The 2024 Creative B2B Lions Jury Breakdown Winning Campaigns
As the Cannes Lions Festival comes to an end, members of the Creative B2B Lions Jury sat down to discuss this year’s winning B2B campaigns. Julie Scelzo, CCO, Dentsu Creative, Andisa Ntsubane, Managing Executive, Vodacom, as well as Bianca Guimaraes, Partner and ECD, Mischief, discussed the key ingredients in a winning B2B campaign.
What is B2B?
Andisa Ntsubane started off the session by mentioning an ongoing discussion that happened in the B2B jury room. What is B2B? The definition of a B2B campaign is not always cut and dry. Sometimes deciding whether a campaign is definitively aimed at businesses is difficult. However, Ntsubane reconciles the complexities this way: “Who is the primary buyer of a piece of work? If the primary buyer is a business decision-maker or a group of business decision-makers, then it’s absolutely B2B.” Bianca concluded that the best B2B works are single-mindedly focused on selling to businesses.
Winning B2B Campaigns
Here’s a breakdown of some of the winning B2B campaigns and the qualities that made them effective.
Bronze
Trucker Napp by AlmapBBDO sal palo for VW Brazil.
This brand activation by VW Brazil defines VW as a leader and advocate in truck transportation. avoid road Accidents. Trucker Napp advocates for truck driver safety by creating a special program that rewards drivers for sleeping. The app allows truckers to earn points by sleeping, which truckers can redeem for part replacements and other rewards. Guimaraes breaks down that this campaign combines a simple idea with powerful business results. The campaign also focuses on creating emotional affinity with their customers– an unconventional tactic in B2B advertising.
Silver
The move to Minus 15 by Edelman London for DP World
DP World’s campaign challenged companies to transport frozen foods at -15 °C instead of -18 °C, creating a movement within the supply chain industry. This change had a significant impact on wastefulness and no impact on the quality and safety of the food. To Ntsubane, this Case study proves B2B’s potential to solve some of the world’s largest issues. However, Ntsubane mentions that more creative execution could have pushed this work to a Gold Lion.
Gold
“Pub Museums” by LePub Milan for Heineken.
“Pub Museums” by Heineken addressed the mass closure of centuries-old pubs in Ireland. The project recognized pubs as historical landmarks, allowing them to claim a 20% tax reduction and earn extra revenue from tourist guides. The Jury members emphasize how year after year, Heineken creates great campaigns that consistently voice their core values. Julia Scelzo called this “Constancy, multiplied by change”.
Grand Prix
Meet Marino Prieto by David Madrid for JC Decaux
To prove the power of OOH outdoor advertising, JC Decaux used empty advertising space to turn a Galician Grandma into an Instagram Hero. The campaign featured the 100-year-old woman’s Instagram content on unbooked media around Brazil. The campaign proved the power of OOH advertising–attracting 185 new brands to JC Decaux. The jury concludes that this work proved the power of emotional appeal in B2B advertising.
Final Takeaways
To wrap up, the Jury answered a few questions about key factors in winning a creative B2B Lion.
What’s the main takeaway you’ll bring back to your teams after judging?
Andisa Ntsubane mentioned four takeaways:
- B2B brands play a big role in addressing social issues: Leadership brands take leadership positions.
- Innovative use of content: like never before, B2B brands now use social media content to reach specific audiences.
- Ntsubane emphasizes the importance of using humour, Influencers, and celebrities as part of driving awareness in B2B advertising.
- The rise of creativity in B2B in Brazil; Ntsubane encourages advertisers to keep a close eye on the great B2B work coming out of Brazil.
If we were sat on the stage in 2025, what trends and themes would we be talking about?
Bianca Guimaraes mentions an upcoming trend in B2B advertising. Many great B2B campaigns are an iteration of an existing B2C campaign. The consumer campaigns have a core insight and strategy, allowing them to translate into powerful B2B campaigns
Ntsubane mentions a disappointing trend in some of the work. Many of the campaigns had great strategy, great insight, and great execution. However, there was little linkage back to the business results.
If you were entering the creative B2B lions in 2025, what things would you do now to stand out to next year’s Jury?
Julie Scelzo concludes the session by making a useful statement on emotion in advertising. “Even in B2B, you can’t underestimate the power of emotion. You can’t think of it as a rational category anymore. Proof and point, every [campaign] that won has a human component to it … B2B doesn’t have to be Boring to Boring anymore.”
In summary, the jury emphasized the power of emotion in B2B advertising, the role of B2B in affecting social change, and the importance of connecting a B2B campaign back to business results
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