Rueburn Liang, Senior Marketing Manager at Apptio, an IBM company, shares his playbook for modern B2B marketing. He discusses his role as an “organiser of insights” and why success means becoming a marketing business partner, not just a support function.
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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- The Modern Marketer is an “Organiser of Insights.” The role has evolved from campaign execution to piecing together data from all sources to give the sales team a sharp, account-based view for more effective outreach.
- Success is Becoming a Marketing Business Partner, Not a Support Function. The goal is to shape strategy and drive revenue alongside sales, not just fulfill ad-hoc requests as a “marketing as a service” function.
- Move Fast and Never Be Afraid to Ask. Follow the “70% confidence” rule to be agile and avoid waiting for perfection. Remember that the simplest way to open doors is to take the initiative to ask.
Could you please introduce yourself and your role at Apptio?
My name is Rueburn, and I’m the Senior Marketing Manager at Apptio, an IBM company, where I lead field marketing initiatives across the ASEAN region. Beyond just running standard programmes and events, a big part of my role is focused on insight-driven marketing.
I look at both first- and third-party data, gather insights from events and people on the ground, and actively engage with our technology and sales leaders to understand evolving market priorities. This combination of qualitative and quantitative insights allows me to provide our sales and SDR teams with a sharper, account-based view. In my organisation, I’m often seen as the “organiser of insights from the field,” putting puzzles together to ensure our outreach is personalised, relevant, and effective.
Could you give us a bit of background on how you got into marketing?
I majored in marketing, but in my first job, I was recommended to take up a sales role to really understand the sales process and buyer behaviour. That role gave me rare exposure to almost every aspect of the business, from sales and marketing to event production.
My career in technology truly began at a telecommunications company, which shaped my belief in value selling. At the end of the day, if we just sell based on features, we are no different from our competitors. This evolved into my current marketing approach, where I combine creativity, data, and commercial acumen to drive measurable impacts that affect the company’s revenue.
How would you define success in field marketing?
For me, success is when marketing is seen as a growth partner, not just a support function. This means creating opportunities that directly translate into pipeline, accelerating deal cycles, and strengthening customer relationships.
I often tell my team I didn’t come into the business to be “marketing as a service,” simply fulfilling requests. I see myself as a marketing business partner to the sales organisation. This mindset shifts the dynamic; our role is not just to execute but to shape strategy, bring insights to the table, and work side-by-side with the sales team to achieve our shared goals.
Along the way, I’ve received some great validations that keep me motivated. Multiple colleagues in sales and SDRs have said I’m the most hands-on marketer they’ve ever worked with, and some even joked that I work more like a salesperson than a traditional marketer. I see that as the ultimate compliment because it shows I don’t just operate at the strategy level. I roll up my sleeves, stay close to the field, and focus on driving real business impact.
Looking ahead, are there any key goals or focuses for your team?
Next year, there will be a shift in how we target the market. This year, we’ve had a taste of new markets in the ASEAN region, like the Philippines and Indonesia. We want to continue to experiment and go deeper into accounts.
This means understanding not just the top persona, like the CIO, but all the stakeholders and end-users within an organisation. We need to get their buy-in and make them champions of our solution before we go to the C-suite for an organisation-wide adoption. This is achieved through a mix of paid media, digital marketing, and especially in-person events, where we can build relationships.
What are some of the challenges that field marketers are facing today?
As marketing gets more modern with AI, it’s also getting a lot noisier. The biggest challenge I face is the battle for attention, especially with C-level personas like the CIO and CTO. Everyone is targeting the same audience.
To cut through that noise, it takes more than just a product pitch. It requires a commitment to building awareness and education through value-driven conversations. This is about influencing a mindset shift, helping IT leaders see technology not just as a cost centre but as a true value driver for the business. This transformation doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time, patience, and a collaborative effort with sales.
How does your company stay ahead of its competitors in terms of marketing?
We focus on insight-driven value creation rather than feature selling. Our goal is to position ourselves as a trusted advisor to top personas by helping them understand frameworks like Technology Business Management (TBM) and FinOps.
What makes us different is the two-way collaboration. It’s not just marketing pushing data to the sales team. Sales, marketing, and SDRs work closely, sharing insights to piece the puzzle together. This gives us a full picture of an organisation’s challenges and allows us to craft a much deeper, more relevant, and higher-quality conversation.
What do you believe is the biggest opportunity for field marketers today?
The biggest opportunity is the combination of AI and account-based marketing (ABM). This has really changed the game by allowing us to focus deeply on the accounts that matter most. AI helps us piece together all the data from virtual engagements to create highly targeted and meaningful campaigns. While full-scale ABM can be costly, applying its best practices with the help of AI tools is a huge opportunity for marketers to stay ahead.
What career advice would you give to anyone starting in the marketing industry?
I have four key pieces of advice. First, focus on building commercial acumen alongside creativity. The best marketers aren’t just great storytellers; they understand the business and how their campaigns tie directly to revenue.
Second, approach your role with the mindset that you are hired to solve problems, not just take orders. Companies need critical thinkers who can create value.
Third, build relationships early. Work closely with sales, customer success, and other partners. Marketing cannot happen in isolation.
Finally, one of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is to never be afraid to ask. Whether it’s for feedback, help with a basic question, or an opportunity, you’ll be surprised how often doors open simply because you took the initiative to ask.
Is there any traditional leadership advice that you believe doesn’t apply now?
The traditional advice to “just stick to your lane.” That rigid, order-taking mindset is risky today, especially when many repetitive tasks can be automated by AI. To be a great marketer, you need a high EQ and empathy to understand the other person’s perspective.
Tying into that, I’m a big believer in moving fast and being agile. If I’m about 70% confident in a direction, I’ll move forward. You can always adapt and improve along the way. If you wait for 100% certainty, you’ll lose out to competitors.
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