'Creative confidence' growing in APAC businesses: LinkedIn

• Creativity is essential to long-term brand building 
• APAC marketing leaders find it hard to hire creative talent

A new global study into the perceptions of creativity and brand building in business-to-business (B2B) marketing by LinkedIn revealed that marketers are shifting away from traditional B2B tactics and championing creativity-driven brand campaigns.

In a statement, the professional social networking site said the study sought the opinions of more than 1,600 senior-level marketers across 13 markets globally.

In key Asia Pacific (APAC) markets surveyed, comprising Singapore, Australia and India, nine out of ten senior B2B marketing leaders said they are increasingly embracing “creative confidence,” moving away from performance marketing and lead generation as priorities. 

Instead, they are paying more attention to brand campaigns that harness storytelling and emotion to increase brand stickiness, as well as reach relevant audiences, the survey highlighted. 

It also indicated that APAC marketers who agree that B2B companies have become more confident in producing creative campaigns recognise that creativity is essential to long-term brand building (34%) and helps drive memorability amongst customers (28%). 

However, attracting top creative talent remains a challenge, with close to nine in 10 (87%) marketers sharing that the best talents in the industry are in consumer marketing, the survey showed.

While B2B brands have traditionally prioritised performance marketing to boost short-term sales, an industry-wide shift looks like it’s underway. 

LinkedIn said almost all (95%) B2B marketing leaders in APAC recognise that brand building is just as important to driving long-term revenue growth in B2B as it is in consumer marketing.

Notably, B2B purchasing decisions in APAC are perceived to be more emotionally driven than the rest of the world, thus exacerbating the need for brand-led marketing.

Eighty two per cent of APAC marketers agreed that B2B purchases are as emotionally driven as business-to-consumer (B2C) ones – significantly higher than the global average (69%), it said.

Addtionally, the dynamics of today’s B2B market necessitates the need for creativity and brand building. 

The survey also shed light into the competitive landscape for talent attraction within the industry.

Close to eight in ten (75%) of B2B marketing leaders in APAC believe that B2B marketing is more challenging than B2C – significantly higher than the global average (56%). 

However, despite the professional opportunity, the poll noted that 87% are concerned that the best talent in the industry is drawn to working in consumer marketing over B2B marketing.

APAC is also the most competitive region globally to hire creative talent, with close to 7 in 10 (67%) of marketing leaders finding it challenging to hire creative talent, vs the global average of 57%, the survey indicated.

Meanwhile, B2B marketing leaders in APAC identified innovation, problem solving, and data analytics as the top skills that will underpin the push towards B2B creativity today, with more than half (54%) saying that fostering a strong creative output is largely reliant on diversity of experience within a team. 

Sarah Tucker, head of APAC marketing at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, said, “In this landscape, brand building underpinned by creative storytelling is critical to capture the attention of B2B audiences.

“It comes to no surprise that marketers are moving away from traditional tactics, and embracing brand-led marketing that shows the real, human side to their businesses,” Tucker said. 

Jann Schwarz, global head of the B2B Institute at LinkedIn, said a strong brand is a force multiplier for any business and is the key to pricing power, which is more important than ever in a high-inflation economy. 

“This is true for all businesses, whether they are B2B or B2C, so it’s great to see B2B marketers starting to define their promise and brand story,” he added.