Client Centricity in B2B: Moving beyond data and understanding signals with Nicole German, Global CMO HSBC, CIB

B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict explores a striking paradox with Nicole German, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Corporate and Institutional Banking at HSBC. His challenge is that despite having unprecedented amounts of customer data, many B2B organisations seem further away from truly understanding their clients than ever before.

Nicole refutes this assumption, articulating that the real opportunity lies in moving beyond raw data to decode the signals it creates. She reveals how HSBC transforms the complexity of multiple personas across multiple regions into meaningful client insights, turning data into actionable insights that drive trust and deepen relationships.

They discuss the evolution from campaign-driven marketing to always-on client engagement, why understanding business context matters in addition to having brilliant creative ideas, and how a global financial services giant moved the needle on share of voice from market insight to a podium position in just eight weeks during a period of trade uncertainty.

Highlights:

02:03 – With data comes signals and opportunity

05:40 – Managing personas across multiple regions and cultures

07:03 – Moving from campaign mentality to always-on optimisation

09:59 – The trade report that moved HSBC from 8th to 3rd in share of voice

14:16 – Know me, value me, service me: the client centricity framework

18:16 – Why great marketing ideas mean nothing without business sponsorship

21:46 – Balancing brand consistency with personalised relevance

26:22 – How global brands avoid tension between local and global messaging

Tune in to discover why signals matter more than data, and how speed can be your competitive advantage in client centricity.

Subscribe now and never miss an episode that challenges the status quo of B2B marketing. Listen to more episodes at www.alan-agency.com/podcast

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.