New BDX Playbook - Unifying Brand and Demand

New playbook from Stein IAS, LinkedIn and WARC demonstrates how to unify brand and demand to increase B2B marketing effectiveness.

Global B2B agency Stein IAS has collaborated with WARC and LinkedIn to develop the industry-first brand-to-demand experience (BDX) playbook, Unifying Brand to Demand: Unlocking Sustainable Growth.

The new playbook provides a breakthrough operating model, based on extensive input from leading CMOs and marketers, to unify brand and demand marketing to amplify effectiveness. Research from the WARC database provides support for the BDX concept. 

The BDX model offers marketers an actionable approach to planning and executing a unified go-to-market strategy to deliver better balance, alignment and orchestration among what have typically been siloed brand and demand organizations and campaigns.

Marc Keating, Chief Innovation Officer at Stein IAS, explains, “The future of B2B GTM is in delivering unified brand-to-demand experiences. Through our close partnership with LinkedIn, for example, we know that audiences exposed to both brand and demand messages are six times more likely to convert^[1].

“We’ve developed our proprietary BDX model to enable B2B marketers to move from a fragmented approach to a connected model, creating consistency across the funnel and ensuring that wherever you engage with your ICP (ideal customer profile), there is a seamless narrative.”

Importantly, the playbook covers the six pillars that support the BDX model – organizational alignment and skills, investment planning and prioritization, creativity and experience, media and channels, tech, data and platforms, measurement and effectiveness, and benchmarking progress – guiding B2B companies toward effectively unifying brand and demand to drive growth. Case studies and insights from leading industry figures showcase the approach in practice.

Craig Duxbury, Global President at Stein IAS, concludes, “The agency’s whole focus is on building the world’s most demanded B2B brands. Through this first BDX model, we continue to push the possibilities of B2B marketing and shape the future of our industry.”

Stein IAS, the B2B specialist agency within MSQ, one of the world’s fastest-growing marketing groups, was named ANA B2 and Global ACE Agency of the Year in 2024 as well as 2023 and has been named ANA B2B Agency of the Year 12 times over the past 14 years. 

Download Unifying Brand to Demand: Unlocking Sustainable Growth here.

About Stein IAS:

Stein IAS helps build the world’s most demanded B2B brands by unifying brand and demand—and strengthening each to the benefit of both. Through highly effective, highly awarded creativity, B2B’s most advanced brand-to-demand GTM model, and full-funnel media capabilities, we drive differentiation, distinction and growth for clients worldwide. Stein IAS was named ANA B2 and Global ACE Agency of the Year in 2024 as well as 2023 and has been named ANA B2B Agency of the Year 12 times over the past 14 years. Stein IAS is the only B2B agency to have won WARC Awards for Effectiveness (Gold) across consecutive years. With ‘Learn for Your Life,’ one of our three core values, the agency also received an Investors in People Award in 2024 for our commitment to the advancement of our most precious resource, our people.

About WARC: The global authority on marketing effectiveness

WARC is the global authority on marketing effectiveness. We help companies build a compelling case for effective marketing using trusted unbiased evidence and insights through our digital intelligence subscriptions, Advisory services and online marketing courses. WARC is part of Ascential plc.

About MSQ: 

MSQ is a next generation creative, technology and media company, helping brands get closer to customers. It’s one of the world’s fastest growing marketing groups, offering flexibility, choice and transparency to clients. Clients include Unilever, Vodafone, The AA, Vitality, Coca-Cola and Zalando. 

MSQ’s agencies incorporate Brave Spark (creative production studio), Elmwood (branding & design), Freemavens (research & insights), MMT (Web & Digital Product Development), Smarts (PR and content), Miri Growth (mobile marketing), Stein IAS (B2B marketing), The Gate (creative and CRM), Walk-In Media (full-service media) and 26 (full-service digital). Clients can work with an MSQ agency on an individual basis, or with a joined-up team designed specifically around their needs.

Over 1,200 people work at MSQ across 13 global offices. Unique to an international group of its scale and reach, almost 100 senior employees are shareholders in the group. In 2023 MSQ became a certified B Corp, meaning the group meets a number of social and environmental standards covering five key impact areas of governance, environment, workers, community and customers.

[1] Unifying Brand to Demand: Unlocking Sustainable Growth: WARC, Stein IAS and LinkedIn