MarketLogic’s Hernán Brana on why B2B isn’t just B2C with a new label

B2B is a set of online and offline strategies, skills, platforms, data analytics, AI, technology and a direct, concise and effective way of communicating with businesses.

“B2C is all about branding. For us, branding is a tool, not the end,” he says. “We’re measured by results. We bring business to the table.”

It’s a clear, no-frills definition of B2B marketing that shapes the entire way MarketLogic operates. And perhaps it explains why Brana is uneasy even calling MarketLogic an “agency” at all.

“In some cases, introducing ourselves as an agency diminishes what we do,” he says. “We see ourselves as marketing revenue partners. Yes, we have an agency inside the company. But that’s not how we want to be defined.”

This isn’t just semantics. Brana argues that many of his clients already have advertising agencies, event companies and digital partners on retainer. What they don’t typically have is a demand partner, a company whose job is to ensure the sales pipeline is full and moving.

“That’s why they’ll take our call,” he says plainly. “And once you’re in the door managing revenue, you’re going to need to work with those other marketing partners anyway. It’s part of the job.”

From Miami to Mexico City – and beyond

MarketLogic’s story is unusual for a Latin American firm. Founded in Miami in 2000, it didn’t launch in Argentina or Mexico and then expand north, as many do. Instead, it grew out of the city’s role as a de facto headquarters for regional operations of major multinationals.

“At that point, all the headquarters of all of the companies were here,” Brana says. “But over time, some started moving to Mexico, to Colombia to Argentina. Latin America became much cheaper than the US.”

Rather than fight this trend, MarketLogic mirrored it. It opened offices in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica and it partnered in Brazil. And critically, these weren’t franchises or affiliates.

“Every single office is owned by the same partners,” Brana says. “That gives us a speed of reaction almost nobody has.”

Owning the offices outright lets MarketLogic offer consistent quality while tailoring work to the distinct cultures and economies of each country.

“They need local execution. We’re in the country. We can charge them in local currency,” he explains. “That’s very important. Flexibility is key.”

How a B2C shop found its B2B future

MarketLogic didn’t always look like this. It started as a B2C-focused marketing firm, working with big multinational brands. The shift to B2B was almost accidental and client-led.

“A couple of clients we served in B2C introduced us to their B2B team,” Brana recalls. “We knew a lot about marketing, but not exactly what they needed. So we made a deal: we’d set up a team entirely for them, and they’d tell us what they needed.”

That early experiment turned out to be MarketLogic’s turning point.

“We got paid for learning,” he says, smiling. “When that was a success, we replicated that model for other technology companies. And now we’re number one in technology in the region.”

Today, MarketLogic is among the biggest demand-generation players in Latin America. It’s grown to a size that allows it to field local teams in almost every major market – teams that aren’t just executing campaigns but deeply embedded in clients’ sales organisations.

Owning the pipeline

This is what Brana says truly separates B2B from the consumer world: the level of commercial responsibility.

“In B2C, you’re trying to change how people feel about your brand. In B2B, we’re bringing qualified leads, managing the pipeline, getting results,” he says.

And this means working as closely with sales teams as with marketing.

“If we’re invited to a marketing meeting, we ask them to bring sales to the table,” he says. “When things are hard, the budget and pressure are going to be in sales, not in marketing. So we make sure we have strong relationships with both.”

The philosophy isn’t just theoretical. MarketLogic has invested heavily in a proprietary platform that lets it manage complex sales incentive programs, loyalty schemes, training and lead-generation workflows across distributor and reseller networks.

It’s designed for a Latin American B2B reality where companies often don’t sell directly to customers but through vast networks of partners. Partner Marketing is a central strategy for our clients.

“There is a big budget involved in marketing funds, advertising funds,” Brana explains. “If you don’t take care of that relationship, that money is going to get wasted – tickets for a useless event, expensive dinners or something that doesn’t bring a return.”

He argues that the true value of these programs isn’t just boosting sales in the short term but collecting the critical data that lets brands understand fragmented, opaque markets.

“People think a sales incentive program’s main objective is sales. It’s not,” he says. “The main thing is information, which will bring more sales.

The human touch in an AI age

Despite heavy investment in technology and AI, which is used to plan campaigns, manage ABM strategy and analyze markets, Brana says B2B in Latin America remains rooted in personal relationships.

“We’re Latins. We love communicating with people,” he says. “We’re not going to close a deal if you don’t see the sales rep in front of you.”

He’s blunt about how this shapes their event strategy.

“For us, the most important parts of the event are the pre-event and the post-event,” he says. “Who are you inviting? What are you doing with them after? It’s not about feeding people. You need to monetize that event.”

In an era where sales cycles are becoming more self-directed and buyers want to avoid talking to salespeople until the last moment, the nurture process is critical, and those few real interactions matter more than ever.

“The human contact with the purchaser is going to get smaller and smaller,” he says. “But you have to be very effective in those one or two moments that are going to stay in place.”

A platform for growth – across borders

MarketLogic’s Latin American infrastructure isn’t just a local advantage. It’s now the key to expanding its US business, too.

As global brands come to trust them across Latin America, they’ve started asking MarketLogic to manage North American work as well. The pitch is simple: the same disciplined approach, the same platform, the same obsession with revenue.

And while their Miami headquarters gives them a natural foothold, the Latin American model – local teams, consistent ownership, deep sales integration – gives them an edge in the US B2B market.

Brana isn’t shy about the ambition.

“We’re not trying to be another agency,” he says. “We’re a revenue partner. That’s what our clients need.”

For agencies elsewhere wondering how to stay relevant in the world of procurement-led marketing and shrinking creative budgets, that might be the biggest lesson of all.