B2B Monday Myth: B2B Brands Can’t Play in the Super Bowl Ad Game

by MGB2B

creative b2b advertisingThe Myth: B2B Advertising Can’t Entertain Like B2C Brands.

The Truth: With the Right Message and Creative, B2B Brands Can Deliver Super Bowl-Level Entertainment.

Fresh off the single biggest advertising event of the year, creative brains are churning with ideas. That is, creative brains tasked to B2C brands only, right? The notion that creative, out-of-the-box thinking is reserved for consumer-facing brands alone is a dated one. But it’s hard to escape. When it comes to advertising B2B brands, being entertaining often takes a back seat to being informative. But it doesn’t have to. There are four key ingredients for going big with creative B2B advertising.

How to Bring Your Creative B2B Advertising to Super Bowl Level:

  1. Know your audience. This part might sound obvious. You may be thinking, “Of course I know my audience. They’re the engineers/purchasing managers/contractors who work with my products every day.” While this is definitely true, your audience is also made up of musicians, sports fanatics, and more. Understand your audience on a personal level, and you’re sure to know where their sweet spot is. (For a great tutorial on creating B2B personas, check out this post.)
  2. Don’t be afraid of a big idea. Thinking outside the box can be unnerving. But remembering that your customers are fueled by emotions just as much as B2C buyers can help you get in the right mindset (along with following the tip above). Consider the EDS ad below from Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, which just happens to be one of my favorite Super Bowl commercials of all time. Big, memorable, and definitely outside the box.
  3. Get social. Hashtags are everywhere during the Super Bowl. Making your content shareable (whether it’s a video or a simple image or infographic) can help it reach even more users and get you more bang for your buck. Even when you’re not spending $5 million, spreading your creative brand message further is always worthwhile.

Sometimes, producing a piece of truly creative B2B advertising means stepping out of your comfort zone. Need help getting there? Drop us a line.

Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Super Bowl XXXIV, 2000

 

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