Trust & Influence in B2B
Trust & Influence in B2B
Podcast Description
Trust is the biggest challenge facing B2B marketers today. Buyers have always been cynical, hard to reach and even harder to convince, and increasingly expect to be self-directed in their research. In other words, they only want to engage with you on their terms. As if that wasn't bad enough, media and content channels are fragmented whilst AI is opening the floodgates to a tidalwave of content of questionable quality and veracity. It all adds up to a crisis of trust in B2B.
In this podcast, I'll be interviewing innovative and inspirational marketers in the front line of addressing this challenge, providing deep insights into the context of this challenge, exploring new insights about its implications and looking at real world solutions and success stories.
We'll focus in particular on the topics of thought leadership and influencer marketing, but inevitably brand, advocacy and demand generation, and much, much more.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores topics such as thought leadership, influencer marketing, and brand advocacy, with episodes discussing real-world campaigns like Capgemini's 'Building Trust in Data' and Circana's insights on turning data into strategic conversations, as well as the findings of Edelman's Trust Barometer report
I’m Joel Harrison, founder of B2B Marketing.net (formerly B2B Marketing magazine) Propolis and the B2B Marketing Awards. It’s been my mission for the past 21 years to recognise, celebrate and evangelise for the amazing profession that is B2B marketing, which has evolved beyond that recognition in that time.
In this podcast, I’ll be exploring what I believe is the biggest challenge facing B2B marketers today: Trust.
Buyers have always been cynical, hard to reach and even harder to convince, and increasingly expect to be self-directed in their research. In other words, they only want to engage with you on their terms. As if that wasn’t bad enough, media and content channels are fragmented whilst AI is opening the floodgates to a tidalwave of content of questionable quality and veracity. It all adds up to a crisis of trust in B2B.
In this podcast, I’ll be interviewing innovative and inspirational marketers in the front line of addressing this challenge, providing deep insights into the context of this challenge, exploring new insights about its implications and looking at real world solutions and success stories.
I’ll be exploring this topic from every relevant angle and perspective, but I’m going to focus particularly on thought leadership, influencer marketing and advocacy as they have particular relevance to this challenge.
Based on the podcast transcript, here’s the revised episode description:
Episode Description
In this episode of Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing, Joel Harrison sits down with Stuart Giddings, CEO and co-founder of Beettoo, a new generation B2B agency built on flexible talent models and partnership ecosystems. With two decades at the forefront of B2B marketing and agency transformation, Stuart brings a refreshingly candid perspective on why the traditional agency model is broken—and what’s emerging in its place. Can agencies remain trusted partners while radically rethinking how they’re structured, staffed, and priced?
➡️ Stuart doesn’t hold back. He argues that the conventional B2B agency has become commoditized—reduced to admin resource rather than strategic partner—and that the path forward requires embracing agility, flexible resourcing, and outcome-based value over headcount-based growth. Drawing from insights shared at a recent B2B Marketing Leaders Roundtable, they explore how agencies are experimenting with distributed talent models, using 30-50% freelance or partner networks, and wrestling with questions around quality control, client consistency, and financial sustainability.
They also tackle the tough questions: How do you maintain trust with clients during constant change? Can you deliver strategic value when your team isn’t all under one roof? And what happens when AI, in-housing pressures, and talent pipeline challenges converge all at once? If you’re an agency leader, marketing director, or anyone navigating the future of B2B marketing partnerships, this conversation offers honest, practical perspectives on what’s actually working—and what needs to change.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction
01:22 – The Broken Agency Model
07:17 – Managing Distributed Teams
12:00 – New Financial Models
19:08 – Building Partner Ecosystems
24:33 – Talent and AI Challenges
29:17 – Agency Consolidation
33:33 – The AI Question
37:17 – The Future Agency
Follow Stuart Giddings
https://linkedin.com/in/stuartgiddings
If you care about the future of agency models, building sustainable partnerships, and delivering real value in an era of constant disruption, this conversation is for you. It’s pragmatic, forward-thinking, and packed with insights for anyone rethinking how B2B marketing services should be structured and delivered.
🌐 Visit Joel Harrison’s website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡️ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/
💬 What do you think—is the traditional agency model truly broken, or just evolving? Let us know in the comments below.
🔔 Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1
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📲 Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web:
LinkedIn ▶ https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/
Podcast ▶ https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/
Instagram ▶ https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/
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