Why the Biggest Event Stages are Becoming Trust Play for B2B Ads
KEY FINDINGS:
- Showing Up (Meaningfully) in Tentpole Events Can Help Ensure You Make the B2B Shortlist
Moments like the Super Bowl can help build mental availability and trust at scale for B2B companies – critical when only a few brands make buyers’ shortlists - Scale Can Signal Safety & Familiarity
In committee-led enterprise decisions, big-stage presence can communicate credibility, permanence, and reduced risk - Saliency Opens the Door, Proof Closes the Deal
Cultural saliency earns a spot on the radar, but clear benefits and compelling reasons to believe can help convert fame into trust and selection - Creative Discipline Maximizes ROI
Sharper creative briefs, stronger branded attention, and validated messaging can ensure these campaign investments deliver measurable business impact, and not just buzz
B2B Brands Presence in Big Events
Learnings from Ipsos Creative Spark and the Ipsos Business Insights Collective community on B2B best practices in big event advertising
In the wake of the Super Bowl, a moment that once again demonstrated the power of cultural tentpoles to capture massive attention, B2B marketers should be looking ahead to the next opportunities to show up meaningfully. With upcoming events like NCAA March Madness & the FIFA World Cup, as well as annual award shows, now is the moment to consider how B2B brands can use these shared cultural stages to build trust, drive mental availability, and ensure their creative investments truly land.
Why would a B2B company pay for one of the most expensive media moments on earth… to reach people who mostly aren’t buyers? When viewed through a CFO lens, skepticism would be a natural response - $8M for 30 seconds aimed at 125+ million people, most of whom will never buy enterprise B2B software? Sounds irresponsible on the surface. But there can be real, defensible benefits if there’s clarity about what problem the spend is actually solving.
When a B2B purchasing cycle starts, the short-list is shockingly small – with companies only considering an average of 3 brands¹ . The Super Bowl – and other big tentpole sporting events like it – isn’t about generating immediate leads. It’s about building mental availability, which is everything when it comes to making it into a buyer’s limited consideration set.
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DownloadImpactful B2B Big Event Advertising Checklist
- Consider TV ads in big events, even when not every viewer will be in your target audience. Showing up in a respected event allows all members of you buying committee to have the same exposure to your brand and increases collaborative trust during the sales process.
- Focus your message on the biggest pain point you solve, or most unique differentiator, using your prospects’ own words from early stage creative research.
- Create a compelling storyline that will help breakthrough the sea of sameness of other advertisers taking part in the event. Strategic celebrity use, resolved tension, and unique formats can all help B2B brands to stand out. Engage research early to evaluate concepts before you spend on production to ensure your idea is a winner.
- Identifying and leveraging distinctive brand assets to increase mental availability so you are top-of -mind when your prospect enters the buying cycle. Testing your creative can help you optimize where your brand needs more visibility in the storyline.
