Best of LinkedIn: B2B Marketing Awards 2025

00:00:00: provided by Thomas Allgaier and Frenus, based on the most relevant posts on LinkedIn about BDB marketing awards.

00:00:06: Frenus is a BDB market research company working with enterprises to optimize their campaigns with account and executive insights far beyond AI.

00:00:15: So today... We're doing a really crucial deep dive.

00:00:18: We've gone through all the lessons, all the strategies from the latest BWB marketing awards to pull out what really works.

00:00:24: Our mission here is to understand not just who won, but why they won, what made their campaigns so successful commercially and so creative.

00:00:31: And what's so fascinating right out of the gate, and this came up a lot, especially in Joel Harrison's analysis, is that even in this AI-obsessed era we're in, creativity just completely ruled.

00:00:43: It really did.

00:00:44: It was a big differentiator.

00:00:45: It's like the winners just refused to let B to B marketing become this sterile commoditized thing.

00:00:49: They proved you have to balance that creative boldness with clear, measurable impact.

00:00:54: Absolutely.

00:00:55: The awards are basically a real-time benchmark for the whole industry, moving way past vanity metrics and into what actually works commercially.

00:01:03: Okay, so let's start right there with that new criteria for success.

00:01:07: What were the core measurable things that the strongest entries all shared this year.

00:01:14: Well, the focus was just squarely on the commercial engine.

00:01:17: Breonna McCrory, who was a judge, she put it perfectly.

00:01:20: The winning campaigns were all about outcomes generating revenue, improving retention, and this is... critical pipeline quality.

00:01:27: Not just quantity.

00:01:28: Exactly.

00:01:29: They weren't chasing every shiny new tactic.

00:01:31: It was about relentless consistency and just modernizing the fundamentals, things like SEO and geographic optimization.

00:01:39: So smart, localized targeting.

00:01:41: Right.

00:01:41: And always maintaining that crucial human element, B to B is still a people's game, you know, even when it's powered by all this data.

00:01:49: That focus on fundamentals is so refreshing, but there was also a really profound cultural shift happening, wasn't there?

00:01:54: Joel Harrison pointed out that women-led agencies seem to be picking up most of the gold trophy.

00:01:59: Oh,

00:01:59: that was a huge observation.

00:02:00: Yeah,

00:02:01: I mean, he said that's a massive change from the early two thousands when B to B leadership was, and I'm quoting him here, a total dude fest.

00:02:08: It really speaks volumes about how the sector is maturing.

00:02:11: And you see that mindset change in the big brands, too.

00:02:14: Marko Yovanovich highlighted Erickson's success.

00:02:17: They consciously shifted from dry, technical storytelling.

00:02:21: Just talking about network specs?

00:02:23: Right, to commercial storytelling.

00:02:25: They focused on the actual customer experience, the revenue possibilities of five G. Proving the value in a different way was the real win.

00:02:34: That dare to be different attitude is a clear theme.

00:02:37: Okay, so if that's the strategy, how did it translate into execution?

00:02:41: We saw some huge firms just dominate, but then also these challenger brands that totally broke through.

00:02:46: Cap Gemini was a massive standout.

00:02:48: They took home three goals in a silver.

00:02:50: I mean, that level of success across categories, that takes absolute alignment.

00:02:54: I have

00:02:54: to wonder though, is that just a massive budget at play, you know, throwing money at different channels?

00:02:59: How does a smaller team even try to replicate that?

00:03:02: That's a fair question.

00:03:04: But their success was really driven by integrated ideas, not just cash.

00:03:07: Magda Bolska pointed out their Winside IQ campaign, which used their AC- Thirty-Seven's sailing sponsorship.

00:03:14: It was a perfect example of innovation meeting storytelling.

00:03:17: So they used a big, high-energy event to show off their tech in real time.

00:03:21: Exactly.

00:03:22: And it won gold for best use of live events and silver for best brand initiative.

