The problem with B2B creative isn’t B2B.

The handshake photo

You know the one. Two people in suits, mid-handshake, in an office with suspiciously good lighting. It has been used by about four thousand companies, none of whom have ever been remembered for it.

It exists because someone decided that B2B audiences want “professional.” What they actually want is to not look stupid in front of their boss.

Business buyers have more at stake, not less

When you buy the wrong sneakers, you have the wrong sneakers. When you choose the wrong vendor, you might lose your job. B2B purchases are loaded with personal risk, which means trust, clarity and feeling understood matter more than in almost any consumer category.

The work that wins in B2B is usually the work that makes a complicated offer feel obvious, and makes the buyer feel smart for choosing it.

What changes when you remember that

You write in plain English. You use real examples instead of abstract benefits. You make a sales film that someone would actually forward. You give the product a personality, because the competition almost certainly hasn’t.

That’s the approach behind our B2B work for Katch and Hexion, and a big part of how Summer Friday works with companies that sell to other companies.

If you’d like help with this kind of problem, it’s what we do at Summer Friday.