Material Impact Podcast with Justin Kennington, Former President of the SDVoE Alliance

Prefer the highlights? Key takeaways and summary below.

TL;DR – Key Takeaways

• Most suppliers struggle because they expect innovation to “sell itself.” The truth: you must help your customers sell it downstream.

• Building a marketing alliance can transform adoption by creating pull from end users instead of only push from sales teams.

• Tailor your message by role — CIOs, system designers, and technicians each need different language and proof points.

• Don’t drown prospects in specs. Translate technical details into business value and segment your messaging.

• Mistake to avoid: copying yesterday’s tactics (like trade shows) without questioning ROI. Efficiency and creativity win for smaller players.

• Education is a secret weapon — certifications and learning programs keep prospects engaged, loyal, and off your competitors’ radar.

• Quote to remember: “If your customer’s customer starts banging down their door to say, I want this — you’re on easy street.”

• Real-world impact: SDVoE went from a small chip supplier to an industry movement, driving inbound demand and recognition at scale.

Meet the Guest

Justin Kennington is the former President of the SDVoE Alliance, a consortium that brought a new video distribution technology to market. With a background in professional AV and product leadership, Justin helped manufacturers embrace software-defined video over Ethernet, growing it into an industry standard. He’s known for transforming supplier-led innovation into customer-driven demand and for creative approaches like live TV-style programming during COVID when trade shows disappeared.

Episode Summary

1. From Startup to Industry Alliance

Justin joined a small startup in 2016 with a bold innovation: moving video signals over computer networks instead of proprietary infrastructure. The challenge? Convincing manufacturers and their customers to embrace a completely new way of doing things. His solution was to form the SDVoE Alliance, an independent organization that marketed the benefits directly to end user.

2. Shifting from Push to Pull

Most suppliers push products through channels. Justin flipped the script: the Alliance educated end users so they asked manufacturers for SDVoE. “Who doesn’t want inbound sales leads more than outbound?” This pull strategy created urgency and credibility that suppliers alone couldn’t generate.

3. Translating Tech into Value

One major barrier was overly technical messaging. Justin’s team focused on role-based communication:

• CIOs cared about cost and management.

• System designers wanted integration options.

• Technicians needed implementation clarity.
  By segmenting audiences and tailoring content, the Alliance simplified adoption.

4. Education as Marketing

The SDVoE Academy became a cornerstone. Certification programs not only trained installers but also built loyalty. Justin noted: “If they’re listening to you, they’re not listening to your competitor.” Education positioned the Alliance as a trusted authority and kept the spotlight on their technology.

5. Creative Marketing on a Budget

With limited dues-funded budgets, the Alliance couldn’t outspend big brands. Instead, they innovated: replacing webinars with a live TV show during COVID. This gave them visibility at the cost of a standard webinar while creating industry buzz. The key lesson: find underpriced attention before it gets saturated.

6. Rethinking Trade Shows

Trade shows were once critical, but Justin warned against blindly repeating past investments. While presence signals credibility, cost per lead can be far worse than digital approaches. His advice: reassess ROI every six months and avoid the trap of “we’ve always done it this way”.

7. Lessons for Industrial Suppliers

Justin’s biggest takeaway for suppliers in industries like wood flooring materials: help your customers sell to their customers. Build demand downstream, go digital-first, and strike before channels become expensive. As he put it: “If most of the smart money hasn’t yet moved digital, that’s your opportunity.”

Notable Quotes

• “If your customer’s customer starts banging down their door to say, I want this — you’re on easy street.”

• “The more in-depth, engaging content we can create, the more people are learning it our way.”

• “Don’t just spend the money the way you’ve always spent the money. That’s an easy trap and a big mistake.”

• “Move first to digital while it’s cheap — make hay while the sun is shining.”