 - Trend 3: Retro media formats (Infoblox and 6sense) 22:45 - Trend 4: Period-specific aesthetics (Ecolab) 27:14 - Trend 5: Iconography of tradition (Allica Bank) 34:29 - The verdict: is nostalgia viable in B2B? 36:14 - When nostalgia backfires 40:47 - Where to find the campaigns Follow Guy O'Brien LinkedIn: [link] Custom Influence: https://custominfluence.com/ Closing boilerplate If you care about making B2B marketing more meaningful, useful, and memorable, this conversation is for you. It's honest, reflective, and packed with takeaways that can help elevate your approach to creative and thought leadership, whether you're a content creator, strategist, or brand leader. 🌐 Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡️ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/ 💬 Would you take your B2B brand retro, or is nostalgia best left to consumer marketers? Let us know in the comments below. 🔔 Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1 📲 Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web: LinkedIn ▶ https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/ Podcast ▶ https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/ Instagram ▶ https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/ #JoelHarrisonB2B, #B2BMarketing, #ThoughtLeadership, #ContentStrategy, #MarketingTrends, #B2BContent, #Storytelling, #MarketingPodcast, #B2BInsights, #JoelHarrison, #B2BVideos, #B2BStrategy, #NostalgiaMarketing, #B2BCreative, #CreativeEffectiveness, #BrandBuilding, #InfluencerMarketing, #B2BMarketingAwards

  6. Sep 22

    Think you control the buyer journey? Think again... | Why LLMs and influencers are in the driving seat, with John Rockhold of Spotlight

    The winning vendor is usually already on the buyer's shortlist before a single sales conversation happens, and increasingly, it isn't a salesperson or a website that put them there. It's a large language model, quietly checking what real people are already saying about you. John Rockhold, VP of Market Engagement at Spotlight, joins Joel Harrison to unpack Influence Orchestration, Spotlight's new research into how buying preference now forms in AI answer engines, peer communities and analyst conversations, long before a deal ever reaches a pipeline. John's team interviewed 23 leaders who build and measure B2B influence, reviewed 27 published studies of buyer behaviour, and analysed millions of AI engine answers and citations across B2B technology categories. The conversation also draws on Spotlight Summit, the event John's team ran in Kansas City the week this episode was recorded, where Joel spoke alongside Bijou Barry, Megan Burns and other voices shaping this shift. What you'll learn Why buyer preference now largely forms out of sight, in AI prompt windows, peer conversations and communities, before a vendor even knows a deal existsWhat separates the vendors AI answer engines actually recommend from the ones they ignoreWhy earned trust compounds over time, while paid attention resets the moment you stop paying for itWho should really own influence inside a B2B company, and why almost nobody does todayWhat to check in your own AI visibility on Monday morning, and what to do if you don't like what you find If you find this conversation valuable, please take a moment to subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating or review. It really helps other B2B marketers discover the show. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: the shortlist is already written 01:47 Welcome, John Rockhold 02:08 Inside Spotlight Summit 04:22 What Spotlight does, and where the report began 08:25 Why “Influence Orchestration” 11:22 The day one shortlist: 95% and what it means for the buyer journey 15:05 Robots, humans, and the return of intermediaries 16:55 The verification loop: how buyers check what the machine tells them 19:20 Earned versus owned: the quote, the sidebar, and the flip 22:13 Megan Burns and the internal trust problem 25:28 Why nobody owns influence, and why that has to change 26:42 The 50% ceiling: when owned content collapses your visibility 28:20 Three predictions for 2027 and 2028 33:48 What to check on Monday morning 35:15 Does compounding influence favour challengers or incumbents? 38:33 What John learned at Spotlight Summit Chapter times are taken from the pre-edit transcript. Re-time against the published cut once the final edit is locked. Follow John Rockhold LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrockhold/ Spotlight: https://spotlight-io.com/ More from Trust & Influence in B2B 🌐 Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community: https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/ 💬 What's the one place your buyers are checking that you haven't thought about yet? Let us know in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing: https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1 📲 Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/ Podcast: https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/ #B2BMarketing #TrustAndInfluence #InfluenceOrchestration #AIinMarketing #GEO #AEO #BuyerJourney #AnalystRelations #B2BPodcast #MarketingPodcast #JoelHarrison #Spotlight #JohnRockhold

  7. Sep 15

    Automating judgment, not just tasks | Michelle Huff on building AI trust the way you'd onboard a new hire

