Marketing plays with emotions – and therein lies the eternal headache of tech industry B2B communication. How on earth do you make your services or products appealing, or even sexy? Surprisingly, medieval theology comes to the rescue.
The atmosphere at the Turing Fest tech conference in Edinburgh was hot in May. AI buzzed through conversations, but one presentation took my thoughts in a completely different direction: how the seven deadly sins could revolutionize B2B communication.
Sara Gordon, who has served as marketing director at several wellness companies, presented a fascinating concept. According to her, the most memorable brands respond to the seven deadly sins defined by medieval theology: pride, envy, lust, wrath, sloth, gluttony, and greed. In Gordon's framework, however, sins can be transformed into needs that services satisfy. Sloth becomes a desire for convenience (Hey Uber!), envy becomes a desire for comparison (What's happening on Instagram right now?), and pride becomes a desire to showcase one's progress (LinkedIn posts).
The idea stuck with me. What if the deadly sins were applied to B2B communication, which is often perceived as proper or even dry? Could it work, and how?
😈 Pride – desire for comparison and to shine
- How does your customer want to showcase their progress or position as a pioneer?
- Reinforce the feeling that they're making wise, admirable choices
- Is your communication too humble? Can you talk about your products with confidence?
👀 Envy – competition and FOMO
- Help customers stay in the game – or ahead of it
- "Industry leaders are already using this" is powerful messaging when it's justified
- Create the feeling: something exciting is happening right now, don't miss out
🔥 Lust – fascination with novelty and desire to experience something special
- Highlight desire-inducing elements, not just needs: new design, early access, behind-the-scenes glimpses
- Create a sense of exclusivity: customers get first access to something special
- Make demos and launches emotionally appealing – not just rational
💢 Wrath – frustration and sense of injustice
- Identify customers' pent-up irritation: manual work, outdated systems, poor support, hidden costs
- Name the problem out loud before the customer does – it builds trust
- Offer a solution
🛋️ Sloth – desire for convenience and effort minimization
- Clearly describe how easy it will be: no IT projects, no lengthy training
- Avoid unnecessary jargon and focus on the promise: "This works immediately"
💰 Greed – growth, profit, and desire to get more
- Build your message so customers feel they're getting more than they pay for
- Use concrete details: percentages, ROI, time savings, and euros are convincing when they're justified
🍰 Gluttony – desire for pleasure and maximizing enjoyment
- Make your product so appealing that using it feels like luxury
- Build a service journey where customers get more than expected: surprises, added value, "what, this is included too?"
- Offer eye candy with visuals or create soundscapes that draw people in
Combine Logic and Emotion
In Sara Gordon's words: People don't buy features. They buy into something that supports their personal story. And the strongest feelings are the ones tied to our deepest motivations.
B2B business may seem purely rational, but behind companies are always people. People who want to succeed, save time, avoid embarrassing mistakes, and feel they're making the right choices.
The seven deadly sins remind us that the most effective communication combines rational arguments with the deepest human motivations. These, in turn, haven't changed over centuries, even though the world around us is very different.
Forget listing features. Consider what makes your service or product desirable and create messages that slip into people's hearts.
At Netprofile, we know the deadly sins inside and out – in B2B marketing, that is. Get in touch, and let's create marketing messages together that combine logic and emotion! Read more.