00:03:26: But it wasn't just about the big splash.

00:03:29: Their content, the Cloud Realities podcast, also got gold for best content and best customer retention.

00:03:35: Right.

00:03:35: So create a powerful experience and then use something consistent, like an always-on podcast, to keep people engaged long after.

00:03:42: Precisely.

00:03:44: It proves one core idea if you execute it can hit multiple commercial goals.

00:03:49: But to your point about smaller teams, we have to talk about free agent.

00:03:52: It's such a powerful counter narrative.

00:03:53: Oh, free agent.

00:03:54: Yes, Kirsty Mitchell and Laura Jenkins were just ecstatic.

00:03:57: They're winning through wit not wallet campaign.

00:04:00: One gold for best use of media.

00:04:02: This tiny team beat Hewlett Packard

00:04:04: in the same category.

00:04:06: it just defied expectations.

00:04:08: Laura Jenkins said they did it with hyper-targeted creative and a super tight media strategy.

00:04:13: They used digital out of home and of course that legendary van.

00:04:17: That van circling account text, anyone who was there remembers it.

00:04:21: It was this perfect, witty, localized moment of disruption.

00:04:25: It showed that if you can focus your spend that intensely, you can just overwhelm a much bigger competitor's budget.

00:04:32: As Starly Bell noted, creative relevance and humor beat sheer volume.

00:04:36: That's a huge lesson in agility, isn't

00:04:38: it?

00:04:38: It really is.

00:04:39: And you have to give credit to the agencies behind this work.

00:04:42: Gravity Global, one agency of the year, and Differentiated got silver.

00:04:46: John Buckthorpe said that was down to their relentless operations team.

00:04:49: That operational rigor is the perfect lead-in to launches.

00:04:53: Because it's clear these aren't just product updates anymore.

00:04:55: They're major award-winning brand events.

00:04:57: Totally.

00:04:58: Circle One Silver for the Doritos Dynamita launch.

00:05:01: That's consumer-grade execution, getting recognized in B to B.

00:05:05: And, more fundamentally, Carrie Made and Clarion showed that one single brand platform, their Chetalicious concept, could support multiple awards, grabbing best product launch in another gold.

00:05:17: I love the innovation and the execution too.

00:05:20: Waven's Heptuo Keyless launch.

00:05:22: That's a great case study and focused influence.

00:05:24: They won gold for best use of social media and influencer marketing.

00:05:28: And Ali Fahey pointed out that success came from engaging the trade influencers.

00:05:33: And people who actually

00:05:34: use the product.

00:05:35: Exactly.

00:05:35: And it worked because they also won bronze for product launch.

00:05:38: It shows the whole integrated approach paid off.

00:05:40: And the tools for these launches are getting so sophisticated.

00:05:43: Immersive digital experiences are mainstream now.

00:05:46: Palo Alto Network's innovation shuttle got silver for best digital experience.

00:05:51: Han called it a bonkers idea.

00:05:53: that worked.

00:05:54: And you had the NBS flight, twenty twenty five brand VR experience winning two trophies.

00:05:59: So VR and interactive programs are now a core expectation for big B to B launches,

00:06:04: which sets a really high bar.

00:06:06: And that level of integration brings us right to our next theme, channel, ecosystem and budget brilliance.

00:06:13: Because a sophisticated launch demands deep partner collaboration.

00:06:17: It absolutely does, and we saw that recognized.

00:06:19: Together, AVEV and ServiceNow all got awards for Best Channel Marketing Initiative.

00:06:25: Mosini Jazz and Isabel Campos both said that collaboration was the key to ServiceNow getting gold.

00:06:31: So the channel is crucial.

00:06:33: crucial.

00:06:33: And what's really inspiring, especially for smaller teams working with limited resources or limited MDF, you know, the market development funds, is the success people had with really precise spending.

00:06:44: You don't need the biggest budget.

00:06:45: You need the smartest one.

00:06:45: That's it.

00:06:46: Ice Blue Sky turned a limited budget into gold for best limited budget campaign and a bronze for best channel partner initiative.

00:06:53: And Francesca Beto also won gold in that limited budget category with Contra UK.

00:06:57: It just proves that a small budget doesn't mean small results.

00:07:00: You just have to be smarter.

00:07:02: And it's not just agencies.

00:07:03: Internal teams are getting recognized, too.

00:07:06: Bridewell's marketing org won bronze for marketing team of the year.

00:07:11: That shows real in-house strength.

00:07:13: Which leads us right into our next theme, content, digital experience, and of course, the now fully integrated role of AI.

00:07:20: Right.

00:07:21: We already mentioned Capgemini's Cloud Reality's podcast.

00:07:24: Dave Chapman highlighted how the longevity of that always-on format is so much more powerful than a single-hit campaign.

00:07:30: And that idea extends to research.

00:07:33: Laura Priesebeck pointed out how recurring reports, like the one advanced annual trends report, are now basically treated as strategic products.

00:07:40: They build trust and get their own awards.

00:07:43: But the AI integration is what everyone's watching.

00:07:45: KPMG UK just confirmed that AI-enabled journeys are fully embedded now.

00:07:50: They won two golds for their It's Time for AIX campaign.

00:07:54: Yeah, best use of AI and customer engagement and best digital experience.

00:07:57: Hannah Todd shared how exciting that was for them.

00:08:00: AI isn't just for back office stuff anymore.

00:08:02: It's for personalizing and elevating the frontline customer journey.

00:08:05: That's

00:08:05: the new model.

00:08:06: AI driving these sophisticated digital experiences that feel totally customized.

00:08:11: And then for just overall excellence, the sources couldn't stop talking about six cents.

00:08:15: Their performance was a total sweep.

00:08:16: It was incredible.

00:08:17: B to B marketing team of the year, best use of live events.

00:08:21: And their leader, Stefano Icano, was named B to B marketer of the year.

00:08:25: Wow.

00:08:26: That kind of domination just speaks volumes about their quality.

00:08:30: They've mastered using live events as part of a totally integrated personalized experience that actually drives pipeline.

00:08:37: It's the ultimate winning formula.

00:08:39: That brings us to our final theme, and it's a really important one.

00:08:43: Purpose and measurable social impact.

00:08:45: These aren't just a side category anymore, are they?

00:08:47: Not at all.

00:08:47: They're core.

00:08:48: The big standout was Wood McKenzie and the Let's Share the Sum Foundation.

00:08:53: They won best purpose lead initiative for bringing solar power to communities in Puerto Rico.

00:08:57: And what

00:08:58: was so significant, and a bunch of Wood McKenzie staff stressed this, was that this work was judged right alongside all the core commercial campaigns.

00:09:05: It wasn't in some separate special category.

00:09:07: Exactly.

00:09:08: That confirms that measurable social and environmental impact is now a standard lens for evaluation.

00:09:14: We also saw Pick Everards get zero campaign, win silver in the best limited budget category.

00:09:20: So you can embed sustainability into your narrative even without huge resources.

00:09:25: If

00:09:25: you enjoyed this deep dive, new episodes drop every two weeks.

00:09:28: Also check out our other editions on Field Marketing, Channel and Partner Marketing, ABM, AI and B to B, MarTech, Go To Market and Social Selling.

00:09:37: And here's the thought I really want to leave you with.

00:09:39: Looking at all these winners from a gold-winning podcast to free agents Woody Van... to that purposeful solar initiative in Puerto Rico, the question for every BDB professional is pretty simple.

00:09:49: Are you focusing on the ruthless consistent fundamentals that get actual commercial results, or are you still chasing every shiny new tactic just because it's labeled innovation?

00:09:59: Thanks for joining us for this deep dive.

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