Re-humanizing B2B marketing

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Hello Spark reader,

‘How can we make it more human?’—is a question that has been asked by many a marketing team trying to sell data, software, and technology in businesses around the world. How do you captivate audiences when your product exists mainly in 1s and 0s? In chips and bytes? Product screenshots artfully inserted into device interfaces will only get you so far…

Cesare Serventi—or Ces as he’s known to us—has been solving this problem for many years, which is why he’s one of our go-tos when our clients need to tell compelling stories through sound and screen. And as with most of our bench of great senior talent, he is also a close friend, and now joins the distinguished ranks of Spark contributors.

This mini masterclass in human storytelling for the digital age is one that no B2B marketer or communicator should miss.

—joel

Creative storytelling, emotion and AI: Re-humanizing B2B marketing in the digital age

Guest essay by Cesare Serventi

I have a confession to make: after I finish editing a video or a podcast show, I watch it back repeatedly, examining each and every detail as though I was watching it for the first time.

I’m looking for spots in the edit where I can make subtle adjustments—the color grade over a clip, a transition in the music—all so that I can draw out more of one thing: emotion. These kinds of changes are the ones that probably no one else will notice, but I make them nevertheless because I feel they are important for the story.

Having produced and led many professional productions over the years, supporting corporate communications and B2B marketing for financial services companies, I learned early on that emotion is the driving force that makes content impactful and memorable.

From the copywriting behind campaign creative to the technical production that brings it to life across digital mediums, each stage is a crucial step in the process of turning ideas into powerful sensory experiences that can have lasting emotional impact.

In B2C marketing, campaigns often use emotions characterized by FOMO (fear of missing out), such as love or the sense of belonging, to tie customers’ loyalty to brands and their products. But in B2B marketing, the desired feeling isn’t about tugging heartstrings—it’s about helping people feel secure in their choices, understood in their challenges, and inspired by possibilities. In this context, emotions are less likely to be joy or sadness than confidence, urgency, or trust.

In a world where buyer journeys are increasingly complex, competitive landscapes more crowded, and AI-generated content more ubiquitous, the most powerful differentiator that companies and brands have is not more data: it’s a deeper connection.

Successful communication within B2B marketing needs to resonate and not just inform.

Finding and telling human stories in tech and SaaS

If we agree that success in tech and SaaS (software-as-a-service) is also driven by powerful storytelling, the task for its marketers is:

Your first instinct might be to look at the product, but the answer is actually to look at the people using the product and their experience around that. Though products within the technology and SaaS markets are often invisible, the advantages they offer to users and the impact that they enable is usually evident. That’s where the story lies.

For example: a data analytics tool isn’t just dashboards—it’s what empowers an analyst to uncover market-moving insight that gives them the edge over competitors.

A cloud solution isn’t just storage—it’s a critical component that helps a startup scale faster than others.

Great B2B storytelling should start by asking:

Then, it introduces the human behind that success. In a world where many SaaS businesses are nearly indistinguishable at the feature level, stories are what make them noticeable and unforgettable.

The future of storytelling in the age of AI

Though AI is clearly disrupting the creative industry and allowing virtually anyone with a device to easily produce content, humans still hold the power to find and tell stories in a compelling way. AI can help shape and express a message, but it does not define it. The most powerful narratives still come from real experiences, customer interviews, employee anecdotes, and founder perspectives. Those cannot (and should not) be outsourced.

Tools like ChatGPT, copy generators, and AI video editors are accelerating how content is created, but speed and scale of production alone are not enough, and never will be. Audiences still crave originality and voice. In my own workflows, AI tools such as Autopod are invaluable for drafting outlines for content and for editing long-form shows into a program in a fraction of the time it would take me. But ultimately, it’s the skills I have developed over many years for storytelling and stylizing content creatively that make my work authentic and engaging—or at least I hope so!

In the age of AI and automation, the most valuable thing that we can offer is not more information, it's more authenticity and intention. The brands that will win in B2B are the ones that understand emotion, tell meaningful human stories, and use AI as a tool to elevate, not replace, their humanity. Because, even in the most technical of industries, we are, and always will be emotional decision-makers first.

Cesare Serventi is a professional content creator and founder of Inkwood Studios, a boutique agency that helps brands and organizations tell their stories through videos and podcasts.

A Great British Odyssey

Ces recently captured and brought to life the inspirational story of ocean-rower Angus Collins' attempt to row solo around England, Scotland, and Wales this year. If he completes the row it will be a world record, the first successful expedition in 100+ attempts!

His mission is to raise awareness and money to support the charity James’ Place, which helps suicidal men get back on their feet.​ Check out the trailer below and follow the full story on Inkwood Studios.

Thanks for joining us this week. Anything we missed? Something we should include next week? Send us your shout-outs and strong opinions to include in next week’s edition at [email protected]. 

Spark is a production of Vivace, a global B2B creative studio and consultancy that helps businesses drive meaningful brand and commercial impact. Get in touch if you’d like to chat with any of the team. Have a great week ahead.