Your content has a big fat grammar problem (yes, yours)

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Welcome to another fine edition of Marketing Under The Influence

We need to talk about and address the rampant disregard for grammar in B2B content. 

If you grew up dreaming of publishing mystery novels or rising to become the editor of some posh fashion magazine, are the kind of person who experiences a visceral cringe when someone mistakenly writes “your” instead of “you’re” or do a full-body recoil when modifiers dangle like forgotten Christmas decorations in late February…

Yes, I’m talking about your grammar. 

Look, let’s get this out of the way. Your written grammar is probably on point. It’s the grammar of the new mediums you’ve ventured into, like video, that’s missing. 

It’s okay. I’m not here to shame you. 

But I will say, a lot of what I see today is the equivalent of learning just enough HTML to make a MySpace page an aesthetic nightmare — but with six-figure budgets. 

And, I’m sorry. But I can’t possibly teach you everything I know right now. All I can do is nudge you in the right direction — using the Kuleshov effect as the catalyst.

The Kuleshov Effect — aka the gateway “drug” to video grammar.

Once upon a time there was a guy named Lev Kuleshov. He was a Soviet filmmaker who, back in the 1910s, probably didn’t realize he’d one day be teaching a bunch of B2B marketers from his grave. 

I’m introducing you to Kulesov because he exposed a fundamental rule about visual grammar back when people were still arguing about whether movies were just a fad. 

Kulesov took a single shot of an actor's expressionless face and intercut it with different shots: 

• a bowl of soup

• a dead girl in a coffin

• a woman on a couch 

When he showed the films, audiences swooned over the actor’s brilliant performance — how he conveyed hunger, grief, and desire so masterfully.

The Kuleshov Effect isn't just some dusty film theory tidbit. It's a fundamental principle about how meaning is created through context and juxtaposition. When you understand this, you start seeing it everywhere — and, like the FedEx arrow, you can’t unsee it.

Kuleshov's discovery is just the tip of the iceberg. There's an entire language of visual storytelling being  ignored while marketers chase the next trending format. 

Think about it: would you let someone who doesn't understand basic sentence structure write your blog posts? Would you trust your social media accounts to someone who thinks grammar is just a suggestion? Of course not. Yet here we are, diving into video production with nothing but a nice camera and the vague notion that quick cuts make things "dynamic."

The good news? 

You already have the foundational skills. You understand the importance of structure, the power of pacing, the necessity of intentional choices. You just need to apply that same rigorous attention to the grammar of visual storytelling. Start with Kuleshov. Then dig into montage theory, visual hierarchy, compositional balance. Learn why certain cuts work and others fall flat. Understand the psychological impact of camera movements.

Because here's the thing: when you truly understand these principles, you stop creating content that just checks off boxes (s/o Brendan Hufford). You start creating content that actually means something. And in a landscape drowning in high-production, low-impact video content, meaning is the ultimate differentiator.

So the next time you're about to rubber-stamp another talking head video interspersed with random B-roll, remember Kuleshov's blank-faced actor. Remember that every cut, every juxtaposition, every frame is saying something — whether you intend it to or not.

The medium is the message and all that jazz.

As cool as it’d be for this diatribe to kick off a widespread obsession with media theory, I’m not holding my breath.

Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, and a great number of others who’ve studied the influence of media published lots of work that’ll teach you tons. But you can start with more accessible resources like these:

Teachers: People to follow.

• Kara Ferguson (Threads): I started following Kara on Threads after seeing her breakdown of CNN’s interview with Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz shortly after the ticket formed back in August. She masterfully explains the connection between visual storytelling and viewer perception in a way that’s accessible to practically everybody. She’s been a bit quiet this month but promises to ramp things back up soon.

• Rayna van Beuzekom (LinkedIn): If you’re not big on Threads, then consider following Rayna over on LinkedIn. Their content is not only insightful, it’s delightful. Rayna drops a ton of highly technical knowledge — from focal lengths to shot composition and LUTs — without ever making us feel stupid.

• Chris Lavigne (LinkedIn): Best way to describe Chris is that his creativity knows no bounds — and I’m super jealous of him because of it. Whether it’s him sharing his top 25 Adobe Premiere shortcuts in 25 seconds (or get hit with a pie in the face) or this brilliant ad for Wistia (his employer), you’re guaranteed to see something truly unique from Chris.

• Ben Hillman (LinkedIn and Paddle Studios): Whenever I’m asked to give an example of innovative B2B content, Paddle (previously Profit Well) is the only one I can genuinely say fits the description — and that has a lot to do with Ben. You can check out his LinkedIn but you gotta check out Paddle Studios to see the work of a master. While he doesn’t dish out tons of tips and tricks, I’ve learned a lot from just observing his work much like other artists do.

Texts & sh*t: Media to consume.

• In The Blink of an Eye (Amazon): This book taught me — and countless others, many more famous and successful than me — the art of editing video and film.

• Every Frame a Painting (YouTube): The channel isn’t active anymore but still contains all the video essays that studied the visual language of film.

• On Directing Film (Amazon): If you don’t know David Mamet’s name or his work as a playwright, screenwriter, and director, don’t let that stop you from gaining a wealth of knowledge about the choices you’re making with video.

• Out On The Wire (Amazon): Two things you need to know about this book are: 1) get the physical version and 2) even though this is about audio (radio and podcasting), it’s also applicable to video if you intend to include sound.

Get ready to reorient yourself with B2B content. 

As important as it is to get familiar with the equivalent of subject-verb disagreement in video, there’s something bigger missing in the realm of B2B marketing. But I’m not talking about a “new” playbook to replace the “old” one that’s supposedly not what it used to be. You can forget about that; it’s never coming. 

The One Marketing Playbook To Rule Them All™ worked bonkers when fewer folks were wielding content to capture demand and shape perceptions in the marketplace. 

That was then. This is now. 

For marketing strategies to succeed today and tomorrow, they need to do two things simultaneously: 

1. Win the business of customers actively in the market for solutions

2. Maintain strong associations with customers not currently in the market

The reason for this dual imperative is simple: 9 out of 10 times customers choose solutions that maintained associates with key category entry points — the triggers that prompt them to consider products and services.

B2B decision-makers are slowly starting to accept this reality and soon a new era for marketing will begin. 

If you want to learn how to secure a place in this bright future and you made it this far, head to the Neutral Ground Labs website and enroll in Content Reorientation while supplies last. 

Until next time,

Ronnie 😈

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