B2B marketers run the risk of becoming irrelevant again if they don’t regain the scope of the position.

That wave has being surfed by B2B marketers. As the authorities on demand and brands, we have made our mark. Invest in advertising; make it roughly 60% brand and 40% demand; lead with emotion; create unique brand assets; use performance marketing; and remember, Bob is your uncle and he has a great pied-a-terre in Cannes.

Yet, the outlook for the economy has suddenly soured. Cheap money is no longer in vogue; profitability now takes precedence over growth. Since the game has evolved, marketers also need to change.

It’s not that the emphasis on brand promotion is inappropriate. Advocates for the long term ought to be marketers. More than any other role, marketing is responsible for safeguarding and generating future revenue sources. That is partially, but not entirely, achieved through brand building. We run the risk of becoming the communications function if that’s all we talk about; this is the moment to be more than that.