Bin the busyness: A new model for channel marketing success

Ruth Woodley and Simon Barnett from business consultancy Perfectly Picked break down why they think the channel is failing at marketing, and how it can improve

‘Quick, look busy’

While it may sound flippant, this phrase could be the inner monologue for many marketers in the IT channel.

With demanding sales teams and an exploding narrative that swathes of marketing jobs will be replaced by AI, it’s no surprise there’s a little bit of ‘headless chicken’ action happening.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

While IDC’s 2025 FutureScape report predicted that three out of five marketing functions will be handled by AI workers by 2028 (a pretty brutal and sobering scenario), there is a clear flipside.

And that’s the opportunity for humans and their expertise to shift toward strategy and creativity.

This idea isn’t new, but one the IT channel hasn’t been especially good at embracing over the years.

We regularly fail to use our brains to answer two basic questions: What are we trying to achieve? How can we be more effective in doing so?

At the same time, we’ve become obsessed with doing more, conveniently ignoring the fact that most of what we’re doing simply adds to the clutter and noise.

So while it may not keep me completely awake every single night, I do often wonder why it’s happening, and what we can (and should) do about it.

From FMCG to tech – what can we learn?

We’ve not always worked in the tech channel. I grew up in B2C marketing and selling FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) like chocolate, Pot Noodles, Peperami, and pizza.

In this space, when we wanted to break into a new channel or drive sales, the approach to marketing was completely different. We always took time to properly understand customers and develop a clear strategy. This wasn’t about being all things to all people, it was about focus. But most importantly of all, once we’d done our thinking, we always created big, bold, creative ideas to take to the market.

When I started working in the tech channel, I quickly assumed the lack of creativity and brainpower was just industry DNA – epitomised by phrases like ‘move fast and break things’ and ‘scale over substance’. It’s not that people weren’t smart, they were just in a hurry to get stuff done, so they’d never stop to think.

This was such a stark contrast to the world I’d grown up in. Here, it was all about: ‘brilliant ideas, executed with excellence’ - a mantra I experienced first-hand at both Cadbury and Unilever.

But surely chocolate is not the same as technology?

And you’d be right. Sort of.

For a while, we excused the channel, telling myself it was complicated - layers of vendors, partners and an obsession with quarterly performance targets. MDF funds had to be spent, agency partners were happy to help them be spent, and reports were made to look like money was being well spent.

But as we’ve continued to work in the channel, it’s a pattern I’ve realised just doesn’t work. Yes, we can keep being busy doing the same old stuff, but busy doesn’t equal effective.

In the last 20 years, the most successful channel programmes we’ve run – one in tech (with VMware) and one outside tech (for the Electrolux Group) were both based on simple, bold, creative ideas which were consistently executed over a number of years. They both started with real vision and strategic thinking.

And that’s what we ‘humans’ need to bring to the party.

The solution? Where does that leave channel marketers?

Of course, we can continue flooding the channel with noise. But we need to understand that even though we’re doing more, the outcome will be less: less focus, less relevance, less impact. And ultimately less revenue.

Which is why it’s time to stop with the busyness. To run a different race. Not a new one, just one we don’t do often enough.

Think more. Do less. Do it brilliantly.