B2Bold: Three (more) creative B2B campaigns to inspire you

There’s a common misconception that creativity is only for consumer brands — specifically those with recognisable names and the biggest budgets.

I don’t believe that. To me, creativity is all about being unique, being memorable, and making an emotional connection with buyers. And that’s just as important in B2B.

In fact, research repeatedly shows that B2B campaigns that are memorable, emotive, and creative are the most effective at driving business results.

That’s why, in this blog series, I’ve been diving back into the archive and revisiting my favourite creative B2B campaigns to remind us all that B2B doesn’t have to be boring.

1.IBM Smart Cities

You might argue that this is an advertising campaign rather than a PR stunt. But as we know from experience, sometimes a quirky out-of-home (OOH) advert can make for the best PR.

IBM’s Smarter Cities billboards are the perfect example.

Raising awareness for the company’s innovative smart city technologies, these attention-grabbing billboards bring to life the potential of innovative ideas designed to improve urban environments.

Of course, only a handful of people will have seen these billboards in situ. But in the years since, thousands have shared their images online. That’s why these ads are such a great example of the interplay between advertising and PR, and how brands can use a small amount of paid media to create a viral picture stunt.

You can watch IBM’s behind-the-scenes video here.

2. #WeMakeEvents turns the Thames red

Following Covid-19, the live events industry was struggling to survive, potentially putting an estimated one million jobs at risk.

To lobby the government — and call for business support — more than 300 venues across the UK turned their lights red to highlight the urgent crisis facing their industry.

From London’s National Theatre to the Royal Albert Hall, the Red Alert campaign encouraged solidarity between events businesses across the UK, united in their call for government action.

You can find out more about the #WeMakeEvents campaign here.

3.B2Bold… The Game

This one’s a shameless plug for Wildfire. But since we’ve just launched this campaign, I thought I may as well give it a push.

Last month, Wildfire released ‘B2Bold The Game!’ — an 8-bit video game highlighting the perils of boring B2B marketing.

The rules are simple. Help a busy B2B marketer dodge boring content and campaigns while picking up creative inspiration along the way.

While B2Bold The Game! is a bit of fun, it does have a serious message. Many B2B professionals are now actively avoiding traditional content like webinars and whitepapers.

If you want to get cut through, you need to get creative — both in terms of your ideas and the content formats you use. And yes, that includes considering using a retro online game.

To find out more about Wildfire’s campaign, click here.