About the Episode:
In this special presentation-style episode of The Science of B2B, Kerry Cunningham introduces a powerful new concept developed in collaboration with Lisa Cole, CMO of 2X: Brand Gravity. Drawing on 6sense research and fundamental principles of buyer behavior, Kerry explores how brand awareness, availability, and affinity work together to attract and retain B2B buyers. The episode provides a practical framework for evaluating and strengthening your brand’s gravitational pull in the market.
Topics Covered
- Kerry introduces the challenge of reaching B2B buyers who are not in market.
- He explains the Brand Gravity framework and its origins.
- The framework helps companies keep ideal buyers within their orbit.
- Kerry provides examples of how brand gravity works in the real world.
- Kerry introduces a self-assessment tool to evaluate a brand across three core dimensions
Actionable Takeaways
- Only a tiny percentage of buyers are in market – brand gravity keeps you close until they are.
- Most buyers aren’t in-market now – or anytime soon. Research across 600 companies shows only 2% to 5% of prospects are ready to buy in a given quarter. Brand Gravity helps ensure you’re top of mind when they do enter the market.
- Key Quote: “Buying processes are rare…prospects are in market only between 2% and 5% of the time.”
- Brand Gravity = Brand Mass + Brand Proximity
- Brand Gravity refers to the force that keeps buyers aware, interested, and emotionally connected to your brand. Mass includes things like PR, analyst reports, and press coverage. Proximity comes from showing up in the communities and environments your buyers inhabit.
- Key Quote: ” Brand mass means you’ve got things drawing those buyers to you. Brand Proximity means you’re where they are.”
- Awareness, Availability, and Affinity are the pillars of gravity.
- Awareness: Do they know you exist?
- Availability: Are you top-of-mind and easy to access/integrate?
- Affinity: Do they like your brand enough to be biased in your favor?
- Key Quote: “You cannot be effective in B2B if your buyers don’t know you exist…but affinity is what makes them want to be around you.”
- Motivated reasoning is your ally – if they like you.
- Buyers engage in confirmation bias. When they already like you, they interpret your information more favorably. Cultivating brand affinity sets up more favorable evaluations downstream.
- Key Quote: “It creates a sort of confirmation bias…we all engage in motivated reasoning all the time.”
Noteworthy Insights
- Buyers shortlist 4 of 5 vendors on day one – If they don’t know you, you’re not getting into the evaluation
- Awareness is necessary but not sufficient – Being known isn’t enough; buyers must associate you with the problem and feel drawn to your brand.
- Brand proximity is overlooked in B2B – Sponsorships, communities, and advertising are critical to staying close to buyers between buying cycles.
- Different combinations of the three pillars yield different brand archetypes – High awareness but low affinity (e.g., Meta or Uber) is very different from a beloved brand that few people know.
Key Quotes
- “Buyers say they put 4 out of the 5 vendors they’re going to evaluate on the shortlist on day one.”
- “If they don’t know you already, your chances of selling them later are dramatically lower.”
- “Your brand has to be attractive—not pretty, but literally something buyers want to be around.”
- “Brand gravity is about keeping the buyers you want to sell to in orbit around your brand.”
- “It’s that restaurant you hear great things about but can’t get into.”
Future Topics
Kerry introduces the Brand Gravity Self-Assessment tool and encourages marketers to evaluate their own brand across the three core dimensions: Awareness, Availability, and Affinity. Future episodes will expand on how to build these dimensions over time and avoid the trap of chasing short-term leads at the expense of long-term gravitational pull.
Related Resources
