Gong is a “revenue intelligence” platform built for sales teams to get more insights into sales interactions with customers.
They also have an incredibly savvy team of marketers who’ve built a successful brand that sticks out in the B2B sales landscape. I’d argue this is because they put one principle of marketing ahead of all others:
Break Conventions
Why? Because best practices = ordinary practices. You can’t afford to be ordinary when your marketing is fighting for seconds of attention.
This was just one of the insights Gong CMO Udi Ledergor provided on a recent episode of the Demand Gen Live podcast.
In this marketing teardown, Ill share 5 key strategies that Gong uses to build a brand that stands out.
1. Create a bold brand identity
Write down a list of everything that’s “expected” in marketing for your category.
The same “blue” colors
The same jargon
The same header design
The same CTAs
Now, break them.
That’s exactly what Gong did. This is perhaps the most evident on their site - where you see vivid colors, emotive photography and unexpected site sections like their “raving fans” page.
2. Find unexpected ways to reach your audience
The B2B marketing playbook is the same.
Example: Gong Superbowl Ad 2021
Did you know you can buy a Superbowl ad that only runs in select local markets for a fraction of the cost of a national ad? That’s exactly what Gong did.
They knew that 60% of their target market is in the SF bay area, and would likely be watching the Superbowl. So they took advantage of this unique opportunity and broke all previous sales records for new business opportunities created after the ad aired.
Other examples include:
Gong wrapped rideshare vehicles around Dreamforce to drive brand exposure throughout the event rather than buying a booth.
Gong branded Kiwibot food delivery robots in San Francisco
3. Allocate 20% to “crazy ideas”
Udi says he spends 80% of his budget on hitting his numbers. These are the things that are proven to drive revenue, and where he can see clear attribution.
Because he’s earned credibility hitting those numbers, he reserves 20% of his budget for experimentation. He doesn’t even talk to the COO or CEO about approval for these initiatives.
These experiments SAY SOMETHING about the brand. Many of Gong’s experiments reinforce the innovation they want to be known for.
4. Create a category to limit your competition
One of my favorite aspects of the Gong brand is their category positioning.
Revenue Intelligence
Without this positioning, they’d just be seen as an expensive call tracking software, which a a gross misunderstanding of what the tool provides.
But the benefit of positioning themselves as a “revenue intelligence” tool is that they’ve created a category that allows them to stand out, and that has little to no competition.
5. 🔥Hot take: hire marketing before sales
Udi has strong opinions on how most B2B companies get it wrong. If you hire a head of sales before a head of marketing, you have.
A salesperson with no leads
No content to support the sales process
Unclear brand messaging
Building a strong brand is easier with an organization that has conviction about the value of marketing from an early stage. This, Gong has clearly done.
Further Reading
👇 Watch the full interview with Gong CMO Udi Ledergor on Demand Gen Live