Late Adman Piyush Pandey’s final foreword adds heft to Rajesh Kumar’s new book on B2B marketing

“Say it with respect for the audience and say it in a context that the audience can understand” — legendary advertising icon Piyush Pandey used to say to underscore the importance of audience connection. The essence of this idea is highlighted in marketing veteran Rajesh Kumar’s book, Decoding B2B Marketing, which is a visual-first guide aimed at helping companies navigate complex sales cycles and demonstrate marketing return on investment. The publication’s foreword was written by none other than Piyush Pandey.

In his foreword, the last one he wrote for a book, the late Piyush Pandey, the acclaimed Adman, said: “The book has been written for people to savour, enjoy, learn, and teach the art of B2B. I believe that B2B is an art and not a pure science. It is with this belief that I recommend Rajesh Kumar to all the readers of this book!”

With enterprise marketing becoming increasingly digital and multi-stakeholder-driven, the book by Kumar, an ex-SAP, Microsoft and UiPath marketing leader, assumes significance. Decoding B2B Marketing, published by ZebraLearn, was unveiled in Gurugram last week.

The launch comes at a time when accountability pressures on marketing teams are intensifying. Industry surveys show a majority of B2B chief marketing officers in India now rank ROI measurement as a top priority, reflecting tighter budget scrutiny and the need to link marketing activity directly to revenue outcomes.

Kumar argues that structural shifts in purchasing behaviour are reshaping enterprise go-to-market strategies. Large technology and infrastructure decisions increasingly involve buying groups of six or more stakeholders — from decision-makers to end users — each with distinct evaluation criteria. Simultaneously, the traditional dominance of sales-led engagement has weakened as digital channels take precedence in early-stage research. Analysts estimate that a significant portion of the buyer journey is completed before vendor interaction, underscoring marketing’s expanded influence in shaping demand.

Art and Science of B2B Marketing

The publication’s foreword by Piyush Pandey frames B2B marketing as both an analytical discipline and a creative craft — a theme reflected in Kumar’s emphasis on narrative and positioning alongside data-led execution. The book situates these changes within what Kumar describes as an emerging “ask economy”, where professionals expect AI-enabled, contextual insights and reusable content across channels.

Structured around 12 frameworks, the guide covers areas including brand building, segmentation, analyst relations, demand generation, account-based marketing, and marketing technology adoption. Delivered in a visual format consistent with ZebraLearn’s learning model, it integrates QR-linked industry interviews and digital extensions spanning audio, video, and AI-supported learning modules.

Growth of SaaS ecosystem

The book’s release coincides with broader expansion in India’s enterprise technology ecosystem. IT spending continues to grow at double-digit rates, while the country’s SaaS sector has scaled to tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue and is projected to expand further on the back of global demand. As companies scale internationally, demand has risen for specialised marketing roles in product positioning, analytics, and revenue operations.

Kumar positions the book as a practical resource for startups and early-career professionals seeking to build global-facing technology brands from India, arguing that marketing capability — at the intersection of analytics and creativity — will be central to sustaining competitive advantage.