Highlights
- Trust is imperative for SaaS growth, extending beyond mere technological solutions.
- Logistics marketing is evolving towards addressing tangible business challenges.
- Editorial integrity is crucial for the long-term viability of media brands.
At the B2B Marketing UnBoxed 2026, a comprehensive conference aimed at emerging B2B entities, leaders from the realms of insurance, logistics, fintech, and media convened to articulate why Software as a Service (SaaS) firms must transcend the conventional tech-centric growth paradigms.
During a session titled “What SaaS Can Learn from Industries That Never Had It Easy,” the discourse illuminated how businesses entrenched in highly regulated and trust-deficient landscapes have forged resilient brands by cultivating trust, generating demand, and delivering seamless customer experiences.
Moderated by Udit Agarwal, global head of partnerships and marketing at Exotel, the panel featured Shreyas Achar (CMO, Plum), Amisha Garg (marketing lead, A.P. Moller–Maersk), Karthik Hariharan (head of marketing, Axio – An Amazon Company), and MD Shahbaz Khan (director of business strategy and special initiatives at The Economic Times Business Verticals).
Agarwal commenced the discourse by underscoring how SaaS enterprises have historically reaped the benefits of product-led growth and robust buyer enthusiasm—advantages that traditional sectors have often lacked.
Achar vehemently contested the idea that insurance merely constitutes a commodity. “Only about 8 percent of our users ever file a claim, and even then, it is during one of the most challenging periods of their lives.
There isn’t an ‘aha’ moment like there is with SaaS products. We must cultivate trust long before that critical moment arrives.” Achar noted that Plum consciously eschews fear-based marketing, opting instead for an approach that encourages positive engagement with healthcare.
“We resolved early on that we would never utilize fear, uncertainty, or tragedy to sell insurance,” he articulated. He stressed that while marketing sets expectations, true brand identity is ultimately shaped by product quality and customer service.
Subsequently, Garg detailed how Maersk has metamorphosed its marketing strategy from merely selling services to effectively addressing business problems.
“You are not purchasing logistics; you are investing in resilience, visibility, and reliability,” she articulately stated.
“Clients don’t spontaneously think they need ten containers; rather, they awaken with concerns about whether their products will reach their customers punctually,” she elaborated.
Garg emphasized the role of marketing in elongated enterprise sales cycles, asserting that contemporary B2B marketing is less concerned with generating instantaneous demand and more focused on uncovering latent opportunities.
“We don’t evaluate twenty campaigns. We scrutinize whether we have decreased the time it takes for sales to secure their first meaningful meeting,” she added.
Reflecting on Axio’s transformation from Capital Float to Amazon Pay, Hariharan asserted that brands endure acquisitions and rebranding successfully only when customer experiences remain unwavering.
“Trust isn’t established merely through a name; it is created by what you evoke in your audience regarding your brand,” he explained.
Hariharan characterized fintech as a sector where firms frequently have mere seconds to cultivate confidence. “We possess scant moments during checkout. The experience must be swift, frictionless, and dependable,” he asserted, drawing a distinction between transactional and immersive customer interactions.
On regulatory challenges, Hariharan countered the notion that compliance stifles growth. He contended that sustainable lending hinges not on customer acquisition, but rather on fostering responsible customer behavior.
“The true conversion occurs not when an individual secures a loan, but when they successfully pay their first EMI,” he conveyed.
From a media standpoint, Khan underscored the significance of maintaining editorial integrity while constructing commercially viable media enterprises.
“Editorial independence is non-negotiable. Everything else rests on this foundational principle.” Khan elucidated that while collaborative commercial partnerships are necessary, they should never compromise editorial trust, as doing so would undermine the integrity of the entire platform.
He further remarked that B2B media has evolved far beyond the mere provision of visibility to brands. “We are not in the business of merely facilitating visibility; we are dedicated to building communities,” he proclaimed.
According to Khan, contemporary marketers are astute enough to discern between promotional rhetoric and genuinely beneficial content.
“Visibility may result in a temporary spike, but assisting individuals in making informed decisions fosters long-term retention,” he added.
Discussing the burgeoning influence of artificial intelligence, Khan noted that while generative AI has notably diminished content creation costs and timelines, it has simultaneously elevated the worth of original, firsthand insights.
Rather than relying solely on secondary research, The Economic Times is prioritizing direct dialogues with business leaders to apprehend their priorities and challenges.
“Engaging in primary conversations with decision-makers has become more invaluable than secondary research,” he concluded.
Across discussions involving insurance, logistics, fintech, or media, a unifying theme emerged: sustainable growth is increasingly predicated not on a reckless pursuit of immediate visibility, but on the establishment of trust, the delivery of consistent value, and the cultivation of enduring customer relationships.
In conclusion, Agarwal articulated the necessity for marketers to evolve beyond mere repetition, emphasizing the importance of being genuinely beneficial to their audience.
This session unfolded at B2B Marketing UnBoxed 2026 in Bengaluru on July 24, which convened India’s foremost B2B marketers, CMOs, and industry leaders to deliberate on the shifting marketing landscape under the theme, “Own It or Be Outpaced By It.”
Source link: Brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com.
