TWICM 195: LinkedIn's Ty Heath on why she will defend brand to the death
That's What I Call MarketingShow Notes
“I will defend brand to the death.” Ty Heath, Global Director of Thought Leadership at LinkedIn and Jury President for the B2B Creative category at Cannes Lions 2026, joins Conor Byrne on That’s What I Call Marketing for a conversation about B2B marketing, brand building, AI search, thought leadership, creativity and the future of buying decisions.
Ty has helped shape some of the most influential thinking in modern B2B marketing through The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, including work on the 95/5 rule, brand and demand, buying committees, B2B creativity and the emotional nature of business decision-making.
In this episode, Ty shares her journey from high-performance athletics to Google, Nestlé, IBM and LinkedIn, and explains why the lessons of elite sport still shape how she thinks about leadership, resilience and long-term practice. The conversation then moves into some of the biggest questions facing marketers today. What changes when buyers use AI tools and LLMs to build their shortlists? How should brands think about visibility, authority and credibility in an AI-assisted search world? Does gated content still make sense? Why does brand still matter when algorithms and AI tools are influencing discovery? And what will Ty be looking for as Jury President of the B2B Creative Lions at Cannes Lions 2026?
This episode is part of the Cannes Sessions, sponsored by The Digital Voice, the amplification agency working with leading ad tech and martech companies globally. The Digital Voice helps brands show up across the full mix, from global press and thought leadership to content, social, events and creative, including major moments like Cannes Lions.
What you will learn: Why Ty Heath says she will “defend brand to the death” How B2B marketing moved beyond rational messaging into emotional decision-making Why The B2B Institute focused on what does not change, not just what is changing How the 95/5 rule helped reframe long-term B2B growth Why buying committees need to feel safe before they say yes What AI search and LLMs mean for B2B discoverability Why authority, credibility and reputation now matter more How brands can be visible to buyers and surfaced by AI tools Why gated content can create a trade-off between lead capture and reach How employee and executive voices can build trust at scale What Ty will be looking for in B2B creative work at Cannes Lions 2026 Why B2B creativity is finally getting the attention it deserves
Timestamps: 03:03 – From elite athletics to marketing leadership 10:51 – Google, Nestlé, IBM and finding a path into marketing 15:20 – Why words, language and communication carry responsibility 17:52 – The emotional reality of B2B decision-making 18:57 – Building The B2B Institute and changing B2B marketing 21:55 – Brand and demand, the 95/5 rule and long-term growth 23:18 – AI, LLMs and the changing future of discoverability 27:42 – Buying committees, buyability and making decisions feel safer 30:36 – The gated content debate 35:14 – Why brand still matters in an AI-assisted world 38:58 – Employee voices, executive presence and B2B credibility 43:23 – Cannes Lions 2026 and the rise of B2B creativity
Listen to more episodes of That’s What I Call Marketing for conversations with leading marketers, CMOs, founders, strategists and creative thinkers on brand, effectiveness, creativity, marketing leadership and the future of the industry. #B2BMarketing #BrandBuilding #TyHeath #LinkedIn #TheB2BInstitute #CannesLions #B2BCreativity #MarketingEffectiveness #ThoughtLeadership #AIsearch #LLMSEO #GEO #BrandAndDemand #MarketingLeadership #ThatsWhatICallMarketing That’s What I Call Marketing is where marketers come for real conversations about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession. Hosted by Conor Byrne, the show features conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, authors, thinkers and practitioners about what good marketing looks like in practice.
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