#335 - B2B to B2H: Why Human-Centric Storytelling Is Reshaping Industrial Print with Matteo Conte, Polytype

In this episode of the FuturePrint Podcast, Marcus Timson is joined by Matteo Conte, Marketing Manager at Polytype, to explore the evolving role of marketing and storytelling in industrial print.

While the sector has traditionally focused on technical specifications and performance metrics, Matteo argues that a shift is underway - from B2B to what he calls “B2H” (business-to-human). As digital transformation and global uncertainty reshape buying behaviours, industrial marketers are increasingly recognising the importance of trust, emotion, and human connection in decision-making.

Matteo shares insights from his first year at Polytype, where he has focused on elevating the company’s visibility and communicating its rich heritage, innovation, and global impact. He highlights the importance of authentic storytelling - grounded in reality rather than exaggeration - as a way to build credibility and differentiate in a crowded market.

The conversation also explores how industrial companies can learn from B2C practices without losing sight of the unique dynamics of B2B, particularly when it comes to long-term investment decisions and multi-stakeholder buying processes.

Finally, Matteo discusses Polytype’s latest innovations, including DigiCan for beverage can printing and the hybrid “Prime Offset” solution, both of which reflect changing market demands and the growing role of digital technologies.

A thoughtful and timely discussion on how industrial brands can communicate more effectively in a rapidly changing world.

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Transcript

Welcome And Why Marketing Matters

Speaker 0:01

Welcome to the Future Print Podcast, celebrating print technology and the people behind it.

Speaker 1 0:10

Welcome to the latest episode of the Future Print Podcast. I'm really happy to have with me Matteo Conte, who is the marketing manager at Polytype. Polytype has recently joined FuturePrint as a partner, and we've already been creating some really interesting, insightful content. And Matea is very much uh steering the marketing ship, as it were, um at Polytype, an exciting business. If you want to track back at some of our previous podcasts with um a couple of uh gentlemen who um lead different parts of the businesses, um Julian Bianchi at Steve was CEO as our first one, and then Clay Olif, who's um CEO of um Polytype and Mecca. And um Matea's joined us now because I wanted to tackle uh a subject area which perhaps we underserve a little on the podcast because we're very focused on technology. So this is going to be around marketing and storytelling. So welcome to the Futureprint Podcast, Mateo.

Speaker 2 1:11

Well, thank you. Hi Marcus, thank you for having me. Um such a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today and uh looking forward to to this great conversation.

Matteo’s Path Into Industrial Marketing

Speaker 1 1:23

Thank you, Matteo, and um good to have you with us. Could you start perhaps by an introduction about yourself? What how you got involved in marketing and um and the role at Polytype?

Speaker 2 1:35

Yeah, sure. Um so as you said, my name is Matteo Conte. Um I'm 29, uh turning third turning 30 this year, but let's not talk about that. Um I'm the marketing manager here at Polytype. Um, I've studied marketing and economics for something like over 10 years, I think. Uh, I've always been passionate about advertising, creative work, arts in general. I found a real interest in the marketing and communication sector. Um I did all my studies while employed because uh so I choose specific and often longer courses to get my degrees because I wanted to have that knowledge and experience of you know real life uh job, not just having studies and coming out of university or something and learning what's working is. So it was very, very insightful. I learned a lot during these years, and um I started working for a government department here in Switzerland, uh responsible for business support, uh known known as um economic development. I guess that's how you will translate it in English. Um I worked there for a bit a little bit over four years, and then I switched to the industrial sector, and I've been here for like something six or seven years now.

Speaker 1 3:01

Brilliant, yeah. So you've had a um but you studied the the uh uh the specific um role that you're doing now, uh uh which is fantastic. And then um it sounds like you've deployed economics as well, so you're getting granular in some of the sort of uh the numbers and stuff. So it's so it's a a good mix there. And you joined Polytype. So how long have you been at Polytype? And um give us a bit of a feel for your role.

