On Oct. 14 in the middle of an alley in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, a long line formed early in the morning in front of a store with a gray concrete exterior wall bearing a clearly engraved Palantir logo. People took a day off to buy hoodies stamped with the logo of a data platform company. Palantir, the "symbol of B2B" with the U.S. Department of Defense and the CIA as clients, opened a pop-up store for general consumers. Inside the store, tracksuits and crewnecks emblazoned with the word "Ontology" were on display. The products translated complex technical concepts into design. It felt less like a software company's product launch and more like a global streetwear brand's new product reveal. It was a scene that revealed Palantir's intent to absorb pop culture and expand its brand.
Palantir is rapidly expanding its touchpoints with the public this year. It is pursuing a strategy to be perceived not as a mere technology company, but as a "lifestyle brand." The key is that many customers who bought the merchandise are Palantir shareholders and technology fans. A company official said, "There is a passionate Palantir support base in Korea. We wanted to create an experience that directly connects with them." In fact, Korea has a powerful fandom, ranking No. 2 worldwide in Palantir merchandise sales. Analysts say it is a strategy to expand the corporate image simultaneously into "technical trust" and "emotional fandom."
This trend of tech companies, once centered on B2B (business-to-business), strengthening relationships with consumers is spreading across industries. Market research firm Business Research Insights projected that the global B2B marketing market will reach about $38.55 billion (about 547 trillion won) by 2033. The compound annual growth rate is 6.7%. As technological sophistication narrows performance gaps between products, client companies have begun to use "trust" and "empathy," rather than "technical prowess," as their purchase criteria.
According to a joint analysis by global consulting firm Bain & Company and Google, 85% of B2B buyers sign contracts with "brands they trusted from the start." If the technology is similar, it ultimately means brand image decides the deal.
Slack and Zoom were the fastest to show this shift. As collaboration tools became central to work during the pandemic, the two companies ran ads targeting individual end users rather than corporate decision-makers. Slack's "Work Simplified" campaign unpacked office worker fatigue with humor, and Zoom's "Zoom for Life" slogan highlighted scenes of connection among family and friends. It was a "top-down diffusion" strategy in which personal affinity led to organizational adoption.
Email marketing automation company Mailchimp and work management solution company ClickUp rolled out short-form content on social media that resonated with office workers. Videos featuring lines like "Efficiency over overtime" foreground emotional affinity over feature explanations. This is a way of translating B2B technology into "everyday language" to boost brand closeness. It delivers high reach at low cost and works as a strategy to broaden awareness among potential customers.
Hardware component companies have also targeted the consumer market early on. Intel's "Intel Inside" campaign, which began in 1991, is a representative success story that has lasted more than 30 years. Nvidia built a fan base centered on gamers and creators with its "GeForce RTX" brand. It is a "demand pull" strategy that makes consumers ask for products equipped with specific components, thereby inducing B2B clients to adopt those components. Building on this, Nvidia expanded into data centers and the AI industry, becoming the world's largest tech company.
IBM and Oracle are also shifting from technology-centered communication to emotion-centered branding. IBM unveiled a new "Let's Create Smarter Business" brand campaign last month, championing "a future where technology combines with human imagination." The ad featuring F1 driver Lewis Hamilton carries the message that AI should advance alongside human creativity. Rather than explaining technology, it tells stories about how technology changes lives. The campaign is set to roll out this year across TV, digital, outdoor, print, and online channels.
Since 2022, Oracle has been boosting public awareness through title sponsorship of F1's "Oracle Red Bull Racing," among other efforts. While strengthening its advertising and data platform business, it has built an image as "a technology company that understands consumer experience." Most recently, it has also been leading the acquisition of TikTok's U.S. joint venture. The move is seen as a strategy to secure B2C platform touchpoints and strengthen data competitiveness.
Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University, said, "Recent B2B marketing is no longer simple technology promotion; it is turning into a competition over what innovative image a company builds in society," adding, "Because transactions are ultimately conducted by people, instilling a future-oriented and leading image in younger generations leads to corporate trust, talent attraction, and ultimately control over deals." Lee added, "As contracting has become more transparent lately and business has been reorganized around networks, companies with images of innovation and trust have come to secure greater influence in the market."