Forget artificial intelligence, emotional intelligence is where it’s at, writes Senior Account Manager, David Pittman.
Automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping how companies connect and communicate with one another.
In print and packaging, the automation of time-consuming and often manual tasks has stripped huge swathes of complexity out of manufacturing. At the same time, access to end-to-end data gives full oversight of machine performance, puts business critical information and intelligence at the fingertips of business owners, and contributes to optimised throughput and maximum profitability. AI adds predictive capabilities to the mix through deep-thinking that analyses a hitherto unimaginable (and perhaps unintelligible?) amount of data in a split second, making value-based decisions and implementing actions that might otherwise have caused issues and delays.
In most instances, although not all, this has been to the benefit of print and packaging manufacturing businesses and streamlined and optimised processes.
That’s great but at the same time, we mustn’t forgo the human element of print and packaging in pursuit of efficiency and improvement.
I’m not talking about restaffing manual tasks that have been replaced and improved by the rise of the robots or putting businesses through a digital detox that disconnects them from customers and one another. Nor am I a luddite advocating for a ‘return to simpler times’ (although I will admit there is a part of me that misses the clunking, whizzing and whirring that seems to be absent from many pressroom floors these days).
B2B = P2P
Rather, B2B (business-to-business) is really P2P (people-to-people). You’ll have seen this in action at PacPrint in Sydney, China Print in Beijing, Labelexpo Europe in Barcelona, FachPack in Nürnberg, London Packaging Week, K in Düsseldorf, and Printing United in Orlando.
When it’s not simply transactional, people do business with people. We shake hands, greet colleagues and friends with a smile, share dad jokes and a drink, get to know and understand each other, and ultimately do business together.
This is where emotional intelligence comes to the fore. The human ability to perceive, interpret, respond to, and influence emotion becomes a competitive advantage that must not be disregarded in B2B and cannot be replicated by algorithms.
Emotional intelligence is the deep capacity to understand motivation, anticipate reaction, and communicate in a way that aligns logic with feeling. It is so much more than sentiment and empathy, which while important traits, do not go deep enough to build and establish long-lasting and fruitful B2B relationships.
When you factor in complex products, capital-intensive purchases, and extended investment cycles, the role of emotional intelligence in B2B environments is even more pronounced.
Successful B2B brands understand that emotion drives logic, not the other way around. A purchasing manager may justify a software investment through improved efficiency metrics, but the underlying trigger might be the desire to be seen as an innovator or to mitigate the stress of system failures that undermine credibility.
Emotional intelligence recognises and respects these subcurrents. It informs the language, tone, and rhythm of partnerships and negotiation. It guides when to speak and when to listen. It ensures storytelling is not about a company’s product but about the customer’s sense of progress, competence, and pride. Knowing where they intersect is in the feels.
For all its sophistication, AI cannot replicate this level of understanding. It can analyse sentiment, categorise behaviours, and even predict probable outcomes. But it does so through pattern recognition, not genuine comprehension. AI can infer that a client is frustrated by delayed delivery times. What it cannot do is comprehend how that frustration ties into a personal sense of accountability or the cultural dynamics of a workplace. AI can write a convincing email but can it sense when a relationship has cooled or when silence carries more meaning than a reply?
The nuances of human emotion are embedded not in words alone but in context, which AI can only approximate through probability. Like emotional intelligence, context should not be discounted. Context is key and when it complements emotional intelligence, you have an unbeatable combination.
To understand why this difference matters, consider the role of trust in B2B relationships. Trust is not built by perfectly targeted content or predictive lead scoring. Instead, it grows through consistency, credibility, and genuine regard for wellbeing.
Emotional intelligence lets you pick up the signals beyond the data, such as the hesitation in a voice during a call, the subtle shift in tone when budgets are mentioned, or an unspoken tension between stakeholders. These are the moments when relationships are either strengthened or break down.
In simple terms, AI can record the meeting and transcribe the words but it cannot discern the undercurrent of emotion that dictates what happens next.
Emotionally intelligent marketing
If you’ve read and understood the above, it should come as no surprise that emotional intelligence is critical for successful B2B marketing.
B2B marketing can be mistaken for a purely rational discipline that is based on logic and datasets. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Marketing is inherently emotional and influences behaviours and impacts purchasing decisions. (In the UK, we have just had the new John Lewis Christmas advert released – yes, in early November! – and there are no heart strings left for that to tug on)
In recent years, businesses have faced uncertainty on an unprecedented scale. The pandemic, economic volatility, and supply chain disruptions have reshaped not just what companies buy but how they feel about buying. Fear of risk has often outweighed appetite for innovation. This is not born out in datasets meaning AI struggles to identify and respond before it’s too late.
Whereas marketers and agencies with high emotional intelligence recognise these shifts instinctively and can respond. They prioritise realism, speak of resilience, and offer reassurance.
This gap becomes even more obvious when storytelling enters the equation. B2B storytelling is not a theatrical exercise but a strategic way of expressing value through narrative, which is aligned with the intended audience and the perception of itself.
Emotional intelligence enables marketers and agencies to craft stories that resonate with specific identities, from the operations leader who identifies as a problem-solver and the CIO who aspires to future-proof their organisation, to the procurement officer seeking recognition for fiscal responsibility. These narratives succeed because they mirror the audience’s inner dialogue.
AI can generate stories that mimic structure and tone but they remain hollow unless they stem from a human understanding of aspiration, fear, and pride.
EI & AI
This is not to ignore the potential and likely future role of AI. AI has quickly become a powerful enabler that can reveal patterns of engagement, free up time from repetitive analysis, and provide insight that enhances empathy rather than replaces it. When paired with interpretation, emotional intelligence enhances AI and vice versa.
Therein, the danger lies not in AI itself but in the assumption that it can stand alone and that precision and prediction can substitute for perception.
The future of B2B relationships and marketing will almost certainly be a partnership between human and machines. AI will continue to accelerate research, personalise outreach, and measure effectiveness with precision. Emotional intelligence remains as the filter that turns information into insight, technology into trust, and determines how information is used, which stories are told, and how relationships are nurtured.
Ultimately, the essence of B2B marketing is relational, not transactional. It thrives on credibility, respect, and shared ambition. Machines can model behaviour but they cannot feel the stakes of a commitment made to customers or the quiet pride of witnessing success.
Emotional intelligence in marketing gives the sensitivity to navigate such subtleties, to communicate with sincerity, and to recognise that even in data-driven industries such as print and packaging, emotion remains the language of connection.
Those that remember this will succeed not because they have the most clarity or are the most efficient but because they are the most human.