Speaker 2 3:30

Yeah, so I've joined Polytype uh actually one year ago today. So it's quite quite funny to to have the recording today. Um I joined them um so in 2025 as a marketing manager. Um it's uh it's a company, Polytype, that is well known in here in Switzerland, especially in the industrial um sector. Um they have a track record that the industry knows. And um well, we've done a tremendous job in the last 12 months, to be honest, um, to start giving this company the visibility it deserves. Um, because as you said, marketing is often um not taken as into consideration as much as in other sectors. Uh and one of the reasons also they hired marketing manager was to start pushing and promoting what we do a little bit more. Um we have an amazing team here in Fribourg, in Switzerland. Um, whether it's in the offices or in the technical and engineering departments, it's quite impressive to witness um what these guys are uh are doing. Um, and obviously also in mechanics, assembly. Um the customer service is recognized all over the world, I think, um, for its um yeah disponibility and and and and and how they take care of customers. Um and everyone is just so dedicated to making the best machines possible. It's it's very nice to see and how new things are being developed, new solutions that meet that meet the let's say the industry challenges. Um so yes, um PolyType is a is a great company for that. And I'm in charge, as you said, about marketing activities overall. So obviously it includes strategy, communication channels, partnership, like with FuturePrint, for example. Um, but also all the creation and graphic designs, whether it's social media ads or even our samples, um I'm creating all these um together with the team. So yeah, it's uh it's a very rich and interesting job. And uh I'm really grateful to have such a to work in to work in such a dynamic and great company, you know, with such talented and and innovation-driven people.

Speaker 1 5:57

Yeah, and I think one of the things that you've done very well is encapsulating and communicating the kind of culture of enthusiasm for innovation and solving problems and the challenges. And I think that comes through in a lot of um the chats I've had with different team members, is this kind of commitment to the bigger picture, to polytype, but what you're trying to achieve with the technology is is um speaks volumes and and and I think also it's very comforting, isn't it, as a marketer, yeah, to know you have a great product.

Speaker 2 6:29

Yeah, absolutely. Uh I think it's um it's one of the the key elements. Uh you have to trust and to to believe in what you're uh promoting. And uh when the product is good, it makes it all easier. Um obviously you have also to learn the product. So I spent uh the first months or so with the technical team, with the guys downstairs at the assembly and mechanics, with some of the engineers to really understand uh how this machine works because it was a new a new industry for me, printing the printing industry. Even though I've worked with a few companies in in special machinery or or bearings, etc. It's always different. So I spend some time there and it's it's just crazy. This technology is amazing, and uh it's uh yeah, as you said, it it makes it all easier and all the most interesting for for me. Um so yeah.

From B2B To B2H Thinking

Speaker 1 7:31

Yeah, absolutely. It's a great platform for you to then raise this ability, get the stories out there, and and help people understand and learn the advantages, which are considerable, I know. Um we talked before around storytelling, that's one of the the elements of that you're keen to bring to life through the campaign with with with polytype and and marketing. Um we we also talked a bit about the changing behavior within B2B buying, um, becoming a little bit more like B2C, but then you surprised me by mentioning B2H. So tell us a bit about your view of storytelling, how consumer um sorry, how B2B buying is perhaps coming a little more like B2C, and then what is B2H?

Speaker 2 8:22

Yeah, so this is an interesting one because uh we live in a in such a dynamic and changing, sometimes strange world, uh where I think uncertainty has sure been the norm in the last few years. So obviously, companies have had to adapt to many things, and marketing is no exception. I think overall we see companies embracing more of the human side of things, whether it's highlighting their employees and know-how on social media, for example, which is basically the basis of every successful company, you know, the your employees, your knowledge internally. Um, and that's been uh using uh highlighted more and more in in industrial companies, or whether it's truly following and highlighting the customer journey and experiences, you know, with customer stories, um feedback, etc., um, we've been giving the human beings a stronger impact in in a world usually made of, let's say, technical data, numbers and prices and I don't know, speeds, etc., production, productivity. And this shift is interesting because even though this has been the norm in B2C marketing for decades now, B2B seems to just be starting to leverage this human factor. Um, by human factor, I mean what people think, what people like, and most importantly, how and what people feel. Uh, emotion is key. Uh, and I think all B2C marketing experts will tell you this. You need to generate emotion with and with and around your products uh or services if you want to be successful. And now for many years and even decades, for some reason B2B marketing teams were not, I think, I guess, taking this into account. It's like we had a um, let's say uh a frontier between B2C and B2B that could not and should not be crossed. Uh, and that was um what was successful, let's say, in for one could not be for the other. And in a way, we always compared and opposed this B2B and B2C. Um there are differences, but they were really opposed a bit strongly. Um, maybe too strongly, I don't know. Uh, and I think that's that is changing and is one of the reasons we're starting to see many companies, even big names, using social media and other types of communication tools to promote their B2B solutions. Um, because they just had to adapt to behaviors, consumer uh behaviors overall, not just uh their customers, but the society in general. And and I heard I heard this during my studies, um, and it sticks with me. Uh it's like, as you said, we're moving from B2B or B2B to B2H, H being for human, obviously. Um, and you could even take it further and say it's H2H, because in the end it's all about human behaviors. But I think it's very interesting to see it in that way because you start uh understanding that even though you're selling or talking to a company, you're still talking with to a human being is behind or a group or a team, and that there are leverages that can be used.

unknown 11:52

Okay.

