Well into his second decade of B2B marketing, Petri has experience across a wide spectrum of Finnish and international businesses – from heavy industry to high tech, and from start-ups to stock listed companies. One thing that every client has always had in common is that they are all human. And us humans are driven by two equal internal forces – our minds and our hearts. We are all rational until our emotions kick in.

The importance of emotion

Nothing evokes emotion in human beings quite like the art of storytelling. Petri has always been an advocate for a strong story that not only delivers the facts as they are, but also attaches an emotion to them. He is intrigued by the complexities of the psychology behind B2B brand perceptions and purchase decisions. “It is interesting precisely because it’s not as simple as convincing a single person that they have a personal need and desire for a low-cost consumable product designed to deliver instant gratification.”

The second emotional aspect he has always sworn by is to be someone people want to work with. “People who think of themselves as great artists rarely care about being agreeable. Well, I do. I enjoy cooperating with people, and I try to make both colleagues and clients feel like we are creating something great together.” Petri feels that creating an atmosphere that diffuses the typical us vs. them mentality is always good for the end result. “I don’t work for clients. I work with them.”

Exercise your creativity

Petri also believes that creativity is not simply a gift that some have, and others don’t. He believes that those who want to be creative need to take the time to exercise their creativity continuously. This means seeking out new experiences, trying new things and being generally curious about just about everything. “When I have the time I draw, I cook, I travel, I write poetry… It’s how I train my mind.” He compares creativity to training for a boxing match. “A boxer doesn’t train for a fight by fighting. Creativity works the same way. Exercise your creativity, so that when you need it, it’s there.”

Of course, the world of B2B marketing does set certain parameters for how wild you can and should be in your creative executions. “It’s better to overshoot your mark and reel in your executions, than it is to fall short right from the beginning,” Petri tells us. At the same time, he calls for a unique skill he playfully calls the art of thinking inside the box. “B2B marketing requires a different kind of creativity. While everyone else is raving about thinking outside the box, it is often much harder to be creative within a carefully defined and constricted space. That’s what we specialize in.”