Anyone who's started work as a B2B marketer in the past 10 years might be surprised to learn that there was a time when it was not widely understood or recognised that emotion played a role in B2B. There was a prevailing assumption that humans were rational creatures and made decisions using logic and reasoning overwhelmingly. Oh how naive that sounds from the vantage point of 2024.
Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions has long been held up as the best way to understand the range of human emotions, and how they interplay with one another, and as such is a useful for to plot individual campaigns against. But how about a larger group of campaigns? What can we see in terms of wider trends for emotional engagement?
As part of my efforts to analyse the entries to the B2B Marketing Awards 2024, I've asked our AI platform to plot the entries to the 'Best use of creative' category, and plot the various entries against the different emotions. Here's what we found - I've pasted again below as its difficult to see the detail on the version above.
So what can we learn? Well, firstly, that B2B marketing is overwhelmingly positive in tone - gone (it seems) are the days of the 'fear sell', which seemed to be a feature of the category in years gone by. Perhaps it is still there, but in work that hasn't been nominated here, but I think it's reasonable to assume this is a good cross section. Instead, we're seeking to elicit positive responses from our buyers, and that speaks the humanisation and perhaps consumerisation of the category, with marketing acting as social capital. Personally, I can't think of much better than to be working in industry that sees its primary output is to elicit joy! I'm not sure how many other business categories could claim that.
The keen-eyed amongst you will note that the per centages listed add up to more than 100 - that's because multiple emotions were identifed in some campaigns. I've also listed the 10% of campaigns that focused on negative emotions in two separate places. It's worth noting that those campaigns that did focus on negative emotions treated them as problem states that needed to resolved, rather than primary campaign emotions.
Examples of campaigns that sought to elicit JOY were:
Amazon Ads 'Ads that work as hard as you do'
Allica Bank 'Get your money hat on'
Sky Business 'Better Believe It'
Notable technique: Used bright colors and optimistic imagery to convey achievement
Examples of campaigns that sought to elicit TRUST were:
Palo Alto Networks security campaign
The UK Domain's British business messaging
Lloyd's Register 'Fuel for Thought'
Common approach: Building credibility through expert validation and data
Examples of campaigns that sought to elicit ANTICIPATION were:
Twilio "Power of Voice"
EY.ai "Face of the Future"
KPMG Consumer Advisory
Technique: Creating excitement about future possibilities
How did channel selection compare across different emotions?
Joy: Heavy use of video (85% of joy-focused campaigns)
Trust: Written content and case studies (75% of trust campaigns)
Anticipation: Interactive and experiential (65% of anticipation campaigns)
Surprise: Novel media usage like 3D audio or projection (80% of surprise campaigns)
How did use of emotions correlate with measurement and/or success?
Joy-focused campaigns reported highest engagement rates (+60% vs average)
Trust-focused showed strongest lead conversion (+45% vs average)
Surprise elements generated highest social sharing (2.5x average)
How did use of emotions compare across different industry sectors?
Financial services favored Trust-based emotions
Technology companies more likely to use Anticipation
Professional services balanced Trust with Joy
Digging a little deeper which creative techniques were effective at eliciting primary emotions?
JOY & OPTIMISM Techniques:
Dynamic Visual Movement
EY.ai used morphing faces showing transformation
Reward Gateway Edenred employed moving light patterns
Common use of upward diagonal lines and expanding shape
Colour psycology
Allica Bank's orange bowler hat symbolizing energy
Bright, warm color palettes (yellow, orange)
High contrast ratios in visuals
Human expression
Real employee smiles and candid moments
Authentic customer success stories
Celebration imagery
TRUST Techniques:
Data Visualization
Palo Alto Networks used clean, precise graphics
Lloyd's Register created detailed technical illustrations
Focus on clarity and accuracy in presentation
Social Proof
Customer testimonials featuring specific metrics
Industry awards and recognition
Expert validation through partnerships
Visual Stability
Strong geometric shapes
Balanced compositions
Use of traditional business imagery reimagined (e.g., KPMG's product packaging)
ANTICIPATION Techniques:
Progressive Reveal
Twilio's "Power of Voice" gradual story development
Teaser campaigns building interest
Sequential messaging across channels
Future-focused imagery
AI and technology visualizations
Forward-moving design elements
Innovation-suggesting imagery
Interactive Elements
GE Aerospace's spatial audio experience
Clickable/explorable content
Immersive digital experiences
SURPRISE Techniques:
Pattern Disruption
Virgin Media O2's "Achieve Less" contrary messaging
Unexpected visual treatments of familiar objects
Breaking category conventions
Novel Media Usage
3D audio experiences
Projection mapping
Unconventional channel choices
Creative Juxtaposition
M&S Corporate Gifts turning gift cards into art
Combining traditional with modern elements
Unexpected brand collaborations
ADMIRATION Techniques:
Storytelling Devices
Hero's journey narratives
Before/after transformations
Emotional customer testimonials
Production Quality
High-end photography
Premium materials in physical items
Sophisticated design execution
Authority Signals
Expert endorsements
Industry leadership positioning
Thought leadership content
The most successful campaigns typically employed 3-4 different techniques simultaneously while maintaining consistency in their emotional targeting across channels.
The growing use of technology (AI, spatial audio, interactive elements) suggests B2B marketers are finding new ways to create emotional connections, while still relying on fundamental human psychological triggers like social proof and storytelling.
It's wondeful to see B2B marketers embracing the power of emotion so enthusiastically - I'm excited to see how we can continue to develop these techniques in the years ahead to drive even more compelling and effective marketing.
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