Meet Krishnan Chatterjee, Head of Marketing for Google Cloud India, who has spent over two decades spotting discontinuities and turning them into business breakthroughs. From launching Bristol Menthol on a bicycle in Jodhpur to building "Employees First, Customers Second" at HCL, and from creating GST solutions at SAP to now driving AI transformation at Google Cloud, Krishnan brings a unique philosophy: "Brand equals business model."
In this episode of The Marketing Couch, Krishnan shares why most B2B marketers fail because they separate brand from business reality—and reveals his contrarian approach to building marketing functions that actually drive revenue instead of just organizing events.
What you'll learn
🔸 The Brand = Business Model Philosophy: Why marketing claims must be delivered through your actual business model, or you've failed as a marketer
🔸 The Discontinuity Advantage: How to spot market shifts before competitors and turn them into revenue opportunities (like the GST solution that generated 25% of SAP India's cloud revenue)
🔸 AI's Funnel Transformation: Why engagement-driven MQLs are dying and intent-driven funnels with higher conversion rates are the future
🔸 The Lighthouse Strategy: Why you should never campaign until you have 2-3 brilliant customer implementations and advocacy
🔸 Capacity vs Cost: How AI isn't just about reducing costs but expanding your capacity to solve previously impossible problems
🔸 The P&L Line of Sight: How to position your marketing function in the top half of the P&L as a revenue contributor, not a cost center
🔸 Cross-functional Orchestration: The three-part role marketers must play—customer intimacy, proposition building, and market discontinuity identification
🔸 Value vs Commodity Selling: Why B2B marketing evolved from commodity price battles to value creation and what that means for your approach
🔸 The "Create, Not Consume" Mindset: How a philosophy from music creation applies to building breakthrough marketing strategies
🔸 Operating Model Transformation: Why AI requires rethinking people, process, and technology—not just adding new tools to existing workflows
Where to find Krishnan Chatterjee
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishnanchatterjee/
• Music: Search "Contraband - Currency" on any streaming platform
• Community: ATM (Addicted to Music) - YouTube
Where to find Jaydip Sikdar
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaydipsikdar/
• X: https://x.com/jaydipsikdar
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to the Marketing Couch Festival Specials
02:15 Exploring Krishnan Chatterjee's Journey
04:07 Philosophical Insights and Personal Reflections
09:31 The Transition from B2C to B2B Marketing
11:36 Discontinuities in Marketing and Career Choices
18:06 AI's Role in B2B Marketing
21:08 Google Cloud's Mission and Marketing Strategy
24:45 B2B Marketing Evolution and Insights
27:32 The Shift from Commodity Selling to Value Selling
30:28 Aligning Marketing with P&L Objectives
32:10 Customer Intimacy and Market Discontinuities
35:35 The Transformation of B2B Marketing Funnels
39:21 AI's Impact on Marketing Operating Models
42:10 The Importance of Cross-Functional Collaboration
45:09 Balancing Creativity and Professional Responsibilities
49:13 Personal Pride and Mentorship in Professional Growth
About The Marketing Couch
The Marketing Couch brings you honest conversations with B2B marketing, sales, and startup leaders. For inquiries about the podcast, contact geetha@unstopppable.club.
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