Speaker 1 11:52

Yeah, and I think that's about uh having access to those stories, to that information. Like you say, B2B always used to be very fact-led and feature-led. This is the product, this is what it does. Do you want to buy one? Whereas what you're saying is the people behind the technology are are super important. And in and in a world of uncertainty, people buy from people. The product's got to be great. Yeah, sure. The trust has got to be established uh in order to to for people to feel comfortable to invest because of higher level lower level level of perhaps tolerance for risk, perhaps. Um also think with B2B that it um that accelerated change came via COVID and it started to be you've you've mentioned a lot of digital storytelling. And I think that becomes really important because the buying patterns have changed, the industry structure's changed, and it in some areas consolidated, in other areas growing, depending on which part of the massive print um kind of vista that is is is out there, but that people really need access to digital information to help them make decisions, and it's not just feature, it's the person, the vision, the understanding of the market. It it builds trust, doesn't it?

Speaker 2 13:23

Yeah, for sure. It builds trust. And um of course, B2B purchasing teams have constraints that B2C don't uh doesn't. Um and imperatives also. There is nothing such as an impulsive purchase in B2B, for example. Uh, even more so when it's when we're talking about machinery equipment that is a real investment, both financially but also in terms of production and time. Uh at PolySap, we have machines running for decades now and are still in great shape. We've adapted them, improved them, and obviously customers have taken great care of them, but it just shows that it's a really long-term investment. Um, even in digital, we have machines running for over 15 years and still delivering some of the best printing quality on the market. So impulsive purchase and individual action don't really exist in our sector, obviously. Um, it's not like entering a grocery store and you know, in a hot summer day and choosing one soda over the other because you just saw an ad 500 times on on TV, or you enter the um, or the packaging is cool. I don't know. Uh, but that said, I think as you said, trust uh is very important and there's a great value in taking inspiration from B2C practices and adapting them. Um, we have a lot to learn from these brand and companies in terms of marketing. Um because people in in industrial companies, whether it's the CEO, the CTO, or whoever, they also want to buy equipment that they like and that they're proud of. Um, many of our customers um tell us that they are proud when giving a tour to a supplier, for example, or customers to show our machines. So it's very important to leverage that and understand why, uh, to then be able to showcase new solutions in a way that don't only describe what they do and how much they cost, um, even though it's still the name of the game, but we also need to understand what people need and and and deliver uh in that aspect as well. For example, the machine designs. Uh, and look, um, this doesn't change the productivity, but it can have an impact on the final decision because the machine is nice and it's not what will make someone purchase the machine. But when compared to maybe a competitor that has a very similar machine, this can be the little difference, you know. Um, so I think it's very important to have that trust also when when talking about uh storytelling. Um I think trust is is a key element of it of it. Um and and and B2C has a lot to teach, I think, in that respect.

Storytelling Built On Real Trust

Speaker 1 16:15

Yeah, yeah. And then listening to you speak, I think that's a really good point. And of course, there are differences that you've highlighted there, and that strategic investment and the lack of impulsivity, which is key, and that's a key distinguishing difference. I I also think with B2B, you're often, like you said, you're often influenced, you're trying to influence or connect with a group of people, not just one person, and that one person hasn't really got the only, it's not the only decision maker. So it it's slower, but it's um but there's lots of human behavior elements that are uh are very similar. So it's uh about like you say, adapting, learning, and uh the the at you know the right uh application, I I guess. Why in your view is storytelling so important?

