Media is more and more of a platform business - but person-to-person relationships are still pivotal to most decision-making about how media is bought and sold.
And as more of the daily interaction becomes platform-based and automated, human moments that build trust and understanding are more precious than ever.
That is what makes our latest LOOK UP conversation with Bryan Scott, CMO of Ozone, such a useful watch. In particular for anyone involved in trade marketing, commercial marketing or media sales who is trying to sell more sophisticated technology solutions without disappearing into the jargon abyss.
Ozone is a highly technical platform business, with product, engineering and data science at its core. But the job of marketing, as Bryan describes it, is not to make that complexity sound impressive. It is to make it useful, distinct and human.
From knowing and working with Bryan, we know that’s an area where he and his team really excel (as recognised with multiple industry awards)…so it was great to sit down for him for this interview.
Three important ideas to look out for…
1. The best B2B marketing still sounds like a person
Early in the conversation, Bryan talks about judging data-led marketing entries, and finding himself drawn to the one that “spoke to me like a human being.”
That’s a truth we’ve all experienced, and an important reality if you are selling!
So much B2B technology marketing still seems to be built on the assumption that the buyer becomes less human the moment they enter a buying process. We know that people inside our own organisations are emotional, distracted, ambitious, funny, tired, sceptical and under pressure. But then we imagine the person on the other side of the sales conversation as some kind of flawless logic machine, patiently decoding our product architecture.
Bryan’s reminds us that this is a mistake.
In a category full of abstract claims, complicated decks and four-word phrases no one would ever say out loud, humanity becomes a competitive advantage. Language that makes people feel that someone understands the problem they are trying to solve.
2. Differentiation is not just what you say. It is how you show up
Bryan is very good on the emotional texture of B2B relationships.
He talks about the balance between “the intelligence side, the stuff that should make people want to buy” and the side that “resonates emotionally” and makes people think: these are nice people, I want to do business with them.
That feels like a powerful test for trade marketing in media.
Yes, you need the proof. Yes, you need the product, the platform, the reach, the data, the case studies and the commercial argument. But when everyone is making adjacent claims in adjacent language, people also judge the character of the business in front of them.
That instinct runs through Bryan’s work at Ozone. He talks about events that have evolved from a simple festive lunch into something much more memorable, including singing waiters and senior publishing executives doing the conga around a fancy restaurant on a Friday afternoon.
He also talks about a small but telling initiative using his dog Brody as a mascot for art competitions for clients’ children. The children submit drawings, prizes are given, every entry gets a small participation gift in the post, and Ozone donates money to Great Ormond Street Hospital for each submission.
None of that is a product demo. But it’s very human, and tells a story about the kind of people behind the platform.
3. Great tech marketers are translators
Ozone is an “audience connection platform”, built around the engagements people have with their favourite places on the web. That requires a lot of technical know-how, to build it, and build it right. And that means a lot of new language.
Bryan talks about a feeling lots of us will be familiar with - the occasional moment of being technically out of our depth, in terms of familiarity or understanding. But Bryan never forgets that ultimately, that’s why the business needs him, and people like him, so much! If everyone only talks tech, the message never gets out into market.
Great technology marketing needs translators. People who can sit between product teams, sales teams, customers and the wider market and keep asking the simple questions: what is it? Why does it matter? What problem does it solve? How would a customer describe the value in their own words? These are invaluable storytellers.
In summary…
This was a fantastic interview - lots to learn, and Bryan himself is great company - deeply expert, and deeply human.
We had some great questions from our live attendees, and Bryan gave some great answers…but to hear the Q&As, you need to join live!
We’ve got another live interview coming up with Hamish Nicklin of AgentFlow, in which we’ll be exploring the potential of AI to make media a better place to work. It’s not too late to sign-up, you can do that here.
And early next week we’ll be sharing another great interview we recorded this week, with Searsha Sadek, Chief Product Officer of Shimmr AI. It was inspiring, and brain expanding. Keep your eyes peeled, and keep on looking up!
