Why B2B Doesn’t Have to Be Boring (especially in energy & infrastructure)

Somewhere along the line, “serious” got confused with “soulless.”

And nowhere is that more obvious than in B2B energy, infrastructure, and engineering.

I’ve sat in rooms where billion-dollar projects were on the line — and the deck was so jargon-choked the only thing moving was the clock. Complexity was mistaken for credibility. It wasn’t. It was unread copy, forgettable brands, and strategies that never left the binder.

Here’s the truth: boring doesn’t build trust. Clarity does.

The Branding Gap in B2B

The numbers don’t lie: most B2B companies underinvest in brand—and it shows.

• They don’t measure it. Only 31% of B2B firms run an annual brand tracker, and just 30% believe their brand work ties directly to sales. That’s like running a power plant without monitoring output. You think it’s working. Until it isn’t.

• They lose before they start. 92% of B2B buyers begin with at least one vendor already in mind, and 41% have a preferred vendor before formal evaluation. If your brand isn’t strong enough to get into that mental shortlist, you’re not competing. You’re background noise.

• They disappoint even when they win. 81% of B2B buyers said the winning vendor’s experience underdelivered. Translation: You got the contract, but your story flopped. That’s like building the substation and forgetting the switchgear.

That’s the B2B landscape. But in energy and infrastructure? The stakes are even higher. Permits, investment, and community trust aren’t won with technical specs alone. Clarity isn’t optional—it’s survival.

The Energy & Infrastructure Brand Landscape

This sector already knows brand has value. The problem is in the execution.

Brand is capital. The world’s 100 most valuable energy brands are worth USD 688.6 billion in 2025. If that doesn’t prove brand belongs on the balance sheet, nothing will.

Credibility without connection. Many energy companies score as functionally strong but emotionally weak—technically flawless, but humanly forgettable. I’ve seen it firsthand: flawless engineering presentations that left communities more confused than convinced.

Differentiation or death. Energy companies are moving away from one-size-fits-all messaging toward stories tailored to engineers, regulators, and executives. If you’re not speaking their language, you’re not in the room.

Your buyers are fluent. A PwC survey found 65% of large U.S. energy users already have on-site battery storage, and 62% have renewable installations. Translation: these aren’t novices. They’ve installed the tech. They’ve sat through the pitches. They can smell jargon a mile away.

Why This Matters Right Now

Ten years ago, brand was window dressing. Now it’s a weapon.

• Havas’ Meaningful Brands report calls it out: we’re in a “B2B brand boom,” where brand is as critical as technology, data, talent, and sustainability.

• Forrester shows the shift in action: the share of B2B marketers increasing brand spend jumped from 42% to 52%, even in a year when budgets were being slashed everywhere else.

For energy and infrastructure firms, this is the loudest wake-up call you’ll get.

The energy transition is accelerating. Projects are bigger, timelines tighter, scrutiny harsher. Communities, regulators, and investors want clear answers before they sign.

Infrastructure demand is surging. But so is competition. Global players are entering your markets, and they’re not just out-building you. They’re out-storytelling you.

Your buyers are savvier than ever. They’ve done the homework. They’ve lived the tech. They don’t need another spec sheet. They need a reason to care.

In short: you can’t just out-engineer. You have to out-communicate.

The Bigger Point

Energy and infrastructure firms don’t suffer from a lack of innovation. They suffer from a lack of narrative.

And the numbers don’t lie: brand in these industries is both a measurable asset (worth hundreds of billions globally) and a glaring gap (with most firms failing to connect brand to sales or experience).

So the question isn’t whether branding matters. It’s whether your story is strong enough to get you chosen before the evaluation even starts.

Because if you can’t make people care, you can’t make them act. And in this industry, action is everything.

Want to know what actually works? I’ve lived it—on the comms side of billion-dollar solar projects, in boardrooms, in community gyms where “yes” or “no” decided a project’s fate. Let’s talk.