Episode #53: Creating Brands and Categories in Regulated Industries
Guest: Kristin Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Simpler
Release Date: July 22, 2025
Podcast: B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
Introduction
In Episode #53 of B2B Agility, host Greg Kilstrom delves into the nuanced world of branding within highly regulated industries, particularly focusing on healthcare technology. Joining him is Kristin Russell, the Chief Marketing Officer at Simpler, who brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles at Humana and various health tech companies. Kristin's diverse background and hands-on approach provide invaluable insights into building memorable brands and creating new categories in sectors where standing out is a challenge.
Guest Background
Kristin Russell introduces herself as a seasoned marketing professional with a rich history in the health tech vertical. She humorously describes her role at Simpler as "chief storyteller" and occasionally the "chief dishwasher," highlighting her hands-on involvement in various facets of the company. Her multifaceted experience spans from working with major payers like Humana to even unconventional roles such as a speechwriter for the former Prime Minister of Canada. This diverse background equips her with a unique perspective on marketing in regulated environments.
Key Quote:
"I'm kind of the chief storyteller, sometimes chief dishwasher, definitely chief of a lot of events and other activities."
[01:32] Kristin Russell
Creating Standout Brands in Regulated Industries
Kristin addresses the core question: Can a brand in a highly regulated industry stand out without stepping outside the lines? She argues that while the challenges in healthcare marketing are significant—often characterized by uniform imagery like doctors in baby blue scrubs—the field still presents opportunities for differentiation. Kristin emphasizes the importance of crafting a memorable brand experience that resonates with customers by breaking away from the mundane.
She notes that in healthcare, the barriers to differentiation can be relatively low, allowing brands to leverage unique elements such as color schemes, logos, and authentic storytelling to capture attention. The goal is to ensure that when customers encounter the brand, it triggers recognition and prompts engagement, especially considering that only a small percentage of the audience is actively making purchasing decisions at any given time.
Key Quote:
"The ability to sort of be that memorable brand, that will trigger... I remember that company. I remember that brand because it stood out."
[04:55] Kristin Russell
Aligning Marketing with Human-Centric Approaches
Kristin highlights a significant trend in B2B marketing: humanizing the buyer. She discusses how Simpler has reorganized its product categories to align with the specific personas of their users, such as clinical and administrative users. This internal alignment ensures that marketing, sales, and product teams are all speaking the same language and addressing the distinct needs of different customer segments.
By focusing on the human aspect, Simpler's marketing efforts aim to resonate on a personal level, portraying customers not just as buyers but as individuals with unique lives and challenges. This approach fosters a deeper connection and enhances the overall customer experience.
Key Quote:
"If you have a category, and I mean right now I could say by all means we have a category because there's a lot of competitors who are saying yes, we're healthcare operations."
[10:43] Kristin Russell
Category Creation in Health Tech
Creating a new category is portrayed as a significant strategic move that requires meticulous planning and execution. Kristin outlines the steps Simpler took to establish "Healthcare Operations" as a distinct category. This involved:
- Developing a Clear Thesis: Identifying gaps in the existing market terminology and defining what the new category would represent.
- Educating Analysts and the Market: Collaborating with industry analysts and engaging in thought leadership to gain validation and recognition.
- Engaging Competitors: Inviting competitors to participate in category-building efforts to ensure broader acceptance and avoid monopolization.
- Internal Alignment: Ensuring that all departments within the company understood and supported the new category, fostering a unified approach.
Kristin emphasizes that successful category creation hinges on customer validation and market education, ensuring that the new category resonates with both existing customers and potential buyers.
Key Quote:
"We were confident that our solutions were strong enough that we could lead in the category, that the way we were looking at it was the right way."
[14:45] Kristin Russell
Common Pitfalls in Defining New Categories
Kristin warns against several common mistakes marketers can make when attempting to define a new category:
- Ignoring Customer Language: Creating terminology that doesn't align with how customers naturally speak about their needs can lead to disconnects.
- Lack of Customer Validation: Failing to test and validate the new category with actual customers can result in poor adoption.
- Overlooking Competitive Dynamics: Not considering how competitors might respond or entering a category without sufficient differentiation can dilute efforts.
She underscores the importance of anchoring category definitions in customer dialogue and ensuring that the terminology resonates organically with the target audience.
Key Quote:
"If you're in marketing and you're using terminology and creating language that doesn't, that's not coming from your customer, you're on, you're on ice at that point."
[16:12] Kristin Russell
Measuring Brand Value and Impact
Assessing the effectiveness of branding efforts is crucial, especially in environments where budget scrutiny is intense. Kristin shares Simpler's scrappy approach to measuring brand impact without heavy investments:
- Customer Perceptions: Utilizing tools like word clouds from social marketing platforms and PR agencies to gauge how customers perceive the brand.
- Competitive Context: Analyzing LinkedIn metrics, Google Analytics, and Semrush to understand how the brand stacks up against competitors.
- Category Perception: Leveraging Google Trends to assess awareness and interest in the newly defined category.
- Share of Voice: Monitoring and striving to be the leading voice within their industry/category.
Kristin ties brand performance directly to acquisition and demand generation metrics, ensuring that branding efforts are aligned with tangible business outcomes.
Key Quote:
"Our approach to measuring our brand, we look at things like customer perceptions... we want to be number one share voice in our industry."
[20:15] Kristin Russell
Staying Agile in Marketing
Maintaining agility is essential in the fast-evolving landscape of B2B marketing. Kristin attributes her ability to stay agile to:
- Peer Collaboration: Participating in groups like CMO Huddles, where CMOs share challenges and strategies, fostering continuous learning.
- Continuous Learning: Engaging with vendor updates and understanding emerging technologies to stay ahead of industry trends.
- Adaptive Strategies: Remaining open to feedback and willing to pivot strategies based on market dynamics and internal performance metrics.
This proactive approach ensures that Kristin and her team can swiftly adapt to changes and maintain a competitive edge.
Key Quote:
"I'm actually hearing from the other CMOs... taking copious notes... helps a lot in terms of just making sure you're fresh and kind of aware of the industry trends."
[21:52] Kristin Russell
Conclusion
Kristin Russell's insights shed light on the intricate balance required to build and sustain a strong brand in regulated industries. From creating unique brand identities and defining new market categories to measuring impact and maintaining agility, her strategies offer a comprehensive roadmap for B2B marketers aiming to excel in complex sectors like healthcare technology. Her emphasis on customer-centric approaches and cross-departmental alignment underscores the multifaceted nature of effective branding in today's competitive landscape.
Final Thoughts:
"If our marketing campaigns are doing well, we're going to take some credit on the brand side... our share of voice is number one."
[21:37] Kristin Russell
For more insights and detailed strategies on B2B marketing agility, subscribe to the B2B Agility Podcast and explore additional episodes at www.b2bagility.com.