What if your food ingredients brand stopped talking about protein, fibre and process, and started inspiring? And what if, like Nike, you built a memorable brand, rather than a meticulous product pitch? In a market saturated with technical innovations, the real difference may lie not in what you offer, but in how your customers perceive it.
Stop believing that the best product always wins
The document “What if Nike did B2B?”of Martin Zarian, The Nike campaign is based on a powerful analogy: imagine if Nike communicated like a B2B brand. Cold, factual, technical messages like “+3 cm sole”, “self-locking laces”, “waterproof fabric” or “87 % of runners say Nike meets their needs”. A cartoon that hits the nail on the head.
In B2B, and particularly in the world of food ingredients, this approach is still dominant: the percentages of active extracts, clinical studies, fermentation processes or certifications are touted. However, as The B2B Institute at LinkedIn in its report “The Product Delusion”, The belief that customers rationally choose the best product is wrong. The most memorable brands win.
In a world where most ingredients are technologically comparable, it's perception that makes the difference.
The illusion of a superior product: a common trap in ingredients
Let's be honest: in the ingredients sector, few solutions are objectively revolutionary. Plant proteins, prebiotic fibres, botanical extracts, lactic ferments... Innovations are often incremental, and the gaps between competitors are minimal.
And yet companies continue to invest most of their energy in detailing technical specifications, concentrations and galenic matrices. And the result? A sea of interchangeable speeches with no personality or vision.
Let's take a concrete example: how many plant protein suppliers claim to offer improved digestibility, optimised bioavailability and a neutral sensory profile? Almost all of them.
What if, instead, you said:
- « Redefine plants, for truly desirable food »or
- « The protein that makes you want to create more » ?
This shift in focus, from argument to aspiration, transforms a product pitch into a brand platform.
Emotion, an under-used weapon in B2B
Nike is not talking about impact absorption, sole technologies or breathable materials. Nike speaks of surpassing oneself, of freedom, of resilience. And it works.
In the B2B world of ingredients, this is still taboo territory. Yet your customers (product managers, innovation managers, R&D or marketing directors) are not machines. They are human beings, with objectives, frustrations and values.
It's not just the technical specifications that are important to them, but the vision you bring to the table.
Here are a few ways to introduce more emotion and meaning into your branding :
- Tell stories It's the story of a partnership that has led to the co-development of a successful product, the story of a farmer who grows your plants, and the story of a successful R&D challenge.
- Enhance the impact on the planet, on public health and on future generations.
- Display a clear ambition How is your brand helping to change the face of food?
B2B branding: no, it's not just for B2C
Branding is often seen as a luxury reserved for B2C brands. A strategic error.
In a competitive B2B market with long sales cycles and very similar offers, a strong brand is a growth accelerator. It creates preference, reassurance and loyalty. It also enables sales people to better engage their prospects, and marketing to produce distinctive, coherent campaigns.
Here's what you can do in the ingredients sector:
| Action | Objective |
| Define a brand territory clear | Existing beyond the product |
| Create a inspiring verbal signature | Replace technical slogans with an inspirational message |
| Produce content for strong editorial value | Podcasts, forums, documentary videos |
| Investing in emotional design | Visual identity and storytelling that make a lasting impression |
Branding is no substitute for product quality. But it is a lever for ensuring that a good product finds its place, quickly and sustainably.
How about a «Just Brand It» approach?
The underlying message is clear: in the B2B world, the battle is no longer being fought solely on the quality of the product, but on its ability to be preferred, retained, desired.
As Martin Zarian rightly says:
“Rather than striving for product perfection, marketers should focus on making their brand easily memorable.”
So yes, your ingredient is probably innovative. But that's not why it will be chosen. Your brand makes you want to, It has to embody a vision and stand out from the crowd.
Because in this sector, as with Nike :
“Average products with great brands have more chance of being purchased”.”
Conclusion: What next?
If you are an ingredients company, ask yourself this question: does your brand inspire? Or does it simply explain?
At Nutrimedia, we believe that tomorrow's most successful B2B brands will be those that dare to think outside the technical box and become inspiring, human, daring.Ready to transform your ingredients brand into a brand that counts?
Let's talk about it. We'll help you build a brand platform that stands out from the crowd and delivers meaning and performance.