toast title
Crossing the Pond
B2B sales in the UK are worth over £188 billion a year, drawing ambitious companies from around the world - especially North America. But breaking into the UK isn’t simple. Differences in scale, customer behaviour, sales methods, regulation, and media mean success is far from guaranteed, with over 40% of newcomers failing within three years.
Crossing the Pond is the go-to podcast for B2B leaders planning or pursuing UK expansion. Hosted by Richard Cook, each episode features candid conversations with executives who’ve made the leap. They share lessons learned, wins, challenges, and practical insight on using earned media to drive awareness, credibility, and growth.
EP04: Brand as a Growth Engine: Alan Edwards on B2B Marketing Strategy That Works
In this episode, Richard Cook speaks with Alan Edwards, marketing consultant and director with a career spanning IBM, Sun Microsystems, Peer 1, and multiple scale-ups across the B2B tech sectors.
Alan shares his expertise on the importance of brand - often dismissed as a “soft” discipline in B2B - is in fact one of the most powerful growth accelerators . Alan shows how clear brand identity cuts through the noise, even in sales-driven cultures, and why third-party endorsement is the ultimate advantage.
With anecdotes ranging from shutting down a multimillion-dollar PPC spend to proving the power of earned media, Alan makes the case that brand recognition, differentiation, and authority are no longer “nice to haves” - they’re necessities in an overcrowded, AI-shaped market.
About the Guest:
Alan Edwards is Senior Director of Marketing for EMEA, APAC at Agilysys and Managing Director of Why Marketing, where he helps growing B2B businesses define their brand, build recognition, and turn marketing strategy into measurable results. With a career spanning IBM, Sun Microsystems, Peer 1, Netstore , Manhattan Associates, GreyOrange , and Aviva, Alan brings a blend of B2B experience and hands-on marketing leadership, helping companies navigate competitive markets, align brand and sales strategy, and drive long-term growth.
Key Lessons & Takeaways:
- Brand Is the Differentiator - In overcrowded tech markets, recognition and clarity of purpose are what make prospective clients pick you.
- Short-Term Thinking Hurts - When you’re nearing the end of the quarter and not quite at target, pressure often undermines long-term brand value; PR and marketing must play the long game.
- Earned Media is the Secret Weapon - Especially in workplaces that aren’t interested in the brand - editorial is more digestible, increases trust, authority and importantly awareness
- AI Raises the Stakes - As AI models learn from content, credible brands with authoritative media presence will overpower those churn out “we” content .
- Events Still Work - If You Know Why You’re There - Clarity of purpose turns events from FOMO-driven costs into meaningful brand touchpoints.
Resources & Mentions:
• Example: Reallocating PPC spend to market research and brand study
• Anecdote: London pub takeover at Infosec - and why it worked better than the event itself
Connect with Us:
Host: Richard Cook
00:00:00
|
00:00:00