Speaker 2 17:09

Um it's interesting um that you point this out because in my view, storytelling may be one of the common things between B2C and B2B marketing since let's say forever. Um what I mean by that is that we have always pictured companies in a way that highlight their experience, know-how, size, or track records um to work on branding and to give an image of trust, as we said earlier. And that's whether it's a B2C or a B2B company. That's always been the case. It's done differently, but it's always been the case. And um if you want people to trust you, because trust is everything, and not just in business, I mean overall in family, group of friends, marriage, without trust, nothing stands, nothing works. Um and if you have a great company, great employees, and great solutions or services, you kind of want people to know it and to tell it, um, because otherwise you're just one among the others. So storytelling, when done right, can really help um highlight all these facts about your company and tell to the world who you are. The downside of this is that when everybody starts doing the same thing, well, no one is doing anything special anymore. And I think in the last decades we fell into a storytelling pile, and it's harder to stand out nowadays because people have, I guess, more access to tools or agencies or experts who can highlight any company in a beautiful way, even though what's behind might not be that beautiful. So I think for me, good storytelling and a successful one is a story based on reality. Uh, don't overpush it, don't make yourself much bigger than who you are. Uh, we always like to flex a little bit, but don't push it. Um, people will get it at some point, and the damage will be real. So let's just start with who we really are, what we really do. And I think if you have a great company and a great product, that's more than enough for people to understand why they should trust you. Um I think less is more. So but yeah, storytelling overall is is something very, very interesting to work on, and it's a very powerful leverage because it basically shows your DNA uh as a whole.

Speaker 1 19:46

Yeah, and also I think what the point you're making there, it's about being natural with that, isn't it? It's about developing the story based on the authentic representation of who you are as a business and a group of people as much as anything else.

Polytype’s Century Story And Short Film

Speaker 2 20:01

Yeah, uh no need to fake it. Um there's no interest, no point in doing this. Uh and every company has these trends, uh, every company has a story. Um we have uh the chance here at Poly Type to have a great story because, as you know, we uh we all it all started over a century ago with newspaper printing, which is not exactly what you would expect when you know the company today. Um and then we switched to to packaging printing with direct-to-ship technology, which was as well a great a major and and challenging um step. Uh and we became quite known for our dry-offset solutions all over the world. Uh but then we entered, we we entered and we embraced the digital wave right at its beginning and pushed innovation there too, uh, which was another step and a new step. And we are still on and still pushing there. Um and as I said before, we have the chance to have amazing people. We have people and facilities in many regions of the world, uh, which also enriches the experience and enables us to understand our customer even better and be more reactive, uh, which is a chance. Um we have to admit that it's it's a chance also to be to be in a region here in Switzerland where uh innovation is is is uh like a DNA of this country overall, but this region particularly. Um but as we we all know the the the impact of uh what a machine can have, uh when you know that it also changes a little bit the the view you're um you're having on your product. Um because our machines have real life and impact on people all around the world. Because through our customer sprinting, our passion and innovation end up in stores and in people's homes everywhere. And obviously, this is something we we knew, but it's something that we have really started to leverage recently. And it's quite a source of pride, to be honest, because you realize that, well, there's an end product. You know, we're not in B2C, but we're enabling B2C products. So in a way, it's it's quite it's quite nice to think about it that that way. Um the impact is much more than just uh an industrial machine. And and actually, this is this will be at the center of a new short movie we're preparing for this summer where we said, okay, we have to tell this story, but let's use our story and not just a regular storytelling about who we are and what we do. Let's try to find what's specific about us and just speak the truth about us and and and and see and see how what we can make of it.

New Launches For MetPak

Speaker 1 23:05

Yeah, that sounds a great project. And I think incredibly unifying. You're working as a person within the business that connects with all elements of the business, right? From the technical team, from the sales commercial team to the strategic level. So it so it's um really pulling that together and then working together, I guess, collaboratively, I imagine, because that's kind of what your culture's like there, isn't it? Um, and it's somewhat unifying. I'm I'm sure you also discover things that you didn't expect by creating that story that um enriches it even more and adds more layers to it. So so that that sounds um sounds really, really cool. I know we're recording ahead of MetPAC. You've got some interesting new things that you're going to be doing at MetPak. Um so what is what kind of products are you launching this year, perhaps?

