Are B2B Ads Being Seen or Skipped?

This month, we wanted to get a pulse check on B2B ads — whether they’re seen (or skipped?), how they’re perceived, and, most importantly, what makes them stand out to you. (We left that last one open to your interpretation, as we wanted to know what makes for a “good”or “bad” B2B ad, too.) Were your predictions correct? Read on to find out.

B2B Ads Are Being Seen…

The majority of respondents (63%) have seen a B2B CTV ad recently. (For 8% of those respondents, at least one was a MNTN ad.) A tip of the hat to all the CTV adtech solutions out there (yours truly included) helping B2B brands out there get more screen time.

… And By the Right People, Too.

Almost three-quarters (72%) said that a B2B ad was either relevant to them (31%) or relevant to someone they work with (41%). That’s the thing about Connected TV advertising:  if your ad creative can make an impression on the people you care about, they can help spread the word, too.

But Are B2B Ads So Different From B2C Ads?

Finally, we asked what made the B2B commercials you’ve seen particularly memorable,  and left this one open-ended to see what we’d get. You could say it was a mixed bag of answers, but we identified a common thread of themes that we’ve seen in B2C ads, too. Turns out humor, solving challenges, and “non-salesy” ads took the cake. Our word cloud below highlights a few others that you might want to keep in mind when developing your next B2B ad.

So has the time finally come? Are B2B ads getting their moment in the sun? All signs (and your poll answers) point to yes. In fact, viewers look for the same creative elements in B2B ads as they do their B2C friends. The secret to success is leaning into B2B’s superpower: facts, details, and numbers, all addressed in your ad creative, all while answering the question, “How is this addressing my customer’s needs?” An industry in-joke or two wouldn’t hurt, either.