In this episode, Jon Lombardo, Co-Founder of Evidenza, unpacks the counterintuitive truth about B2B buying behaviour. Drawing on research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, Jon reveals why most B2B marketers fundamentally misunderstand their audience. The 95-5 rule shows that 95% of potential buyers aren't in the market right now, which means the traditional focus on short-term lead generation is missing the bigger picture. 

Jon also explains how AI-powered synthetic research is transforming market intelligence, why B2B needs more brand building than B2C, and what marketers should do about it. 

If you're stuck chasing in-market buyers whilst your competitors build future demand, this conversation will change how you think about growth.

Guest Introduction

Jon Lombardo is Co-Founder of Evidenza, a synthetic AI market research platform that surveys AI-generated customer copies to build evidence-based marketing plans in hours rather than months. Previously, Jon was Head of Research at LinkedIn's B2B Institute, where he helped establish the 95-5 rule and commissioned pioneering research on how B2B brands grow.

Key Topics

• The 95-5 rule: why 95% of B2B buyers are out of market at any given time, and why that matters more than the 5% who are ready to buy
• The 11X rule: how B2B buying cycles are 11 times longer than B2C, making brand building even more critical in B2B than consumer categories
• The evolution from the 60-40 rule to 95-5: how research with John Dawes from Ehrenberg-Bass Institute challenged conventional wisdom about marketing budget allocation
• Mental and physical availability in B2B: creating brand-relevant memories that activate when buyers eventually come into the market
• AI and synthetic research: how Evidenza uses AI to interview synthetic customers, delivering market research in hours that would traditionally take months
• Bootstrapped growth: how Evidenza launched with paying customers from day one without venture capital, growing to over 100 clients
• The future of AI in marketing: why AI is underrated and will transform marketing beyond what most people imagine
• Practical applications: how to use AI for execution whilst keeping strategic thinking human

Resources & Links

People Mentioned:

• Mark Ritson - Marketing professor, columnist, and founder of Marketing Week Mini MBA
• John Dawes - Professor at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
• Les Binet - Marketing effectiveness researcher and econometrician
• Peter Field - Marketing consultant and author
• Peter Weinberg - Co-Founder of Evidenza
• Brian Watroba - Co-Founder of Evidenza
• Jenny Romaniuk - Professor at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
• Rachel Kennedy - Professor at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
• Nicole Hartnett - Professor at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
• Byron Sharp - Professor of Marketing Science at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

Companies & Organisations:

• Evidenza - Synthetic AI market research platform
• Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science - The World's largest centre for research into marketing
• LinkedIn B2B Institute - Marketing think tank (Jon's former employer)

Key Frameworks:

• The 95-5 Rule - Research on B2B buying behaviour shows that only 5% of buyers are in market
• The 11X Rule - How B2B buying cycles differ from B2C
• The 60-40 Rule - Les Binet and Peter Field's framework for balancing brand building and sales activation

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Contact & Credits

Hosts: Shahin Hoda and Vinnie Romano

Guest Jon Lombardo

Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Edited by: Alexander Hipwell

Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder

APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth