Cannes: LinkedIn, in collaboration with LIONS Advisory and WARC, unveiled new research at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, introducing a new framework designed to reshape how B2B marketers think about creativity and business impact.
Presented on the Rotonde Stage by Mimi Turner, Head of Marketplace Innovation at LinkedIn, and Jim Lesser, Chief Brand Officer at ServiceNow, the keynote titled “Cracking B2B Creativity: The Buyability Levers That Power Successful Campaigns” introduced fresh insights from an analysis of 700 high-performing B2B campaigns.
The research found that campaigns scoring highly on the newly developed Buyability framework — built around recommendations, relatability and relationships — significantly outperform campaigns with weaker signals in both brand and commercial outcomes.
According to the study, campaigns with stronger Buyability indicators were:
24% more likely to improve brand awareness
91% more likely to improve mid-funnel metrics such as consideration, preference and purchase intent
63% more likely to report increased ROI
2.1 times more likely to generate incremental business revenue
The Buyability framework is designed to help marketers convert creative attention into buyer confidence and ultimately business growth. It introduces seven creative signals aimed at helping B2B brands move from awareness into consideration and shortlist selection by building trust and confidence among buying groups.
Speaking at the Rotonde Stage at Cannes Lions, Mimi Turner, Head of Marketplace Innovation at LinkedIn, said, “Buyability gives us a seven signal framework that marketers can use to strategically enhance campaign outcomes because it is built on the insights that help buying groups feel confident to buy. Ultimately, Buyability reframes the job of creativity in B2B in a way that B2B marketers can actually execute on, Buying group decision-making is defensive and risk-averse. The real job of B2B creativity is to create more trust signals that buying groups rely on.”
The research highlighted the increasing complexity of B2B purchasing, where decisions are often made collectively and involve multiple stakeholders across functions and departments.
Commenting on the findings, Imaad Ahmed, Principal Strategist at LIONS Advisory and WARC, said, “B2B buying is complex. Decision-making tends to happen at a group level, sales cycles are often lengthy and the motivations – and even identities – of those influencing the final decision can be widespread and variably opaque. To become more buyable and win more business, B2B brands must build collective confidence across the entire buyer group. That is Buyability. Our analysis found that High Buyability campaigns were more likely to report brand health and revenue uplifts than Low Buyability campaigns. Yet, despite the evidence of effectiveness, B2B marketers apply Buyability signalling with alarmingly low frequency. With the right mindset shift, the Buyability opportunity is vast.”
The session also showcased ServiceNow’s multi-year Put AI to Work for People campaign featuring actor Idris Elba, demonstrating how the Buyability framework can be applied across an entire buying committee rather than targeting a single decision-maker.
The campaign focused on building emotional connection, consistency and memorability while addressing the priorities and concerns of multiple stakeholders across IT, HR, customer service, finance and security functions.
Commenting on the approach, Jim Lesser, SVP Chief Brand Officer at ServiceNow, said, “B2B creativity has a credibility problem. We’ve heard it forever: ‘Creative is nice, but does it drive growth?’ Buyability helps address that, and we’ve seen it work in our own creative at ServiceNow. When creative is relatable, grounded in customer proof, and reflects how customers actually buy, it helps create a system that turns attention into confidence and confidence into growth.”
Despite the strong correlation between Buyability and performance, the research found that adoption remains limited. Of the 700 campaigns analysed, only 158 incorporated three or more Buyability signals, suggesting that many B2B brands continue to prioritise visibility over trust-building mechanisms.
The findings position Buyability as a new strategic lens for B2B marketers seeking to transform attention into confidence, confidence into consensus, and consensus into sustainable business growth.
