Unlocking the future: go-to-market actions for B2B marketers

The time is ripe for B2B to break free from the rationality trap. For too long, B2B strategies have lived in a world of endless charts, webinars, and white papers—an uninspired LinkedIn echo chamber. But the tide is turning. Forward-thinking marketers are rewriting the playbook, merging B2B’s strategic rigor with the creativity and cultural relevance of B2C.

More recently, there have been promising signs that the “oh-so-serious” line that has separated B2B and B2C marketing is dissolving, with B2B campaigns starting to borrow from the B2C playbook by harnessing cultural trends, storytelling, and human emotion to create more engaging and impactful messages.

My prediction is that an extremely volatile economic environment will see many younger, more dynamic B2B marketers placing bets on using higher impact creativity to try and cut through and drive performance. When pressure mounts, the same-old, same-old won’t deliver the fast growth the boardroom needs.

Here are five actionable trends B2B marketers must embrace in 2025 to lead the charge:

One: Embrace genuine and emotional storytelling

B2B brands should embrace storytelling that appeals to real emotions rather than just logic or fake stereotypical business caricatures.

Drawing from B2C, campaigns will need to highlight authentic personal narratives and use emotional hooks to try and forge empathetic connection with audiences—based on stories full of drama and humanity rather than tired, business cliches.

Actions for B2B businesses: Identify customer stories that highlight transformation, struggle, or triumph, and craft campaigns around them.

Two: Build relevance through culture

In recent years, B2C marketers have cracked the code on how to leverage culture. It’s time for B2B to jump on similar tactics to align around the culture themes that are reshaping the working world to resonate deeply with target audiences. By embedding such themes into their messaging, B2B brands connect through the zeitgeist, feeling relevant and in tune with societal shifts.

Actions for B2B businesses: Monitor cultural shifts and adapt your messaging to reflect these themes, making your brand a part of the broader conversation.

Three: B2B leans into experiential marketing

Borrowing from B2C’s use of immersive brand activations, B2B campaigns will increasingly create dramatic physical or digital experiences. These efforts will need to embrace new, more interesting ways for B2B to show up that break free from familiar formats to build memorable engagements.

Actions for B2B businesses: Plan an experiential campaign—a virtual reality demo, live event, or interactive webinar—that highlights your offering in a memorable, impactful way.

Four: Add humor and playfulness

Humor, long a hallmark of B2C advertising, will become more commonplace in B2B communications. By infusing campaigns with wit and creativity, B2B brands will explore how best to humanize their offerings and stand out in a sea of sameness.

Actions for B2B businesses: Brainstorm ways to introduce light-hearted, relatable elements into your campaigns, like humorous videos or playful social media content.

Five: All hail the micro-influencers

More and more B2B marketers will adopt influencer strategies from their B2C counterparts, partnering with niche industry thought leaders and micro-influencers to amplify trust. These advocates will enable B2B brands to speak more directly to key decision-makers with authenticity and authority, increasing impact.

Actions for B2B businesses: Identify key micro-influencers in your industry and collaborate with them to co-create content that directly speaks to decision-makers.

The road ahead

2025 will reward B2B marketers who take risks, embrace creativity, and forge genuine connections. By adopting these trends, your brand can stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape and achieve the breakthrough results your business demands.