Tell us who you are.

I'm Jeremy Laight, a deeply experienced marketing leader having led teams across high growth fintech brands; Travelex and LendInvest, blue chip FS brands including Nationwide, RBS and NatWest and complex international portfolio brands; Bupa, Enness Global and Crown Worldwide. I am also the founder of CMO-as-a-service consultancy RocketJam.

My mission? To make marketing the growth engine of the business, not a support function. That means shifting from "awareness" to "action," from "lead-gen" to "revenue-gen," and from marketing being a cost centre to an undeniable profit driver.

How do you see your role as a B2B marketer in driving broader industry change?

B2B marketing has been playing it safe for too long. My job is to challenge that. Whether it's breaking free from tired "whitepaper-and-webinar" playbooks or ditching generic messaging, I push for marketing that earns attention, by being as bold, creative, and emotionally compelling as the best consumer brands. Human to human.

In B2B, you think you're marketing to a business, but actually, you're marketing to a person in that business. They might be a decision-maker or a user, and it's classic, it's head and heart. B2B typically focuses on the head, but you've got to get the heart as well. You've got to get their attention.

In B2B, you think you're marketing to a business, but actually, you're marketing to a person in that business.

Where I worked previously, we had to be more creative. We moved away from stock photography and commissioned our own photography. We refreshed the brand and tone of voice. In financial services, it can be quite dry and conservative, so we injected a bit of personality. One of my copywriters was a big fan of the brand Oatly, and was inspired by their copy, and we were gradually winning permission to go down that road. You can't make changes straight away, but if you do it in a small way and show what incremental improvement can do for the business, you can build on that.

What's the most provocative idea or strategy you've implemented in B2B marketing, and what was the response?

I once cut 80% of traditional demand-gen tactics, no gated content, no cold nurture spam, no "lead scoring" guesswork. Instead, we invested in brand, community, and strategic storytelling. The result? Higher inbound pipeline, shorter sales cycles, and a marketing team that was finally seen as a revenue driver, not a PowerPoint factory.

Can you share an example of how you've used storytelling to provoke change?

I had the privilege of working with an incredible family-owned business that had ambitious growth plans. They wanted to scale faster, enhance their market value, and reduce staff attrition, but there was a fundamental challenge: employees saw their jobs as just a means to an end, rather than contributing to something bigger.

To shift this mindset, we leaned into storytelling, both internally and externally. We uncovered the heart of the company's purpose and crafted a compelling narrative around why it existed beyond just profits. We spotlighted real customer stories, showing the direct impact the business had on people's lives. We reframed internal communications to connect every role to a larger mission, demonstrating how each employee's contribution helped build something meaningful.

We didn't stop at messaging; we brought this story to life in town halls, recruitment materials, marketing campaigns, and even the sales pitch. Employees began to see themselves as part of a movement, not just a company. Engagement soared, retention improved, and the business attracted top-tier talent who wanted to be part of something bigger.

The result? A more inspired workforce, a stronger employer brand, and a company that wasn't just growing, but thriving with purpose.

Because when you change the story, you change the future.

What's the biggest change needed in B2B marketing right now, and how are you contributing?

B2B marketing needs to stop acting like a second-class citizen to B2C. The biggest deals in the world aren't made on logic alone; they're made on trust, emotion, and brand affinity. I push for marketing that makes people feel something, because no one ever made a multi-million-pound decision based on a product spec sheet.

Many like to talk about the differences between B2B and B2C, however I prefer to focus on what remains the same.

Many like to talk about the differences between B2B and B2C, however I prefer to focus on what remains the same. I did Mark Ritson's Mini Marketing MBA. I remember someone putting a question to him, asking what's the difference between B2B and B2C. He said he hates that division within marketing because, in effect, the methodology is the same. The outcome is going to be different, but the approach shouldn't be.

That was a bit of an epiphany. It was one of those classic moments where you lift your head up, prioritise your own personal development, and suddenly get access to lots of new ideas and other people who are tackling the same problems you're facing. So that thinking and that question was largely shaped by that experience.

How do you encourage your team to think more boldly?

I tell them: "If your idea doesn't make at least one stakeholder nervous, you're playing it too safe." Risk-averse marketing gets ignored. Standout marketing challenges assumptions, sparks debate, and makes people sit up and take notice.

What makes B2B marketing changemaking – in one word?

Conviction. If you don't believe in what you're marketing, why should your audience?

I'm definitely a big believer in creating advocacy, and I'm a certified practitioner of NPS. It's a good way for understanding whether your people would recommend your company or its products and services. And if you can tap into that feedback, all the better.

The conviction has to come from doing the right thing, showing that you really care about customers, and the transparency of action within a company can tackle that. In the last three or four companies I've worked with, I've installed NPS, both on the customer and employee side. Sometimes it's fascinating what comes out of that process.

Your one piece of advice to future changemakers in B2B marketing?

Stop marketing to "companies." Market to humans. B2B buyers don't leave their personalities at the door when they log into LinkedIn. If your marketing doesn't resonate with real people, it won't move the needle. So flesh out your ICP and start marketing to them rather than the company.

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