B2B vs B2C? Bader Rutter’s CEO Says the Debate Is Over

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At the ANA Masters of B2B Marketing, David Jordan doesn’t mince words. “B2B, B2C — it’s all just marketing,” declares the CEO of Bader Rutter. “You don’t market to buildings. You market to people.” His message is clear: the traditional divide between B2B and B2C is no longer useful — and perhaps never was.

Eleven months into his role, Jordan is quietly upending how B2B marketing is framed. Drawing from a campaign with animal health leader Zoetis, he shows how emotional storytelling — not technical specs — protected a $200 million franchise and fueled $100 million in growth. “We moved from products to belief,” he says. “That changed everything.”

Jordan’s insistence on brand building within demand generation flips the script on performance-obsessed campaigns. “If your demand gen isn’t building brand, you’re doing it wrong,” he states bluntly.

His approach is powered by independence. Bader Rutter is 100% employee-owned, and Jordan credits this structure with enabling long-term thinking and creative risk. “We’re not distracted by holding company chaos. That makes us dangerous in the right way.”

On AI, Jordan is measured. It’s useful for research and scale, but it won’t solve marketing’s core challenge: capturing attention in a world of endless scroll. “Dull is expensive,” he warns. “It takes 10x the media spend to make boring work stand out. Good creative will always outperform.”

Jordan isn’t pushing for a rebrand of B2B — just a return to its essence. “Great marketing moves people. That’s the job. Always has been.”