The Truth About the Creative Shift in B2B That Everyone’s Talking About

If you’re a B2B marketer or a partner of one, you’ve probably heard the buzz about the creative revolution that’s underway. There are articles, headlines, social media posts - even a survey: LinkedIn reported that 81% of B2B marketing leaders say B2B brands are producing creative campaigns that rival those created by B2C companies.

As someone who believes deeply in the potential of creativity in B2B, I’m all for this conversation. However, as a CEO and CCO who sees the sausage get made daily, I feel obligated to share the sobering truth that the moment isn’t here. At least not yet.

After the high of another year of great work at Cannes, the reality for most B2B brand practitioners is this: They don’t work in companies that promote creative risk-taking, approve brand campaigns that don’t push product, or enjoy the comfort of B2C-sized budgets. (I said this was sobering, right?) So, while this year’s winners may inspire others to go for the gold next year, returning to their home office realities is bound to remind them that it’s time to put away the rosé - and the rose-coloured glasses.

But all isn’t lost and if anything, I’m optimistic as about the future. If more marketers step up, we’ll soon reach the tipping point in B2B. Coming up with creative breakthroughs isn’t the problem. The challenge is having clients agree to them. So, with an eye to the future, here are a few alternate ways B2B marketers and agencies can reframe their process and kick-start that shift everyone is talking about.

Think small(er). Every agency that works with B2B clients has heard, “I want to do big stuff, but I don’t have the budget.” When you can’t swing for the fences, why not go small and create something striking and effective? That’s what JCDecaux and DAVID Madrid (secretly) did to convince brands to consider outdoor media. In Spain it repurposed 54 Instagram posts of an elderly grandma, Marina Prieto, to be featured in Madrid’s subway system. The response was overwhelming and so was the impact. Charming to the core, this campaign won the hearts of those who saw it as well as this year’s Cannes Grand Prix for Creative B2B. It didn’t cost a ton and best of all, it could have easily been featured in this next point...

Join the cultural conversation. B2B clients often play it safe and are reluctant to participate in culture. But done well and with the brand in mind, it can often generate exponential exposure.

Darwin BBDO and Impact, a Belgian employment agency specialising in construction tech jobs, placed a timely and attention-grabbing billboard on a construction site last summer. It read, 'Hey, Chat GPT, finish this building.' The effort went viral, boosting applications to and recognition for the company. But the agency wasn’t done yet. Continuing their ongoing public dialogue, they placed a different piece of OOH over an unfinished public building that read, “Ahhh, dear politicians, it’s our turn. And it won’t take us 40 years to get this job done.” The poster didn’t stay up for long, but the results generated will keep IMPACT’s name top of mind for years to come.

Just say 'Yes.' Often, the most difficult part of producing anything is just getting the various stakeholders to say 'Yes.' And I get it: Approving bold creative work takes some guts and a bit of risk, for clients and agencies alike. But when forces align, and people write “approved” in the comments section of a Google doc, a campaign can really make waves. Consider DP World and Edelman’s 'Move to -15°C' campaign to promote global energy and carbon savings. Created to urge the cold-chain shipping industry to change the temperature at which they ship frozen food, (from -18°C to -15°C) the whole idea hinged not on a $2-million Super Bowl spot but an entire vertical agreeing to a small change to the temperature at which they refrigerate their containers. Launched at COP28, a staggering 60% of the shipping container industry signed up for the initiative in days. This climate-saving idea not only picked up a Grand Prix but clearly shows that if you can get people to say 'Yes,' good things happen. 

As mentioned earlier, I’m optimistic about the future of creative B2B but cautious because revolutions don’t happen overnight - just after the Fourth of July, I’m reminded that the American Revolution lasted more than seven years. But small steps can lead to great leaps. B2B’s creative revolution is long overdue.

Paul Hirsch is CEO and chief creative officer of Doremus+Co. Previously he worked for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Leo Burnett, among other agencies.