This Week in Marketing: B2B is the Place to Be for Creative

For the first time ever, Cannes Lions is shining a spotlight on exceptional B2B creative work. This year, the organization launched a new Creative B2B Lions in partnership with LinkedIn’s B2B Institute.

“These Lions will celebrate game-changing creativity for products and services that are purchased by professionals on behalf of businesses,” Cannes Lions said.

Yesterday, the short list for the Creative B2B Lion awards was announced, featuring contenders with show-stopping brand work that's truly setting a benchmark for the B2B community. LinkedIn Partner and B2B Marketer, Katie Martell has a rundown of some of the B2B campaigns worth checking out.?

What to Read

The Evolution of Brands Engaging with Athletes (LinkedIn): LinkedIn Partner, Orlando Baeza, shared top takeaways from a Cannes Lions panel focused on partnering with athletes around marketing efforts. Orlando sees leveraging the power of sports as an under-utilized tool for B2B brands.

Cannes set to award first ever Lions for Creative B2B tonight. Jill Kramer, CMO of Accenture, was on the jury (Business Insider): The winners of the Lions for Creative B2B will set a precedent for future entries, Kramer said.

Cannes Lion 2022: ‘Creativity is a superpower’ P&G’s Marc Pritchard says (PR Week): P&G is focusing on increasing inclusivity across its brand campaigns.

Issa Rae Challenges Advertising Industry To Follow Her Mandate For More Diverse Sets: Cannes Lions (Deadline): “I still see (bias in the industry). Now there’s a public discourse about it, people can call it out and you can see the results. I do think that’s healthy. I find there’s a lot of lip service to changing it,” Issa Rae said at a session she hosted at Cannes Lions.

LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky Discusses Talent Shifts in the Ad Industry in Cannes Keynote (Adweek): Roslansky delivered an address aimed at boosting creativity in the B2B ads industry.

What to Watch

Check out our compilation of showing why B2B marketing is the next frontier for creative advertising.

What to Know

During LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky’s Cannes address, he shared a list of companies that are the fastest growing in terms of talent inflow and that need the help of talented and creative marketers and advertisers like you.

“One of the things I have learned over twenty years in the tech industry, is that if you want to know who the winners are going to be, you have to look at where the talent is going. Follow the talent. That is one of the most powerful signals. These companies are the fastest growing by talent inflow on LinkedIn. They are attracting the most desirable and highly valued talent in today’s economy. Most of them are privately held B2B businesses. They are absolutely in their infancy of making promises. Trust me, most of them are founded by extremely brilliant tech people who do not understand the power of creativity or storytelling,” he said.

See the list of companies below: