Joel Harrison, editor-in-chief, B2B Marketing
During the opening session, B2B Marketing co-founder Joel Harrison revealed 91% of B2B marketers want to become more, or much more, innovative over the next 12 months.
Why is it so high on the agenda? “Innovation allows marketing to prove its worth to the rest of the business. It allows us to pool ideas from across the business, simultaneously bringing teams together while championing marketing,” says Joel.
“The crossover between creativity and innovation is really powerful,” he adds. “People often join marketing because they’re creative - this is what sets them apart as innovators.”
Yet B2B Marketing’s survey also revealed that many marketers feel they don’t get the senior leadership backing they need to really drive change. Support from the board is seen as the most effective means by which to drive innovation, yet fewer than half of marketers (49%) feel their own board backs them in this way.
“The board is relatively selfish in its pursuit of strategic success, so marketing must find a way to position itself in the context of their needs.” says Joel.
Here we recap Joel’s advice on gaining that crucial buy-in: How to convince stakeholders to invest in marketing innovation