How a Green B2B Cleaning Brand Wiped Away Its Irrelevance

CASE STUDY: PURPOSE BRAND IN B2B GREEN CLEANING SUPPLIES

FOCUS: BRAND BURN RATE | AUDIENCE: INVESTORS IN SLUGGISH BRANDS

I helped a B2B brand in green cleaning recover from its marketing misfire by shifting its story to symbolism.

The Brand Challenge

This brand had the credentials. Biodegradable formulas. Non-toxic surfactants. Packaging aligned with ESG benchmarks. It should’ve been the dream partner for Indian hotels, coworking chains, and schools trying to green their operations. But it wasn’t remembered.

Despite heavy investment in performance marketing—Google ads, spec-heavy landing pages, “Request a Quote” CTAs—the brand didn’t stick in decision-makers’ minds. Procurement officers compared prices and forgot the name. Facilities teams trialled it once and went back to what they knew. Investors were alarmed: high lead volume, low conversion, and even lower retention. For a brand built around purpose, there was no real brand preference, no pricing power, and no sticky ROI. The mistake? The brand treated its purpose as a bullet point, not a belief system.

The Brand Insight

The procurement heads weren’t just looking for cleaning agents. They were trying to signal leadership, meet ESG goals, and win internal buy-in for new standards. They needed a purpose partner, not a discounted product. But the brand had no story. No language of cultural pride. No emotional resonance. It was just another eco-alternative—safe, yes. But forgettable.

Every touchpoint focused on functionality, never on why this change matters to your workplace ethos. They had poured budget into being found. But not into being felt. From an investor’s view, it was even more damning—marketing dollars were converting into trials, but not equity. There was no multiplier effect. No moat. Just a churn of underwhelming adoption.

The Big Brand Idea

I repositioned the brand as a badge of environmental leadership. Instead of saying “green cleaning,” we began saying “conscious maintenance”—a deeper idea that recognised sustainability not as a feature, but as an identity. I built messaging around what it meant to switch to these products: to protect housekeeping teams from harsh chemicals, to align your workplace with your wellness claims, to uphold values that show, even in the smallest wipe.

The brand now championed its clients—not itself. It no longer asked, “Why choose us?” but instead said, “You’re already a leader—make your cleaning policy reflect that.” The big idea wasn’t aesthetic. It was moral authority, operational dignity, and cultural pride—all wrapped into one humble but high-impact brand shift. And for investors, this new emotional positioning finally created long-term traction—repeat orders, brand mentions, and inbound referrals that weren’t tied to paid ad cycles.

The Brand New Strategy

I pulled ad spend back. Instead, I created meaningful B2B content: ESG alignment kits, brand playbooks for facility managers, and co-branded case stories of clients who made the switch. These weren’t sales tools. They were belonging tools. The goal was to shift perception: this isn’t a commodity—it’s a movement.

I rebuilt the website to speak to roles, not products: “What does this change mean to the procurement head? To the principal? To the hotel GM?” The founder became a voice of industry credibility. Thought leadership replaced CPC. And over time, the brand no longer had to knock on doors—it became the mark of commitment. For investors, this was the first signal of sustainable ROI—acquisition through conviction, not just cost.

10 New Content Directions

Here are 10 strategic ideas developed (and several executed) to support the new brand direction:

ESG Compliance Guides for Clients – Downloadable resources helping clients meet sustainability goals using the brand.
Co-Branded Case Studies – Narratives of institutions that switched and improved both hygiene and perception.
Facility Manager’s Content Series – Weekly LinkedIn posts honouring unsung workplace heroes making cleaner choices.
Procurement Comparison Toolkit – Visual, easy-to-use assets showing long-term value over cheaper alternatives.
Video Testimonials from Staff – Real stories from janitors and housekeeping staff about reduced chemical exposure.
Founder Podcast Interviews – Positioned as a purpose pioneer in institutional eco-shift conversations.
Conscious Cleaning Certification – Offered to client partners who switch across all properties.
Quarterly Purpose Reports – Public-facing summaries of environmental impact across client networks.
Sustainability Webinars for Schools and Hotels – Free education series to empower client-side adoption.
LinkedIn Thought Series: “What Does Clean Mean Now?” – Provocative POVs from the brand on redefining hygiene culture.

Results Within 6 Months

Client reorders increased by 52% across hotel and school verticals.
Organic traffic overtook paid leads as the primary acquisition source.
The brand’s LinkedIn reach grew 4X with facility-head engagement.
Two major coworking chains onboarded all-India via inbound interest.

CONFIDENTIALITY CAVEAT: This case study represents a confidential engagement. For privacy, specific brand identifiers, campaign names, and project phases have been withheld. It has been shared with permission while preserving client discretion.

Extra Tip for Broader Perspective

If you’re brand owner or manager seeking stronger brand performance, here’s a case study that could interest you: “How a Travel Agency Brand Lost the Map to Modern Solo Journeys.“

And if you’re a solo expert looking to sharpen traction, this case study I worked on may resonate: “How a Keynote Sustainability Speaker Faded From the Searchlight.“

Take your brand from stuck to full throttle − with one bold strategic shift

"One BIG IDEA can turn brand stagnation into unstoppable movement. Spots are limited each week—book your breakthrough session now."

Shobha Ponnappa

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