A growing number of B2B players are spending their marketing dollars like B2C players. Squarespace, ClickUp, Intuit and Salesforce made waves at Super Bowl LVI in February when they purchased ads reportedly selling for $6m and more.
“Historically, B2B marketing has been rational, serious, and even unemotional. In other words, business has been all business,” says Kevin Frank, Executive Creative Director at LinkedIn. “But businesspeople are people. And it’s time for people to see B2B for everything it can be — creative, bold, imaginative, and memorable. B2B brands power much of the world’s economy, and creativity is an economic multiplier.”
The numbers back this up: LinkedIn’s latest data indicates that over two-thirds (69%) of B2B marketers see B2B purchasing decisions as emotionally-driven as B2C decisions, and 39% of these marketers say they are increasingly focused on tapping into the emotion and humour that make traditional B2C campaigns land. Nearly 90% of marketers acknowledge that brand-building is as important for B2B brands as B2C brands when it comes to ensuring long-term growth.
Entries needed to demonstrate a blend of short-term tactics and long-term brand building strategies that connect with customers, improve brand health and ultimately drive growth.
A number of criteria were considered during judging and (broadly) weighted like this: 30% creative Idea; 20% strategy; 30% execution; 20% results.
