Pulse 2025 didn’t begin with presentations. It began with people.
Partners from across the globe stepped into Campus de Cély, ready to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones..
The opening message of Clif Collier (BBN’s Chairman) was simple but powerful:
“Partnerships thrive when ideas move freely, courageously, and across borders.”
Day one: Setting the foundation
The first morning brought a fundamental truth: mastery isn’t about doing more, but knowing more.. BBN’s strength comes from shared methods, common platforms, and global collaboration, not chaos disguised as creativity. The day’s agenda dove deep into the real infrastructure behind impactful B2B: tools such as Brand Asset Management (BAM), Connection Mapping & Planning (CMAP), BBN Navigator, and the human collaborations that power them.
Annette Poyser held a session about how BBN’s frameworks create space for creativity, growth, and global alignment. When asked “What’s the first word that comes to mind when you hear BBN?”, responses ranged from “Expertise” and “Global” to “Karaoke” and “Friendship.”
Her key insight: “We are, by nature, creative. With the rise of AI, our efforts can only be amplified, and the power with which we can create value will significantly increase.”
From stories to real impact
The story led by Laoise Rubio, Practice Lead at Bader Rutter, of launching a global fries campaign in the most challenging market, revealed a more profound truth: global reach depends entirely on local credibility. Listen before you launch. Adapt before you assume. Celebrate differences without losing strategic consistency.
The lesson? Look for emotional truths that transcend borders. The result will be delicious.
Natalia Dărăbăneanu, Head of Marketing at STOICA, reminded us that learning isn’t confined to rooms; it grows when we share it with the world. At BBN, strength isn’t just in what we know, but how openly we exchange ideas across borders. Every insight shared strengthens the partnership. Every experience posted extends the learning.
Knowledge alone isn’t power. Shared knowledge is.
Tools that scale
Marco Luciano shifted the AI conversation beyond hype to show how real agencies are already transforming workflows. AI doesn’t create great ideas; it clears the path for them to emerge. Better, faster ideation. Smarter targeting. More bandwidth for human creativity where it matters most.
Technology only empowers those who stay human at the core.
Elize & Daan from Foleon shared a harsh reality: goldfish have a 9-second attention span. Probably longer than ours. They demonstrated how to transform static assets into dynamic experiences through interactivity and intelligent design.
Attention is the real currency of modern B2B marketing. Spend it wisely.
The architecture behind strong brands
Rodger Jones took us deep into brand architecture during the BAM workshop, reminding us that:
- In the absence of a strategy, everything is right and everything is wrong.
- Brand planning is about giving up, not adding.
- When you have a doubt, please leave it out.
Consistency isn’t creativity’s enemy, but the foundation that multiplies it across markets, messages, and cultures. Clarity scales. Structure liberates. Discipline delivers impact.
Ned Brown demonstrated how CMAP serves as a platform for scaling ambition across agencies, countries, and teams. The bigger the vision, the stronger the system needs to be. Shared platforms equal faster decision-making. Clear workflows equal smarter creativity.
From learning to doing
The World Bee Project Challenge moved us from theory to practice. Not just another creative exercise, but a real-world brief with real consequences: connecting creativity to sustainability and strategy to social impact.
Mixed teams competed in a seven-hour hackathon to create the most effective fundraising campaign to support the NGO. Even though all teams had interesting perspectives and the jury appreciated all the pitches, the winning team reminded us of the power of a creative concept when tapping into the emotional side of your audience
Meanwhile, Andrew Humphrey and Chiara Montecchiari from Luxid challenged us to rethink B2B success beyond click-through rates and lead-gen KPIs. Influence is often invisible. Trust is built long before tracking starts. Zero-click experiences aren’t failures but brand victories.
Teams worked deep into the sweet spot where strategy meets creativity. Whiteboards filled. Questions sharpened. Ideas tested and challenged. Connections strengthened.
This is B2B without borders. This is BBN.
What does it all mean
Pulse 2025 was more than an Academy. It was a celebration of what happens when expertise meets empathy, when platforms meet purpose, and when agencies unite across borders and form a global and powerful partnership.
Over the course of three days, we not only learned about tools but also gained hands-on experience. We built trust. We didn’t just create campaigns. We created connections.
The future of B2B has never looked more collaborative or more exciting.
Until next time…
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