Chord Commerce’s Unconventional Brand Strategy: Breaking B2B Software Marketing Rules

What happens when you market enterprise software like a DTC brand? In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Bryan Mahoney revealed how Chord Commerce deliberately broke from traditional B2B marketing conventions to create a distinctive brand in the enterprise software space.

The Consumer-Inspired Approach

When Chord decided to pivot from operating DTC brands to providing enterprise software, they made an unconventional first move. As Bryan explains: “We called Helen. She was our first call. We’re like, we need a brand for what we’re building and we don’t want it to look like every other b two B software company.”

Helen, who had previously served as creative director at Glossier, brought deep consumer brand experience to the enterprise software challenge. The goal was clear – create something that would resonate with modern commerce operators while standing out in the B2B landscape.

Breaking the Enterprise Software Mold

Chord’s vision for their brand was radically different from typical enterprise software marketing. Bryan articulates it clearly: “I want it to feel more like a brand site, something that you want to buy, a brand that you want to be a friend with, as opposed to a platform that you’re going to choose because you don’t want to be fired.”

This approach wasn’t just about aesthetics. It was rooted in a deep understanding of their target customer. As Bryan notes: “We are commerce operators that have built the platform for other commerce operators and we really want it to resonate with them. We want to be able to tell our story.”

The Red Antler Partnership

To execute this vision, Chord partnered with Red Antler, an agency known for creating compelling DTC brands. As Bryan describes: “They took Helen’s work and they amplified it and they helped us with that storytelling.” This collaboration resulted in a brand that broke conventional B2B marketing rules while maintaining enterprise credibility.

Meeting Customer Expectations

This consumer-inspired approach wasn’t just a creative choice – it was a strategic necessity. Their target customers were sophisticated brands with strong design sensibilities. As Bryan explains about their ideal customer profile: “That’s our ICP. It’s those brands who know you really well and know how to market to you and you love their product and you love their brand and you can’t wait to open the box.”

Continuous Evolution

The brand hasn’t remained static. As Chord’s focus has evolved, so has their brand expression. Bryan notes: “We’ve gone through a couple of different iterations of our website as we decided to focus more on the data side and let go of doing like the full commerce platform. Our marketing team and in house designers like just got to work with the brand assets we had and retold the story and they did it really quickly.”

Key Lessons for B2B Founders

1. Match Your Brand to Your Customer’s Sophistication Your B2B brand should reflect the sophistication of your target customers’ brands. If you’re selling to companies with strong brand identities, your brand needs to meet that standard.
2. Tell Stories, Don’t Just List Features Instead of leading with technical capabilities, focus on telling compelling stories about the problems you solve and the future you’re building.
3. Evolve With Your Focus As your product focus changes, your brand should evolve while maintaining its core identity.
4. Break Category Conventions Thoughtfully Don’t break B2B conventions just to be different. Break them in ways that better serve your specific customer base and market position.

For B2B founders, Chord’s approach offers a crucial lesson: your brand doesn’t have to follow traditional enterprise software conventions. The key is understanding your customers deeply enough to know when and how to break those conventions effectively.

As Bryan observes, sometimes the most powerful B2B brands are built by thinking beyond the B2B playbook and drawing inspiration from the consumer brands that have mastered the art of creating genuine connections with their audiences.