It’s easier to be an Olympic breakdancer than to win in business says dentsu Superpowers Index

It’s easier to be an Olympic breakdancer than to win in business, suggests dentsu’s fourth annual Superpowers Index, research which identifies what matters most to buyers and when it matters on a purchase journey to uncover what drives competitive advantage in today’s B2B world.

 

The study, the largest of B2B buying behaviour globally includes a catalogue of over 14,000 individual buyer interviews and covers 25,000 in-depth buying experiences, including 1,260+ interviews across Asia Pacific this year alone.

The research provides a diagnostic platform that addresses the real drivers behind B2B buying decisions, where to improve the B2B buyer journey and the business impact of experience, with three key trends emerging from this year’s research: it’s easier to be an Olympic breakdancer than to win in business; Brand is the new black; and, Experience remains the differentiator.

Says Kiaran Geen, president dentsu B2B, APAC: “The Superpowers Index provides a real insight into where the opportunities lie in the B2B market. While it is feeling harder and harder to be successful in business, as our number one key trend alludes to, there are some pockets of real opportunity where brands can drive growth and create meaningful impact.”

The Superpowers Index reveals there’s been an increase in average decision time of 54 days since 2021, with customers globally taking an average of 379 days to make a decision. Within Australia, this increases by 37 days to 416 days.

Says Samantha Cunliffe, Managing Director, dentsu B2B Australia: “To put that in perspective, if an Enterprise prospect begins their decision-making journey today, they may become a customer in September 2025. The buying process has become increasingly complex, with the number of brands considered as part of B2B buying journeys up 62% since 2021, while the number of people involved is up 6% year on year. And to add to this, incumbency is a waning advantage, with a 34% loss rate, up 17% since last year.”

The Superpowers Index highlights the importance of brand in B2B, emphasising the need for B2B companies to strengthen their brand-building muscles with opportunities lying in improving thought leadership and finding the critical moments that matter to connect with buyers.

Experience remains the differentiator, with evidence suggesting that hybrid digital-physical experiences that have impact can shorten the sales cycle. For B2B businesses the importance of making sure the first interaction is the best possible experience no matter the touchpoint or channel has never been greater, with a need to enable them to be self-sufficient wherever it’s possible.

The publication of the Superpowers Index coincides with the global expansion of dentsu’s B2B Specialized Practice, previously known as Merkle B2B. dentsu B2B is designed to connect modern businesses, driving growth through integrated B2B solutions that bridge the gap between marketing, IT, and sales, helping brands drive growth.

dentsu B2B will continue to build upon our strong APAC capability and work, like our award-winning creative work for Lenovo’s business divisions and NCS’s rebrand; specialist media activations for complicated client audiences of JPM and Adobe; and B2B go-to-market strategy for Workday.

The expanded dentsu B2B global practice is led by Patrick Hounsell, president dentsu B2B, Americas, Rob Gold, president, dentsu B2B, EMEA and Kiaran Geen, president dentsu B2B, APAC. In Australia, the team is led by Cunliffe.

Says Geen: “Five years ago Merkle B2B was launched to provide integrated solutions to B2B customers across media, customer experience and creative. Today’s expansion into dentsu B2B marks a real opportunity for the team to drive further innovation for our clients, creating drive and growth and real impact.

“Every company in the world is a B2B company in some capacity and we can harness that opportunity to be a true innovation partner for clients, leveraging our globally connected capabilities across business transformation, media, creative, CXM, commerce, data and technology to drive impact.”

The Superpowers Index, originally published in 2021, uses a single metric that captures the overall brand experience and provides a comprehensive, single index to help brands assess their performance against key criteria that drive success.

This index offers invaluable insights, enabling businesses to fine-tune their strategies and drive greater impact:

•       Brand building has jumped from the fifth priority in 2023 to the number one priority in 2024

•       The number of brands considered as part of B2B buying journeys is up 62% since 2021

•       Average decision time has increased 54 days since 2021. The estimated value to the world economy of these delayed B2B opportunities is approximately $1.9tn

•       Only around two in five business were highly satisfied with the brand they chose in tailoring their offering to fit their needs, and these scores have shown no sign of improving since 2022

•       A 10-point increase in the proprietary Superpowers Index Score results in a 14% average  uplift in the dollar value of each opportunity

Read the full Superpowers Index here.