    Every B2B vendor now has an AI story. Michelle Huff, Chief Marketing Officer at Alteryx, argues that's exactly the problem: when everyone makes the same promise, positioning around AI stops being a differentiator and becomes table stakes. Michelle brings more than 25 years leading marketing and go-to-market strategy at Oracle, Salesforce and UserTesting to the question of how a 25-year-old analytics brand earns its place in the AI era without sliding into hype. Joel and Michelle talk through how Alteryx replaces claims with proof – a 760,000-member user community, customer stories, and a framework (Visible, Understandable, Repeatable, Auditable) for what makes an automated decision trustworthy. Michelle also unpacks a strikingly simple way to think about handing judgment to AI: treat it like onboarding a new hire, earning autonomy step by step rather than switching it on and walking away. What you'll learn Why positioning around AI is now table stakes rather than a differentiator – and what to do about itHow to move a brand beyond me-too claims to demonstrable, genuine valueWhat proof of substance actually looks like to a buyer who's heard every AI promise beforeWhy the real AI story is about automating judgment, not just tasksA practical framework for deciding what's ready to automate and what still needs a human in the loop Chapters 00:00 Introduction: why AI positioning is now table stakes 02:02 Meet Michelle Huff and Alteryx's 25-year evolution 04:54 25 years across tech shifts: the instinct that carries through 08:49 Beyond the AI me-too: proving value, not just claiming it 10:36 Community and advocacy at scale 12:21 Building movements, not monuments: the Salesforce influence 14:00 Where AI genuinely changes the product vs. just the language 15:50 Vision vs. reality: staying grounded while pointing ahead 16:19 Repositioning a legacy brand without over-claiming 20:15 The BIRA framework: visible, understandable, repeatable, auditable 23:50 Data vs. story: which one wins when they pull apart 26:45 Automating judgment: the new-hire analogy and the trust score 31:02 Task-owners vs. problem-owners: staying valuable as AI reshapes marketing 32:58 Advice for teams that don't trust their AI output yet 34:29 Closing thoughts Follow Michelle Huff LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellehuff/ Alteryx: https://www.alteryx.com/ Closing boilerplate If you care about making B2B marketing more meaningful, useful, and memorable, this conversation is for you. It's honest, reflective, and packed with takeaways that can help elevate your approach to thought leadership – whether you're a content creator, strategist, or brand leader. 🌐 Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/ 💬 Where's the line for you between AI that's a genuine step change and AI that's just new language on old capability? Let us know in the comments below. 🔔 Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1 📲 Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web: LinkedIn ▶ https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/Podcast ▶ https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/Instagram ▶ https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/

    Automating judgment, not just tasks | Michelle Huff on building AI trust the way you'd onboard a new hire

  8. Sep 8

    Before 'sleeping giant' Iron Mountain got loud, it had to be believed | CMO Karen Feldman on earning that trust

    Iron Mountain is nearly 75 years old, built on physical records storage, and structured as a real estate investment trust — known for most of its history for warehouses and shredding trucks, not brand campaigns. Then Karen Feldman arrived as the company's first-ever Chief Marketing Officer. Karen joins Joel Harrison to explain what it actually means to become a legacy business's first CMO when marketing already exists, just without a seat at the top table — and the trust-building playbook that got her there. We cover the brand health study that reshaped her budget priorities, the McLaren Racing partnership that mirrors Iron Mountain's own value proposition, how AI is reshaping B2B search behaviour, and her advice for any marketing leader walking into a legacy business. If you find this valuable, please subscribe and leave a rating or review — it really helps other B2B marketers find the show. Guest Karen Feldman, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Iron Mountain Karen Feldman is SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Iron Mountain, a role she took on in November 2024 as the company's first-ever CMO. She joined from IBM Consulting, where she spent over 25 years at IBM, including as CMO leading the business's repositioning following the Kyndryl spin-off. Karen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-feldman-217440/ Host Joel Harrison, founder of Joel Harrison B2B and host of Trust & Influence in B2B. Joel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/ In this episode 00:00 Welcome, and introducing Karen Feldman 02:27 What Iron Mountain actually does today 04:48 Karen's path from IBM Consulting to Iron Mountain 11:06 The brand platform: protect what matters, unlock what's possible 14:43 Earning the leadership trust to build a real CMO mandate 19:09 The McLaren Racing partnership 21:59 Brand, demand, and speaking the business's language 28:28 AI and trust in the B2B mid-funnel 32:25 Advice for marketers walking into a legacy business 35:11 Two years in: what's been unlocked so far Follow Karen Feldman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-feldman-217440/ Iron Mountain: https://www.ironmountain.com/ Closing & Calls to Action 🌐 Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community: https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/ What would you tell a marketing leader walking into a legacy B2B business for the first time? Let us know in the comments below. Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing: https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1 Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/ Podcast: https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/ #JoelHarrisonB2B, #B2BMarketing, #ThoughtLeadership, #ContentStrategy, #MarketingTrends, #B2BContent, #BrandStrategy, #Storytelling, #MarketingPodcast, #B2BInsights, #JoelHarrison, #B2BVideos, #B2BStrategy, #CMO, #MarketingLeadership, #BrandTrust, #LegacyBrands, #B2BGrowth, #TrustAndInfluenceInB2B, #IronMountain

    Before 'sleeping giant' Iron Mountain got loud, it had to be believed | CMO Karen Feldman on earning that trust
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4.1
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

I’m Joel Harrison, founder of B2B Marketing.net (formerly B2B Marketing magazine) Propolis and the B2B Marketing Awards. It’s been my mission for the past 21 years to recognise, celebrate and evangelise for the amazing profession that is B2B marketing, which has evolved beyond that recognition in that time. In this podcast, I’ll be exploring what I believe is the biggest challenge facing B2B marketers today: Trust. Buyers have always been cynical, hard to reach and even harder to convince, and increasingly expect to be self-directed in their research. In other words, they only want to engage with you on their terms. As if that wasn't bad enough, media and content channels are fragmented whilst AI is opening the floodgates to a tidalwave of content of questionable quality and veracity. It all adds up to a crisis of trust in B2B. In this podcast, I'll be interviewing innovative and inspirational marketers in the front line of addressing this challenge, providing deep insights into the context of this challenge, exploring new insights about its implications and looking at real world solutions and success stories. I’ll be exploring this topic from every relevant angle and perspective, but I’m going to focus particularly on thought leadership, influencer marketing and advocacy as they have particular relevance to this challenge.

Information

  • Creator
    Joel Harrison
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Joel Harrison
  • Show Website
    Trust & Influence in B2B

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