Hard Truths About B2B Personalization, Its Effectiveness, and Its Future

When I saw the headline for the article "Forget Personalisation, It's Impossible and It Doesn't Work" I assumed it was satirical, but it wasn't. The authors make a strong argument about the weaknesses of personalization as a technical endeavor and business goal for B2B brands, primarily due to the poor quality of third-party data. However, they suggest that brands should embrace customer relationship-building, utilize zero- and first-party data, and invest in "one-size-fits-most creative".

The authors also suggest that personalization isn't achievable even when data is good, however, this is due to mistargeted messages being sent due to poor data quality. The counterpoint to this is that brands have many opportunities to create moments of connection using personalization in one-to-one channels, and there are many brands that have improved their brand through personalization. Lastly, the authors suggest that personalization isn't for B2B brands, but B2B marketing and B2C marketing are converging and brands have access to the same marketing capabilities and AI/ML capabilities.

Overall, it is important to be realistic about personalization and what it can deliver. Every experience doesn't need to be personalized, but some experiences should be as people respond positively when it's done well. Additionally, personalization should be powered primarily by zero- and first-party data and brands should focus on customer relationship-building.