Missing a trick? Why creative effectiveness is as important in B2B as B2C
B2B marketing is hitting its creative stride, but when it comes to nailing the effectiveness agenda brands need to pick up the pace or risk being left behind.
There’s been a lot of talk in recent months about B2B becoming more creative. According to the latest data from LinkedIn, over three-quarters of B2B marketing leaders in the UK are focused on developing bolder creative, and that focus is being reflected in the words and work coming out of the sector.
New data from Marketing Week’s exclusive 2024 Language of Effectiveness research, supported by Kantar, finds more than half (57.9%) of the B2B marketers surveyed say their department’s focus on creative quality has increased over the past 12 months. That figure not only equals, but exceeds the proportion of B2C marketers who say the same (56.2%). Almost a quarter (23.6%) of B2B marketers claim their department’s focus on creative quality has increased substantially, while only 16.1% report any kind of decrease.
Executive general manager of partner marketing at accounting software firm Xero, John Coldicutt, is one B2B marketer who firmly believes in the power of brand. He also believes the role creative quality plays in building a brand is often “underestimated” by his peers. In fact, he argues creativity is “at least as important as in B2C”, if not more.
