Globe Media Group brought together creative professionals across the advertising and marketing industry for Après Cannes, an evening celebrating the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, at The Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto.
With 2025 marking The Globe and Mail’s 20th year as the official representative of the Cannes Lions Festival in Canada, the evening was particularly significant. The Globe is proud of its commitment to uplifting the creative community, and this goes beyond the festival. Journalistic storytelling is at the core of The Globe, and every marketing program, event or campaign developed has a creative foundation. Canada’s decision-makers look to the Globe Media Group for its trusted content ecosystem, extensive first-party data, and unique ability to turn insights into impactful stories.
This article will explore how B2B campaigns can benefit from creativity, with special insights from Karen Howe, Founder of The Township Group and Canadian Cannes Lions Advisory Board member, from her presentation “Decoding Cannes.”
Short–term focus, long-term cost
B2B brands are worth an impressive $2 trillion in brand value1, making them a significant economic potential powerhouse. However, despite evidence that investing in brand growth during economic downturns is beneficial, only 26% of B2B CFOs view brand marketing as a worthwhile priority in uncertain times.2 Additionally, many marketers focus heavily on short-term leads and results and, in doing so, treat their B2B marketing like a cost and sales proposition rather than an investment for growth. This has resulted in underinvestment in creative strategies that drive long-term brand value.3
B2B is really H2H
“90% of decisions are made with the heart,” Karen Howe stated during her presentation. This emotional connection is a powerful yet frequently underappreciated force in business. It’s an often overlooked fact that there are real people behind business decisions. As Karen put it, “B2B is really Human to Human connection, or H2H.” Creating an emotional connection to these decision-makers is critically important, as emotional connections inspire trust and loyalty, driving people to invest their money – whether in a B2C or B2B context.
Brand-building plays a crucial role in this respect, with 81% of leaders recognizing that it is essential in driving revenue growth and securing a competitive edge in the market.4 The most effective B2B marketing balances short-term sales with long-term brand building that engages target audiences with human-led emotional storytelling.
To illustrate this point, Karen talked about Tubi’s campaign “The Call to Action: A Film Series for Marketers,” which targeted advertisers with short satirical films highlighting the unique and hyper-specific issues the ad community faces. By focusing on storytelling in a B2B context, they connected to advertisers, with the films getting over 10 million views and 1.33 billion media impressions.
Why creativity is the missing growth engine
While most B2B brands believe that building their brand will give them a competitive advantage, few focus on actually achieving brand differentiation.5 This gap between intention and action often stems from a lack of creativity, leaving companies unable to distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace.
A report by WARC showed that emotion-led strategies are effective across every stage of the B2B purchase journey. Brands that use emotional storytelling have a tangible competitive advantage. With creative effectiveness emerging as one of the most critical B2B growth drivers, it’s never been more important for businesses to invest in B2B creativity.6
One brand that successfully took a page from the consumer advertising playbook was JCDecaux, whose “Meet Marina Prieto” campaign cleverly targeted Spain’s top CMOs with an ad campaign that spotlighted an unknown 100-year-old grandmother, plastering her Instagram profile across the Madrid subway to convince advertisers to re-invest in subway ads. The campaign was a huge success, resulting in 185 new brands, doubling JCDecaux’s media spend, and achieving record bookings.
Summary
Creativity can be a powerful tool for brands to set themselves apart, with storytelling building brand loyalty and affection. B2B marketing is about forging human connections. By prioritizing creativity, businesses drive short-term gains as well as long-term growth. The Cannes Lions Festival B2B campaign winners demonstrated that investing in emotional storytelling is more than a creative exercise – it’s a proven strategy for delivering measurable results and building long-term brand success.
1 “The future of B2B marketing trends,” WARC, Nov 2023, 1.
2 “The future of B2B marketing trends,” WARC, Nov 2023, 2.
3 “The future of B2B marketing trends,” WARC, Nov 2023, 1.
4 “The state of B2B brand building,” Transmission, 2022.
5 “The state of B2B brand building,” Transmission, 2022, 41.
6 “What’s working in B2B,” WARC, Sept 2023, 3.
