Brands have looked alike for years, but personal branding is on the rise as people trust people. We explore how to build a personal brand by emphasising authenticity, which is crucial for fostering relationships and communicating a clear vision. This approach, similar to executive profiling, helps build brand trust and has been effective in B2C for years.

In this episode, Ivana Heijnen breaks down why traditional corporate marketing is losing effectiveness, and what’s replacing it: personal brands, executive visibility, and authentic communication.

For years, B2B companies relied on polished messaging, safe positioning, and “corporate voice.” But buyers don’t trust brands anymore — they trust people.

This conversation covers:

– Why corporate B2B marketing feels stale
– The rise of personal brands in B2B
– How trust is actually built in modern marketing
– What “executive profiling” really means
– Why authenticity beats polish in B2B
– How to use leadership voices to drive growth

If you’re a B2B marketer, founder, or revenue leader, this is a fundamental shift you need to understand — or risk falling behind.

00:00 Why B2B brands all look the same
00:18 Why corporate marketing feels stale
00:36 The problem with consensus-driven marketing
01:06 Why brands position themselves above buyers
01:33 Trust = relationships (and why brands fail here)
01:51 The rise of personal brands in B2B
02:02 B2B is actually person-to-person
02:35 Why emotional connection matters in B2B
03:03 What is executive profiling?
03:38 Why executives drive more trust than brands
04:06 Why brand-led trust doesn’t work anymore
04:34 What B2C got right (and B2B is copying)
05:13 Why executives are the new “influencers”
05:30 The risk of choosing the wrong spokesperson
06:06 Why authenticity is everything in B2B
06:17 What makes a true thought leader

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