Welcome to What We're Reading, a weekly rundown of news stories, marketing columns, and B2B industry news that caught our eye.

Before you cut B2B marketing spend, measure and evaluate

Each time a recession rolls around, marketing budgets are among the first to get the axe. MarTech Series explains how B2B marketing tech helps you evaluate the best way forward. Search Engine Land echoes that sentiment, urging marketers of all stripes to measure before they cut.

Brand consolidation pros and cons

The Harvard Business Review shares a few scenarios where small to medium sized businesses might consider brand consolidation — like when a manufacturer acquires a producer to boost its output — and breaks down the pros and cons.

Apple, Microsoft, Amazon make top 3 Best Global Brands 2022

Each year, Interbrand releases a report of the top 100 global brands. The rankings are based on the brand’s financial performance, its role in purchase decisions, and its ability to create loyalty. Their blog has a handy chart to visualize the rankings.

Is there a place for intentionally empty, meaningless ads?

Picking apart a new ad for Belvedere vodka, Marketing Week identifies a new trend in advertising. The ad is stylish, slick, and devoid of any deeper meaning — which, they argue, is the perfect approach to reach modern viewers who suffer from information overload.

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