4 Unfiltered Adtech Truths to Reshape Your B2B Marketing

TL;DR

Philip Mahler suggests that to succeed, marketers must ditch global benchmarks for deep local insights, using strategic creative and market education to overcome the real competitor: customer apathy.

Philip Mahler, CMO of the global adtech firm Eskimi, has learned a critical lesson from operating in over 40 diverse markets: success in B2B marketing isn’t found in a spreadsheet, but in a deep understanding of human realities.

In a recent interview on the Attributed podcast, he shared four of his most unfiltered truths that offer a practical guide for moving beyond the generic playbook.

You can also listen to the entire conversation here.

B2B marketers often rely on a standardized playbook of benchmarks and personas, but these one-size-fits-all strategies frequently fall short in the real world. Keep reading to find out what actually drives growth in complex, varied markets.

Truth #1: Local Insights Are Worth More Than Global Benchmarks

Applying a global strategy to a local market without nuance is the fastest way to waste your budget. While benchmarks provide a tidy average, they mask the critical details that determine a campaign's success.

Global benchmarks give you averages, but local insights give you the answers. 

A marketing plan created in a London high-rise will almost certainly fail in Lagos without a deep understanding of the local culture, humor, and business relationships. This context is everything.

To put this into practice, stop assuming your ideal customer profile is a monolith. A buyer’s priorities and communication style are shaped by local forces. Incorporating deep regional discovery is the foundation of an effective go-to-market strategy.

Truth #2: Your Biggest Competitor Is Customer Apathy

Marketers are conditioned to focus on outperforming other companies. But Philip argues the most significant threat is often a customer's decision to simply do nothing at all.

This state of "no decision" is an invisible deal-killer that rarely shows up in a competitive analysis. This inertia, or apathy, is your true barrier to winning a sale.

This means your primary marketing job isn't simply to prove you're better than the alternative. You must also prove that the cost of inaction is too high. Your campaigns must be sharp enough to jolt a prospect out of their status quo.

To learn more about the impact of buyer indecision on the B2B sales funnel, check out this conversation with Ted McKenna. 

3. Creative Is Both Your Strategy and Your Credibility

In a sea of look-alike content, creative is your primary lever for both earning attention and building trust. 

Creative isn't an afterthought… it's the actual distribution strategy.

An ‘unskippable’ experience, like an interactive tool, holds attention far longer than a generic banner. That time spent with your brand directly correlates to purchase intent.

This is a principle we apply at Dreamdata. For example, instead of just describing our platform with static images, we use interactive demos directly on our product pages.

Second, that same quality is a powerful signal of trustworthiness. A polished, well-executed asset signals professionalism and stability, making it a competitive moat that is difficult for others to copy effectively.

Invest in high-quality creative as a strategic priority. It’s how your message cuts through the noise and how you prove you’re a serious, reliable partner before you ever speak to a buyer.

4. Market Education is the Real Work

Anyone can set up an ad campaign. The truly difficult and valuable work is educating a market on why they need your solution, especially if it represents a significant change from their current habits.

Philip describes the challenge of shifting clients from a traditional mindset to a complex, programmatic one. This is achieved not with ads, but with high-touch initiatives like workshops and certification programs.

Try to position yourself as a teacher, not a vendor. 

Webinars, workshops, and expert consultations build the trust and understanding necessary to guide a buyer through a complex decision. By educating the market, you shape their preferences toward your solution.

Conclusion

Effective B2B marketing requires moving beyond automated playbooks and generic benchmarks.

Success is found in the human details: understanding local culture, fighting customer inertia, earning trust through high-quality creative, and committing to the hard work of educating your audience.

By embracing these principles, you can build a strategy that is not only more effective but also more resilient and authentic.

About the Speaker

Philip Mahler is the CMO at Eskimi, a global creative and media technology platform operating in over 40 countries. With approximately 15 years of experience as a marketing leader, primarily in B2B SaaS, Philip specializes in navigating the complexities of global marketing, brand strategy, and market education.