Welcome back to B2B Needs Don Draper! In this episode, we dive into the golden age of B2B marketing and why it's an exciting time for businesses in this space. Our two distinguished guests, John Watton, VP of Marketing at VMware, and Richard Parsons, co-founder of True, share their invaluable insights and experiences in the world of B2B marketing.

John Watton, with over 25 years of industry expertise, discusses the dynamic blend of data-driven approaches and brand storytelling, with a special emphasis on sustainability. He explains why there has never been a better time to be a B2B marketer and how the landscape is evolving.

Richard Parsons, a veteran with over 30 years of advertising and marketing experience, provides a wealth of knowledge from his work with leading creative and media B2B agencies. He shares his experiences working with top-tier brands like Adobe, Cisco, and Oracle.

We discuss:

• Why there's never been a better time to be a B2B marketer.
• The connection between brand and lead generation in B2B marketing.
• How channels like Programmatic TV have enriched brand storytelling in the B2B space.
• Strategies for scaling a brand while maintaining a human touch in B2B.
• The changing landscape of B2B events and the role of events like "Explore Barcelona" in the marketing mix.
• The shift from CMOs being 'revenue marketers' to coming from a brand and creative background, along with its impacts.

Jose Pepe Gorbea is an inspirational leader guiding HP's pursuit of revolutionizing digital packaging technology across the globe.

Jose is head of Brands, Agencies, and Sustainability Innovation at HP and manages an international team focused on educating and inspiring brands with a human-centric communication framework. 

His team's work revolves around personalization and sustainability storytelling, driving meaningful marketing innovations that lead to increased penetration and growth in ROI.

With a career spanning over two decades, Jose has harnessed his vast experience to successfully navigate both B2B and B2C sectors. 

His primary focus is centered on empowering marketers to co-create distinctive brand assets, fostering strategic global partnerships on sustainability and creativity, and accelerating HP's digital print technology adoption worldwide through personalized, sustainable innovation.

His work has placed HP at the forefront of making other companies better, guided by the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.

We discuss:

1. Embracing the power of simplicity and significance in achieving business goals.
2. How to not just be creative, but be able to sell and market your ideas and solutions effectively.
3. How to find purpose and meaning in your marketing career.
4. How to take a proactive approach to problem-solving and making positive changes in the world.
5. Prioritizing human-to-human connections in marketing strategies.

Carolyn Henry is VP, CMO of Americas Regional Marketing at Intel and is the driving force behind their captivating marketing activations. Leading a team of over 70 marketers, she oversees strategies for consumer, commercial, gaming, and enterprise segments.

With over 20 years of experience, Carolyn has mastered the art of simplifying complexity, delivering results, and leading high-performing teams. Her passion for shaping the future of technology aligns perfectly with Intel's mission to create a better world through advancements in AI, analytics, and cloud-to-edge technology.

We discuss:

1. The balance between creativity and delivering a clear, compelling message
2. How to develop creative strategies that resonate with different personas
3. How Intel tracks and evaluates the impact of creative elements
4. Creating a culture of innovation and creativity within marketing teams