How to Bring Together an All-Star Ensemble: B2B Marketing Lessons from Ocean’s 11

The word “ensemble” might make you think of a group of performers all working in tandem. But what happens when we apply it to B2B marketing? In 2001, an ensemble of all-star actors outdid any other cast…maybe ever.George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck – actors at the top of their game.Each one could draw their own crowd. But together? They’re unstoppable. Add in the sparkling backdrop of the Vegas strip and the tension of a high-stakes heist, and you have yourself a blockbuster. That blockbuster is Ocean’s 11, and it upped the ante for what a star-studded ensemble could be.In this episode of REMARKABLE, we take a look at the power of the ensemble in Ocean’s 11 and how you can use it in your B2B marketing.The house always wins. Unless you bring together a powerful ensemble. And today we’re taking the house with some B2B tips on bringing together an ensemble of high rolling sharks.Why Ocean’s 11?Alright, so we all love Ocean’s 11. But why’d we pick it for this week’s Remarkable episode? Because of the insanely hot cast – and we aren’t just talking about their cheekbones. Ocean’s 11 is packed with the best of the best, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Bernie Mac, Eddie Jemison, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, and Andy Garcia. Even Viola Davis makes a cameo – well, sort of. Remember Danny Ocean’s exit interview from the prison scene? Viola Davis voices the officer. Any of those actors featured in a film would sell out opening night at the movie theater. But all of them billed together is unprecedented! Aside from the star-studded cast, the characters they play have huge personalities of their own. The eleven-character ensemble of criminals boasts a myriad of talents, from pick-pocketing to con-artistry to speed racing. In other words, they have all the important skills needed to pull off a heist.A Quick Ocean’s 11 RefresherIn case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few decades…Ocean’s 11 is a heist movie about a string of Las Vegas casino robberies. The OG movie was filmed in 1960 and starred Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. It was remade in 2001, with a cast just as star-studded as the original. The film was one of the biggest hits of the year, bringing in over $450 million in box office. But it wasn’t just the cast that made the movie such a success. Behind the scenes, the craftsmanship was just as impressive. Ocean’s 11 was directed by Steven Soderbergh, who had just become one of only three directors to be nominated twice for Best Director in the same year (he won the Oscar for directing Traffic and “lost” for directing Erin Brockovich). It’s a classic movie formula: an amazing cast + a director at the top of his game = instant classic.Who’s Who?Danny Ocean: The Mastermind (George Clooney)Rusty Ryan: The Right-Hand Man (Brad Pitt)Tess Ocean: The Love Interest (Julia Roberts)The Malloy Brothers: The Drivers (Casey Affleck & Scott Caan)Livingston Dell: Electronics (Eddie Jemiston)Basher Tarr: Munitions  (Don Cheadle)The Amazing Yen: The Grease Man (Shaobo Qin)Linus Caldwell: The Pickpocket (Matt Damon) Frank Catton: The Casino Employee (Bernie Mac)Reuben Tishkoff: The Bankroll (Elliott Gould)Saul Bloom: The Con Artist (Carl Reiner)Pick Your Teams Carefully Why do we connect so much with the characters in Ocean’s 11? Their backstories and skillsets are both distinct and relatable, a combination that helps us empathize with them. But Danny Ocean has also picked a team that compliments each other perfectly. Each character brings a unique set of skills to the table that no other character can do –  imagine if Lin