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Daniel Owen is CEO of The Armstrong Partnership, an independent B2B marketing agency that works with leading industrial brands.

I recently spoke with Daniel about his role, how B2B marketing has evolved since the pandemic, and how brands can best leverage new technology and storytelling trends within the industry.

Tell us about your role (and a typical day for you)

I’m CEO of The Armstrong Partnership and I’m still heavily involved in our clients’ branding strategies, where I work with our Chief Creative Officer Matt Casey to identify a difference, offer and core message before any creative development begins. I tend to stick close to the initial development of the work to make sure the creative endorses the offer.

We have just finished renovating and furnishing our new office space which was a love job but it feels great to have the team back together after the last 18 months.

How has B2B marketing developed during the pandemic and what changes do you think will be permanent?

The most noticeable and lasting impact of the pandemic has been the shift from traditional personal marketing such as exhibitions and factory visits to a digital approach. For B2B brands, this was monumental – digital marketing always came second after personal interaction. When all face-to-face meetings were canceled, B2B brands were forced to look to other channels and media to deliver presentations, remote demonstrations, and product overviews.

This process also forced them to properly examine their materials and assets, and for many they were seriously lacking.

What happened next was a race to equip sales and engineering teams with animations, 3D visualizations, presentations, and interactive product guides that Zoom and Teams could beat to make virtual sales pitches engaging, efficient, and effective. B2B brands have embraced the sustainability and effectiveness of remote meetings and demos, and I don’t expect we will see a return to the level of exhibition and show spending that was previously common.

How can B2B brands best use the strengths of new technologies for their marketing?

Most of the companies we work with make very technical equipment, so a real demonstration can take two to three hours. With video and animation, we can share the same information in minutes. The time savings from demonstrations alone are huge, but when you also factor in the repeatability of that animation and the ability to drive a very specific message, it is incredibly beneficial for B2B brands.

Another important consideration now is that people expect information to be readily available. This type of consumer behavior is constantly invading B2B marketing. The pandemic has accelerated the trend shift, and the missing brands will frustrate their key audiences.

For many B2B brands, business is done internationally, adding time differences and language barriers to the marketing equation. The right marketing assets can fill these gaps. Videos, downloadable guides, datasheets, and even 3D content are all really important parts of branding activity.

What are currently the most important trends in B2B storytelling and why are they successful?

Three key stories are told in all of the sectors we work with: sustainability; Capabilities; and automation.

The circular economy is high on the agenda and the ability to live more sustainably through behavior changes such as reducing travel and reducing emissions is no longer optional but highly expected. B2B brands have a strong focus on making high recycled materials, alternative power generation and so on. This is the number one trend in B2B storytelling, and it will continue to be significant as we move into a post-pandemic world.

Second, protection of competencies and loss of knowledge are a recurring topic. Many industries have been supported from generation to generation by skilled people learning their craft from the older generation, but the demands on the workforce are changing and it is important to find a way to protect knowledge sharing. It’s a massive, massive problem and we’ve worked with a number of industries to capture the knowledge and produce a range of technical animations, process guides, installation videos, and technical training guides.

After all, automation dominates storytelling as brands strive to portray these processes in an engaging way – here too, animation and 3D are proving effective. Especially in addressing a younger audience who are enthusiastic about automation but want to work for innovative brands and exciting industries that advance processes and technologies through automation.

Tell us about the challenges and opportunities of working with global brands

At The Armstrong Partnership we have more clients outside the UK than inside the UK, so we are well versed in time zones and language barriers. We see great opportunities in non-English speaking areas as British English is generally the international language of manufacturing – so companies see our location as a big plus.

As we grew within specific industries rather than locations, we see that there are more opportunities to be considered as an agency by companies around the world. They prefer to work with an agency with direct experience in their industry and supply chain rather than simply working with the geographically closest agency.

Time differences are the biggest challenge – we have a number of clients in North America who arrange for some late night meetings, while our clients in the east give us an early start too. This can be difficult to manage from the agency’s point of view, but the chances far outweigh the difficulties.

What was your proudest achievement so far?

I am always incredibly proud when the work of the agency is recognized by our colleagues. Earlier this year we won five Global ACE Awards for customer work during the pandemic, which was really special given the difficult times.

But my proudest job is winning gold as Best in B2B at the DMAs for our work with Bucher Emhart Glass. I am particularly proud of these because the campaign was so significant; it focused on Emhart’s end-to-end approach to glass production, which was the most innovative, advanced and customer-centric technology on the market at the time. I love working on interesting campaigns, but it’s even more rewarding when you see that the work is making positive change around the world.