Harsh isn’t always bad.

Sometimes it’s exactly what you need to cut through the noise and land your messaging, especially with the sea of sameness we're in today.

This is the topic I’m addressing today with Dr Claire Trévien, Group Account Director at Isoline Communications, a B2B Tech content marketing agency. 

Most B2B marketing is designed to be liked. Professional. Polished. Polite.

But what happens when polite isn’t effective?

We covered where harsh or bold marketing works, when it doesn’t, how to draw the line between bold and reckless, and how to prep your team (and leadership) to try something riskier. 

Let’s get into it.

The mindset shift that bold marketing requires 

Q: Founders and execs often want their brand to be liked, especially in relationship-driven industries. 

What mindset shift(s) do they need to make to embrace harsher messaging when it’s necessary?

A: Ultimately, being bold and being a bit more harsh with your marketing means you're not going to sound like everybody else, so that's a pro. 

People are not going to be turned off:

• because you're sharing harsh truths, 
• because you're exposing pain points, 
• because you're putting words to the elephant in the room, 

That shouldn't damage a potential relationship with somebody. 

If anything, it should make it easier for them to notice you and want to build that relationship. 

So I think it is a mindset shift.

And unfortunately, as is often the case, you (as a marketer or brand leader) need to prove that it works by sharing lots of examples, potentially from other industries, if there aren't any directly in yours, just to show, “look, this worked.”

To make your case, you can put questions to them, like:

Do you want to be remembered for the right reasons here? 

Do you want to move the needle? 

And you might have to be like, okay, let's just please give it a good test. 

Let's do a pilot campaign. If it doesn't work, we'll drop it, but let's at least test.

Where harsh, bold marketing works vs where it doesn’t

Q: In your view, how can harsh B2B marketing be used not just to disrupt, but to accelerate the sales cycle for complex or high-ticket offerings?

A: To be honest, I don't think a harsh or overly bold approach works for account based marketing (ABM) type of campaigns.

Nobody likes feeling insulted in a cold first message or a cold first call. 

It's just very hard, I think, to pull off — unless you have credibility and pull as an influencer towards them, then it might just work.

But for me, a harsh approach is more effective for: 

• inbound marketing
• advertising
• thought leadership pieces and videos

… which can end up speeding up sales cycles anyway. 

I think harsh marketing is very good for that sort of top of funnel work, but not directly inside a one-to-one sales conversation.

With all the relationship building happening inside a typical sales cycle, being outrightly harsh is not as appropriate in my view.

Draw the line between bold and reckless

Q: How do you draw the line between being bold and being reckless? Or what filters or internal checks should B2B PR pros and marketers use before launching a campaign that risks backlash?

A: I think it's always worth testing anything that's really bold like that with a small focus group, to be honest.

And that’s to check that if you saw this personally as an audience member, would you feel insulted? 

Would you immediately want to block and unfollow? 

Or do you feel intrigued? Do you feel entertained by it because you want more of that? 

The intrigue… the entertainment… the “I'm stopping scrolling to look at this”… 

That's what you want. 

When harsh messaging actually works

Q: In what kinds of situations have you seen harsh B2B marketing cut through the noise when more polite or traditional messaging would've failed?

A: B2B marketing is polite and positive most of the time, so much so that anything that deviates has a chance to stand out. 

But it's best when it's done with humour and/or style, not just "harsh for harsh" sake. 

One legendary example I think is Sungard and their zombie apocalypse recovery plan on socials (for context, they sell enterprise disaster recovery solutions). (Source )

Technically, their approach is kind of negative, but because it goes to hyperbole (zombies rather than a real-life disaster), it works. It’s funny, it’s creative, and it still sells their services perfectly.

Prepare for polarizing reactions

Q: Is there any negative psychological effect that harsh or confrontational messaging can have on B2B buyers? 

What side effects should brands prepare for if they take the harsh marketing route in a campaign?

A: You've got to be prepared to be Marmite. 

(For context, Marmite is the British spread that has a famously strong, salty flavour that people either love or hate; no in-between. To the point that it’s been their main marketing message for years.)

Some people will hate it and not want to do business with you, and others will love it and accelerate their point to sale. 

But that's the risk.

If you don't do it, you might just leave both sets indifferent, and nobody wins in that situation.

So, unfortunately, you do have to take risks, especially today. It's more important than ever, so go for it.

What boldness in marketing looks like in the next 3–5 years

Q: Looking ahead, as more companies adopt assertive marketing tactics, how do you think the definition of “harsh” will evolve in B2B? 

What do you predict will separate effective boldness from overused shock tactics in the next 3–5 years?

A: I think “harsh” marketing is being used already, but not in the right way. 

ChatGPT, for instance, can be quite aggressive, and we’re seeing a lot of that on social media, but deployed in the wrong way.

For example (and you’ve probably seen these kinds of posts  around):

“Here's the truth: you're falling behind.” 

“AI is going to make you obsolete.”

“You should have been doing XYZ yesterday, you fool,” etc

That's just as generic and boring as any other type of content. It’s aggression for aggression’s sake without creativity, empathy, or true knowledge of the customer and their pain points.

When I think of successful “harsh” marketing, I'm thinking of bold marketing that’s not afraid to use some darkness.

It’s content that:

• calls out the real pain points,
• names the friction, and
• paints the villain.

Without a little darkness, your message is generic and flat. You need the shadows to see the light.

(But it is a fine balancing act)

Final thoughts

Harsh marketing doesn’t mean being mean. 

It means being willing to say what others won’t. Clearly, truthfully, and memorably.

As Dr. Claire Trévien points out, the key is to stop playing it safe just for the sake of being liked. 

Boldness done well doesn’t destroy trust. 

It earns attention, creates intrigue, and builds momentum.

If you’ve been circling around a bold campaign idea and hesitating to go for it, this might be your sign to run the pilot.

Ready to test something a little more… direct?

Related:

— 6 Thought Leadership Content Best Practices (Tips From Experts)

— Thought Leadership Marketing: How To Market Expertise & Opinions