The Return of Brand in B2B: Why It’s Not Just a B2C Game Anymore 

For a while there, it felt like B2B marketing had become a spreadsheet sport. Clicks, conversions, CPL, ROAS – we targeted, retargeted and optimized until brand took a backseat. But lately, B2B marketers are making the shift, and the pendulum is swinging back, with brand finally getting its seat at the B2B table again. 

Despite the decades-long narrative that B2B buyers are strictly analytical decision-makers, we know better. Just like you and me, B2B buyers are people – people who weigh their options with both their heads and their hearts. 

The Emotional Side of B2B Buying 

Research from Forrester, Gartner, Google and others has shown that B2B buyers actually feel more emotionally connected to the brands they choose than consumers do. Why? Because in many cases, the stakes are higher. A bad purchase decision in B2B isn’t just a mild inconvenience – it could mean career risk, wasted budget, or missed business goals. That makes trust, affinity, and brand confidence critical. 

Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, is often credited with the idea that emotions drive up to 90% of our decisions. Logic is still in the room – but it’s not the one steering the wheel. In B2B, building emotional connection through branding isn’t soft. It’s smart. 

Why Performance Marketing Alone Doesn’t Cut It 

Performance needs the long-term benefits of a strong brand to support the often long and complex buying cycles in B2B. Harvard Business Review has highlighted how over-prioritizing short-term performance tactics can cause businesses to miss out on long-term brand-building gains like trust, recall, and loyalty. 

Add to that the fact that only about 5% of B2B buyers are in-market at any given time. That means everyone else must remember you when they finally need you. That’s where a strong brand comes in – it stays top of mind, even when your prospect isn’t yet ready to buy.

A New Generation, A New Media Mix 

There’s another reason the return of brand makes sense right now: Millennials. 

They’re not the up-and-comers anymore – they’re here, and many are already in decision-making roles. Their media habits? Digital-first. They stream, they scroll, they binge. Which is why we’re seeing platforms like LinkedIn reposition themselves as streaming-first, launching tools like BrandLink, which is currently in Beta, to deliver CTV-style video ad experiences for B2B marketers. 

In fact, LinkedIn’s own research shows that Millennials are 80% more receptive to B2B ads on connected TV than older cohorts. That means CTV, once thought of as a B2C-only playground, is now fair game for B2B campaigns – especially if you’re looking to build brand awareness and engage a generation that expects to consume content on their terms. (Quick plug on the value of CTV for those considering its value – CTV can provide the scaling power of TV with the pinpoint targeting of digital, making it compelling addition to your media mix).

So, What’s the Right Balance? 

Brand and performance aren’t either/or. They work better together. Some studies are showing that marketers allocating 40%-60% of budget to brand are seeing higher ROI and stronger long-term growth. Your mix will be unique to you, and you should feel comfortable experimenting to find your most productive return. 

It’s not about trading clicks for clever slogans. It’s about building something buyers remember and trust, then showing up when they’re ready to act. 

Final Thought 

B2B marketing doesn’t have to feel like a formula. In fact, it works best when it feels a little more human. The more we embrace the emotional side of decision-making—and meet buyers where they are—the more likely we are to connect, convert, and create lasting impact. 

If you’re thinking about how to bring brand back into your B2B mix, here are a few places to start: 

• Audit your messaging: Does your brand voice convey trust, confidence, and relevance? Or does it sound like everyone else in your space? 
• Invest in upper-funnel tactics: Build your prospect pool through CTV, digital video, and thought leadership content to drive awareness and build credibility and affinity. 
• Balance the budget: Recalibrate your media mix to include brand-building activities alongside your performance spend. 
• Track brand health over time: Use benchmarks like awareness, recall, favorability, and share of voice – not just leads or conversions – to measure progress. 

And of course…keep humans at the center. Whether you’re marketing to engineers, procurement managers, or C-suites, remember they’re people first.