Discover why creativity in B2B marketing is driving real commercial impact and how bold brands are using it to stand out and grow faster.
B2B marketing has a reputation problem. Scroll through LinkedIn or browse a few industry websites and you’ll see the same thing on repeat: stock photos, sensible blue branding and copy that could’ve been written by committee or ChatGPT. Technical? Sure. Rational? Definitely. Memorable? Not so much.
Somewhere along the way, B2B forgot that behind every buying decision is a human being and that human beings don’t make decisions based on specs alone. But things are changing. And the brands leading the way aren’t necessarily the biggest or the loudest – they’re the boldest.
We’re not talking about gimmicks or making things look pretty. We’re talking about genuine creative distinctiveness: storytelling, emotional resonance and a brand identity that’s impossible to confuse with your competitors’.
Because right now? Most B2B brands are swimming in what we call the “sea of sameness.” MAGNA and LinkedIn’s research, also cited in our whitepaper, shows that across industries, business buyers struggle to recall a single ad that felt emotional, entertaining, or original. In fact, less than half described B2B ads as “memorable” at all. In a buying landscape where only 5% of your audience is in-market at any one time, that’s a serious problem.
Creativity = commercial impact
A recent report from WARC, created in partnership with Google and Nielsen, echoes the same conclusion: creativity is a growth engine. The report reconfirms the 60/40 rule: that around 60% of media budgets should go to long-term brand building and 40% to short-term performance. Why? Because upper-funnel brand activity drives sales, both now and later.
- The challenger brands leading the charge
- They told stories, not just statistics
- They found their edge and owned it unapologetically
- They embraced experimentation, even in ‘boring’ sectors
Want the full picture? This blog only scratches the surface.