Speaker 2 24:02

Um, yeah, well, thank you for asking the question. I really appreciate it. Um, yeah, as you said, we're recording just before MetPak and Interpack. Um and um Polytype has always been, as we said, dedicated to innovation and pushing the boundaries. Um we have launched many great solutions over the years. Uh, but this year we decided to tackle a new market and to challenge a situation where not many companies are successfully delivering, which is the beverage can market. You you may have heard it already, but the beverage can market is changing. Uh, you made a full episode on this with with Clay, our CEO of Polytep America. So I'm not going to go back on this, but these changes have opened new possibilities and have put digital printing at the center of interest. So this year we are proud to launch Digican, which is our new solution dedicated to beverage can printing. So DigiCan is a new solution, but it's it leverages um over 15 years of experience in digital printing on various substrates and shapes. Um, all this knowledge, expertise, and passion is uh passion is is now transferred to to this new solution, and we are and will enable the brands to print directly on cans with you know standing visuals, sharp text, and the ability to play with varnish and graphic as they want, with you know all the strengths of digital printing basically. Um we have published a few pieces of news on this, including one with with you with you at FuturePrints. So I think people have uh who are interested could learn a bit more about this machine there. But yeah, we are very excited uh about this new adventure and we are looking forward to developing it further. Uh, of course, we're still working on new options and solutions for our traditional sectors, tubes, cups, bottles, etc. And we have great things coming up there too. But Digican is really uh one of the two highlights of this year. Um second one will be maybe it's another topic, but it's called what we call prime offsets. So it's um it's not dry offset, it's not digital, it's a sort of a mix of both worlds. Um, if you want. Uh the machine, the machine structure is very much an offset one, so we're not talking about digital printing at all. It's still still offset printing, but the way we're doing it is a small revolution in itself. Uh, first we use different plates than dry offsets, and these plates enable us to print far greater details and enhance the overall look of the print. But the real trick comes from the inks, because instead of using six to eight panton colors, like in dry offsets, we're using CMYK inks, uh, like in digital, uh, plus four spot colors. And by doing so, we are but we benefit from the wide spectrum of colors and tonal gradient of CMYK, uh, which is well known to enable smooth and photorealistic image reproduction, but we also benefit from the precise Panton references uh for specific branding elements or to further enhance the overall print. And the results are quite outstanding, to be honest. Um, people really love it. We've been pushing quite a bit now in the last few months, and the feedback has been very good. People are quite impressed how how good images look on an offset setup. Uh, so it's really opening a new set of possibilities in cosmetic printing, premium packaging, etc. Um, so yes, I think it was worth mentioning because it's uh it's not digital per se, but it's we're using our digital knowledge and our prime offset, uh our dry offset knowledge, sorry, to create a new solution for uh for the industry.

Final Lessons On Agile Marketing

Speaker 1 27:58

Yeah, that sounds great. So both both it are innovations of slightly different types, aren't they? I guess. Absolutely, yeah. Um but in response to what's happening in the industry. And the beverage can, the digican, um I think you explained before that kind of shift in brands in terms of the the district, you know, the creation of functional, new functional drinks, craft drinks, um social media influencer drinks. Um there's quite a lot of disruption potential in the industry to respond more quickly to that, to create more specifically to certain areas or or or shorter run versioning or whatever. So um that's an innovation clearly in response to that change. So that that's exciting to see, and excited to discover more about that at the event. I really appreciate you explaining that. Um any final thoughts, Matea, before you you pack your bags and go out to Dusseldorf.

Speaker 2 29:03

Um, so I won't be in Dusseldorf.

Speaker 1 29:06

Unfortunately, you won't be packing your bags, okay. You've just you've just been making it happen.

Speaker 2 29:10

Yeah, but basically uh the team will be there. Uh this time I will not join the this event, but I will join future ones. Um but yeah, I think uh overall, um what we could take from from this uh is that obviously there's differences between B2B and B2C marketing, but I think the the world is showing us that we need to be agile and and and and not stick to to what we've known. And you know, the the sentence we've always done it this way is killing companies nowadays. Uh you have to be reactive, you have to to to have a sense of also uh risk taking, I guess. Um, but I think taking inspiration from B2C can only help um industrial companies all over the world, no matter the sector. And we're definitely doing it here uh at Polytype um while keeping the all the um the importance of data and and technicality and and and all this stuff that remains the the the name of the game and remains the most important thing. But we're just uh trying to do it a bit a bit differently, and I think we're not the only one. It's quite clear that there's a real trend in in the industrial sector. And um and as you said, when you're working with a company like PolySap, which is driving by driven by innovation and and passion, and it just makes it all the more interesting to to try new things and and and try to yeah to to give the credit it it deserves.

Speaker 1 30:52

Yeah, brilliant. And uh, and I'm I'm excited to see how that develops next week and beyond, really, and um eventually when your film's done as well. It'd be great to see that. Well, listen, thanks Mateo for joining us today. It's been great chatting with you. Wish you all the best, uh, and Polytype all the best at MetPak and Interpack.

Speaker 2 31:09

Well, thank you. Thank you for having me, Marcus. It was a pleasure. And um, yeah, see you, see you hopefully soon in one of the of the shows. Thank you very much.

Subscribe And Where To Follow

Speaker 31:19

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, you can subscribe now for more great audio content coming up. And visit futureprint.tech for the latest news, partner interviews, in depth industry research, and to catch up on content from future print events. We'll see you next time on the Future Prince Podcast.