Is Lack of Creativity Killing Ad Effectiveness?

Our clients bring amazing things into the world. What fuels us as marketers—on top of our client's ingenuity—are the thinkers, practitioners and creators who are showing us a new way. In this space, every few weeks we share what is capturing our attention—big or small.

1. Mixed Perceptions of Pharma Ads Among Doctors And Patients

A ZoomRx survey found that 50% of doctors and 58% of patients consider pharmaceutical ads helpful, while a smaller portion—22% of doctors and 16% of patients—deem them harmful. Supporters appreciate the ads for raising awareness about treatments and prompting doctor-patient discussions. Critics, however, worry about misleading information and potential pressure on doctors to prescribe unsuitable drugs. The study suggests improving ad accuracy and tailoring content to better meet the needs of both doctors and patients. Read more about the study.

PJA Author: Greg Straface

2. Study Reveals Lack Of Creativity In B2B Advertising

A study by Magna and LinkedIn reveals that B2B advertising often lacks creativity, which significantly impacts its effectiveness. The research found that creative B2B ads, particularly those using humor and storytelling, are much more successful in engaging viewers on LinkedIn. These ads led to 53% more viewing time and 61% more likes compared to standard B2B ads. Moreover, creativity in ads makes business decision-makers 40% more likely to consider purchasing a product or service. Despite these benefits, many B2B ads still fail to meet creative standards, leading to missed opportunities in the market.For more details, visit the full article here.

PJA Author: Greg Straface

3. When 1 Million Consumers Are a B2B Market

Any time B2B brands are under fire, they typically turn to crisis communications or demand generation and slash investment in one of their most precious resources – their brands. So kudos to AirBnB – banned almost entirely in New York City; with strict new caps on activity in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, and San Francisco; and teetering on the brink of death at the end of Covid – for pivoting to brand to revive its fortunes.

And by brand, I mean a large-scale, outdoor, video-driven campaign marketing to its business users, approximately 1 million Americans who rent out rooms or entire apartments to generate its fees.

The message of “Host,” AirBnB’s recent marketing campaign is simple – if your home can become a business, you can reap the benefits of this side hustle to take dreams and long-delayed plans off hold. Rather than focusing on the physical spaces that owners may have gussied up to demonstrate how the company lives its quality standards, AirBnB zooms in on their small businesspeople. They are going from surviving to actually thriving, taking boxing lessons, taking up photography, and creating large gardens to beautify their properties.

As Hiroki Asai, Global Head of Marketing at Airbnb explained in The Drum, “At the core of what we need to do is to create a product and experience that’s different than any other service. And to do that, we need to innovate on the software, on the technology. And we want to use brand not just to advertise our values and what we’re about – we also want to use brand to help explain what these features are and how they make for a different experience.”

This human angle is at the heart of great marketing – and, as the famous Google/CEB study proved out, at the heart of B2B purchasing as well. When the huge majority of B2B buyers see vendors as more or less the same, you’ve got to market to their emotions about the experience engaging with the brand can bring you – not to mention your colleagues, your company’s bottom line, and your own career.

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To quote this rightly famous white paper, “We like to think of organizations as rational and logical. The truth is, there are people within them, and those people are just as, if not more, influenced by emotion than everyday consumers. While the latter may place some value on bonding with a brand, the former needs an emotional connection to buy at all. By getting personal, B2B marketers can get ahead — creating purchase intent, pricing power, brand advocacy and, most importantly, happy customers.”

PJA Author: Hugh Kennedy