It's kinda the opposite of the brand/product positioning conflation you mention, but I also see a lot of brand positioning that product realities wholly fail to live up to. While it's not unusual for there to be a delta between market promises and product realities, I think brand is always a bit of a mirror/window thing, where you both reflect the truth of what you are (mirror), while looking out and aspiring to be what the market wants (window). I see a lot of orgs go all-in on window and wind up choosing a brand identity that doesn't reflect the reality of who they are in their bones, what they've built, how they conduct themselves, etc.
100%! The human aspect always gets lost behind the B2B label, but behind every buyer is a heart! Speak to a person, not a robot.
It's kinda the opposite of the brand/product positioning conflation you mention, but I also see a lot of brand positioning that product realities wholly fail to live up to. While it's not unusual for there to be a delta between market promises and product realities, I think brand is always a bit of a mirror/window thing, where you both reflect the truth of what you are (mirror), while looking out and aspiring to be what the market wants (window). I see a lot of orgs go all-in on window and wind up choosing a brand identity that doesn't reflect the reality of who they are in their bones, what they've built, how they conduct themselves, etc.