Episodes  · Season 4  · Episode 52  · 33 min

Ashley Bassman: Technology Needs a Story

Ashley Bassman, Programme Director of Product Marketing at IBM for the data and AI portfolio including WatsonX, on why B2B software purchases are deeply emotional, how storytelling transforms complex enterprise technology into compelling commercial narratives, and what the Ferrari and US Open partnerships reveal about making AI relatable at scale.

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 ·  The Business of Marketing  · S4 E52  · 33 min
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"Everybody is experimenting with AI, but it is creating a lot of chaos. We help enterprises make sense of that chaos."

The Conversation with Justin Cooke

Why enterprise AI marketing requires emotional storytelling and how the Ferrari partnership shows what that looks like at scale

Ashley Bassman arrived at IBM after time at Accenture doing IT strategy and L'Oreal managing e-commerce marketing through the COVID transformation. At IBM she leads product marketing for the data and AI portfolio including WatsonX, the enterprise AI platform launched in 2023. Her career has moved from consulting to B2C to B2B, and the through-line is always: understand the market, understand the customer, build the story.

In this conversation Bassman explains why B2B software purchases carry emotional weight, how the WatsonX platform was designed specifically for enterprise complexity rather than consumer AI use cases, and why the partnerships with Ferrari and the US Open are not just sponsorships but storytelling vehicles that make abstract AI capabilities tangible.

Key Takeaways

  • B2B software purchases are emotional. They impact careers and teams. Marketing that speaks only to rational specifications misses the decision.
  • WatsonX was built for enterprise complexity: regulatory environments, data sprawl, governance requirements. Consumer AI platforms are not built for this.
  • The Ferrari and US Open partnerships make abstract AI tangible by demonstrating the technology in contexts where audiences experience the value directly.
  • You need the technology. But the value we put in market is the story behind it. Technology without story does not move buyers.
  • Product marketing at IBM sits at the intersection of market intelligence, product roadmap, and commercial strategy. That seat at the table is where it adds most value.

Topics Covered

  1. 01 Why B2B software purchases are emotional decisions that affect careers and teams
  2. 02 How WatsonX addresses enterprise AI chaos rather than adding to it
  3. 03 The role of storytelling in making complex technology relatable and commercially compelling
  4. 04 The Ferrari and US Open partnerships as AI storytelling at scale
  5. 05 Product marketing at IBM: sitting at the intersection of product, market, and commercial strategy

Key Exchanges

05
01 Tell us about your role and IBM WatsonX.

IBM has been around for 110 years, from the start of the database to Watson on Jeopardy to now WatsonX for enterprise AI. I have been at IBM for three and a half years leading product marketing within the data and AI space. My background is Accenture IT strategy, then L'Oreal where e-commerce went from 20% to 50% of revenue post-COVID, then IBM.

Bassman's cross-sector background shapes her perspective on what makes technology marketing work.

02 What is the enterprise AI challenge right now?

Everybody is experimenting with gen AI, from finance to IT to marketing. Everyone is creating agents, but it is also creating a lot of chaos. Additional costs, unexpected risks. We think about what these clients are dealing with and what are the specific enterprise use cases where we can help them make sense of that chaos.

Bassman identifies the emotional space IBM is trying to occupy: order in the AI chaos.

03 Why are B2B software purchases emotional?

People are not just buying products. In B2B it is an emotional decision because the buyer is considering a software purchase that impacts their career, their team, adoption of new technologies in the future. How do we create a story that has this emotional aspect to it?

The most important insight in her marketing philosophy.

04 Tell me about the Ferrari partnership.

I am a Formula One fan and we recently announced with Ferrari that we are completely transforming their fan experience. Behind the Ferrari app is WatsonX technology, powering analytics and driver predictions. You need the technology there. But really the value we put in market is the story behind it. How do we create more engaging experiences for fans? That is what creates relevancy.

The Ferrari example shows the difference between having technology and having a story.

05 What does great product marketing look like at IBM?

Product marketing sits at the intersection of what is in market, what clients are facing, and what the product roadmap should be. We have access to NPS data, third-party reviews, brand health studies. We can go to product management and say, here is why people are considering us and here is why they are not. That is where product marketing earns its seat at the table.

The intelligence function of product marketing, not just the communication function.

S4 E52Season & Episode
33 minDuration
110yr IBM operating from the database to Watson on Jeopardy to WatsonX
1 Most important skill in enterprise tech marketing: making technology emotionally relatable

"You need the technology. But really, the value we put in market is the story behind it."

Hear Ashley on
The Business of Marketing
Season 4 Episode 52 33 min
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Lightly edited for readability.

Host Tell us about your role and WatsonX.

Bassman IBM has been around 110 years from the database to Watson on Jeopardy to WatsonX for enterprise AI. I lead product marketing in the data and AI space. Everybody is experimenting with gen AI and it is creating chaos. We help enterprises make sense of that chaos with the right models, AI governance, and data unification.

Host Why are B2B software purchases emotional?

Bassman People are not just buying products. In B2B it is an emotional decision because it impacts their career, their team, future technology adoption. We need storytelling that has an emotional aspect. The Ferrari app is powered by WatsonX. You need the technology. But the value we put in market is the story behind it.