August 2025
5 things that matter in B2B now
Cannes 2025: B2B gets emotional – and effective
The dust may have settled, but it wouldn’t be right to start our B2B roundup without mentioning the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Reporting from the Palais revealed that B2B is growing up – evolving beyond disconnected, siloed campaigns and stepping into the spotlight as a unified brand-to-demand growth engine.
At the heart of this shift? People. Every winning campaign this year acknowledged that even in rational B2B contexts, decisions are filtered through emotion.
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The new priority is clear: uncover emotional insights that resonate – and use them to build more connected, compelling brand-to-demand experiences.
‘Fear of messing up’ now beats ‘fear of missing out’
Revealed at Cannes, LinkedIn’s upcoming B2B playbook Buyability – The Future of B2B Marketing Success introduces a powerful idea – the fear of messing up now outweighs the fear of missing out. In short, the ability to defend a decision exceeds the allure of new opportunities.
It’s again a reminder that B2B decision-making is just as human as B2C. It’s not just logic – it’s emotion. As Mimi Turner, LinkedIn’s Head of Marketplace Innovation, put it ’The number one thing B2B buyers want isn’t the best product or the best price – it’s a decision they can defend two years from now if everything falls apart.’
What wins the heart of the B2B buyer is relational validation. Buyers want to know that others – especially peers – have seen success. They want proof. And they want it in human formats: video testimonials, peer endorsements, real voices.
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The key takeaway: If your brand can’t help buyers feel safe – and feel safe defending their choice – then you’re simply not buyable.1
Trust isn’t a bonus –
it’s brand strategy
Building on the theme of buyer confidence, LinkedIn’s 2025 B2B Marketing Benchmark: The Influence Report dives deeper into the role of trust. The study highlights that trust isn’t built through brand visibility alone. It’s earned through relevance, connection and validation. And in today’s landscape, trust must be treated as a strategic growth driver – not just a secondary goal.
Peer endorsements, advocacy and human connection need to be baked into brand strategy – through different touchpoints and experiences – not bolted on at the end as sales tactics.
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Nearly 94% of marketers agree that trust is the most critical factor in B2B success.2
Did you know?
Marketing’s commercial
era is here
B2B Marketing’s flagship event, Ignite, took place in July – and one message rang clear – the era of the commercial marketer is here.
The keynote insight, echoed across sessions throughout the day, was firm: marketing must be tied to revenue, growth and performance. Commercial marketers don’t just drive campaigns. They blend marketing sales and finance. They speak the language of the boardroom.
Creativity and brand investment still matter – but they must be rooted in strategic thinking and tied to commercial outcomes.
To elevate marketing, we need to market it better – clearly, confidently and commercially.
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The rise of the B2B
creators
B2B collaborations are booming – and a vast majority of B2B marketers are planning to invest more in creator partnerships.
Creator campaigns help audiences relate to brands and make product use cases tangible. And when brands invest in long-term partnerships, they see better ROI and stronger trust.
There’s also growing momentum for founders and leaders to build their personal profiles – because buyers trust people more than logos. Whether it’s a creator or a CEO, what matters is credibility, relevance and deep expertise.
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of B2B marketers have dedicated influencer marketing budgets.3
Did you know?
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