Why is it so hard for brands to talk like humans?
Ask most B2B marketers how a $2 million purchase gets made and they’ll describe a rational process: specifications, business cases, procurement scoring. Alan Stobie, Creative Director at Fifth Ring, thinks that picture leaves out the part that matters most. In this two-minute video he argues that the buyer in the suit is still a human being, and that the biggest decisions in B2B come down to feeling. Facts still have a job to do. They just won’t win the argument alone, because a fact anyone could have said is a fact nobody remembers.
Here's what the video covers:
Do B2B buyers make decisions on emotion?
The usual objection is that B2B buyers are spending company money on high-stakes purchases, so emotion doesn’t come into it. Alan doesn’t accept that.
“Is what you’re telling me that, because they’re wearing a suit, they don’t have any emotions? That’s just nonsense. They’re human beings. And funnily enough, that $2 million decision will actually be based on emotion.”
Who are you really talking to?
A campaign might reach thousands of people, but each of them meets it alone.
“Whatever piece of communication you’re putting out is only ever going to be seen by one person at a time. You’ve got to say one thing, and say it really well. Talk to them as an individual.”
Where does B2B creative lose its impact?
Usually it happens during sign-off, when every stakeholder adds the fact they think has to be in there.
“You always need to start with the emotion. You have to. Then a client will want to start dialling back in the facts. As soon as you start doing that, it’s going to stop people feeling things.”
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That principle is behind some of Fifth Ring’s most effective work. No Room for Error for MRS Training & Rescue was built on lived experience rather than a list of course features, and it won Gold at The Drum Awards EMEA 2025. For Siemens Braumat, one creative idea opened up a niche US market and delivered a 10x return on investment.
And here's what is actually said:
There are people who would say, “Well, B2B’s totally different, because obviously they’re making business decisions. They’re not buying crisps. They’re making a business decision that might be worth $2 million.”
Is what you’re telling me that, essentially because they’re wearing a suit, they don’t have any emotions? That you put your suit on and that means you don’t have any emotions anymore? It’s like, what? That’s mental. That’s just nonsense. They’re human beings. You can tap into their emotions somehow.
And funnily enough, that $2 million decision will actually be based on emotion. It’s not going to be based on absolute business fact, because that’s dull, it’s boring, it’s rubbish. Anybody could have said that fact, unless it’s the most astounding fact you’ve ever heard in your life.
It is important to remember that whatever piece of communication you’re putting out is only ever going to be seen by one person at a time. Ultimately, you’ve got to say one thing within this piece of communication, and say it really well. Only one person’s going to be viewing it or reading it at any given moment, so it’s about making sure that you talk to them. You talk to them as an individual.
Don’t talk in business speak because, for a start, it’s dull, and you’re not going to be able to create emotion within that. If you were speaking to a friend of yours and explaining why something was so good, you would enthuse about it, and you would evoke that reaction where they would be interested.
You always need to start with the emotion. You have to. And then what will happen is a client will probably want to start dialling back in the facts: “Well, we need to say this, and we need to mention that.” That’s where things start to get eroded a little bit. As soon as you start doing that, it’s going to stop people feeling things.
