Can B2B Marketing Survive Without B2C-Style Storytelling? — Marcy Comer, EagleView

Marcy Comer’s career is a study in calculated risks. From being the third hire at a startup to navigating the corporate halls of Amazon and now leading as CMO at EagleView, she has consistently moved toward the “next crazy thing.” EagleView, a PE-backed leader in aerial imagery, captures high-resolution data from 7,000 feet to cover 94% of the US. But for Marcy, the tech is only as good as the story behind it. She argues that marketing isn’t just about extracting data. It’s about extracting value and expressing it across diverse industries. 

Inspired early by the fast-paced world of advertising, she has spent her career proving that you can be highly creative while driving serious commercial growth. Even at her level, Marcy continues to actively engage with other senior marketing leaders to challenge her thinking and stay ahead of shifts like AI and creative disruption. For her, clarity doesn’t come from working in isolation, but from continuously pressure-testing ideas against equally experienced peers.

How can B2B leaders avoid the trap of “Talking to Themselves”?

Marcy explains why most B2B marketing misses the mark and how to apply B2C-style storytelling to complex industries.

“The mistake most B2B marketers make is that they are talking to themselves. They speak in a vernacular understood by their C-suite but skip the details that make a story sing. You have to get the audience’s attention and tell a story that is meaningful to the listener, not to you as the company. You must create a story assuming the audience knows nothing about you. They are at the top of the funnel and might not even realise they have a problem yet. Storytelling creates the interest that eventually delivers the ‘wow moment’ experience.”

Why is AI making upskilling a weekly requirement for survival?

Across the industry, this is a conversation happening among senior marketing leaders navigating similar pressures around efficiency, team structure, and rapid technological change. Drawing parallels to the pre-Google era, Marcy warns that the current AI shift will replace those who refuse to adapt.

“If you are not upskilling rapidly every day and every week, you will become irrelevant very quickly. I started my career pre-digital. Eventually, the young people eager to learn digital work replaced the marketers who didn’t. That is what will happen with AI. Boards are not looking to hire bigger marketing teams. Teams will become smaller. The people who remain will be those who are more efficient. If you are not learning and upskilling, you will eventually find yourself needing to find another means of employment.”

How do you balance mandatory AI with human artistic taste?

Marcy argues that as technology levels the playing field, the soul of marketing, creativity, and emotion becomes the leader’s greatest asset.

“Creativity is actually more important than ever. Using AI and data is mandatory, but none of it works unless you are creative and able to tell a story. You need someone on your team who has ‘taste’ and can tell what is good and what is not. Quality in AI is not just about data. It is about the words we use, how we frame the story, and how we appeal to human emotion. In the future, AI tools may become so intuitive that anyone can use them. What will matter most then is the taste and creativity layered on top.”

Why does consuming art make for a better marketing team?

To stay creative, Marcy encourages her team to step away from the screen and evaluate Best Picture nominees and architectural styles.

“I make sure everyone experiments with AI tools, but I also encourage people to consume art. For me, the more art I consume, the more creative I become. Every year, I host a virtual meeting with my team where we evaluate Best Picture nominees. One person created a presentation on brutalism to explain a film. Another wore a papal hat for the conclave. It encourages people to consume high-quality art and exposes everyone to different perspectives. It shifts your mind away from the screen.”

How do you execute a total Rebrand and Platform Launch in just 8 weeks?

Marcy shares the high-stakes story of EagleView One and why a limited decision committee is the key to velocity.

“Last year, we launched our new platform, EagleView One, and did a complete corporate rebrand in about eight weeks. Usually, these take months. One reason it worked was that we limited the decision-making committee. Normally, everyone wants to give feedback, which slows everything down. Instead, we held listening sessions early so people felt heard, but the final decisions were just between me and our CEO. Because we had strong trust, the process moved quickly. It was a career highlight to execute two major initiatives with such a small team.”

What is the B2B strategy for landing your next CMO role?

For those entering the field today, Marcy suggests a targeted, value-first approach rather than traditional job hunting.

“If I were graduating today, I would create a list of 25 companies I want to work for and identify the hiring managers. I would follow them on LinkedIn and engage with their content in a meaningful way, not just ‘this is great,’ but by adding value. Then, I’d send a message with a document showing an AI workflow I built specifically for them. That gets attention because you have already created value. Once you get in, you have to work harder than everyone else. You have to trust yourself and bet on yourself, especially when people say something is impossible.”

Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network

As Marcy Comer’s perspective shows, the most effective marketing leaders today aren’t just executing faster; they’re continuously refining how they think in response to rapid change. And increasingly, that refinement doesn’t happen in isolation. The leaders navigating AI, creativity, and team transformation most effectively are engaging in high-level conversations with peers facing the same challenges. These are not broad forums, but focused, curated environments where ideas are tested, challenged, and evolved.

At The Ortus Club, our executive roundtables are designed to create exactly that kind of space. A smaller room of senior leaders, where discussions move beyond surface-level insights into the decisions shaping what comes next.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Property Intelligence?
A: It is the extraction of actionable data from high-resolution aerial imagery, such as roof dimensions, vegetation risk, or pool presence, used by insurance, real estate, and government sectors.

Q: Why should B2B marketing look more like B2C?
A: B2C marketing focuses on emotional storytelling and capturing attention quickly. Marcy argues that B2B buyers are still humans who respond to “taste” and emotional resonance rather than just technical vernacular.

Q: What is the benefit of a Small Decision Committee?
A: It eliminates the feedback loop of doom where too many stakeholders slow down progress. By listening early but deciding with a small group, companies can launch major initiatives in a fraction of the usual time.

Q: How can art consumption help a technical marketing team?
A: Engaging with art (films, painting, architecture) trains the brain to recognise high-quality aesthetics and emotional framing, which are the human layers required to make AI-generated content stand out.

Q: How do you future-proof a marketing career against AI?
A: By moving beyond the execution of tasks (which AI can do) and focusing on high-level strategy, human judgment, and the continuous learning of new tools on a weekly basis.