In today’s high-stakes, highly complex B2B landscape, new research from LinkedIn reveals that 91% of B2B marketers in the UAE say grabbing audience attention is their biggest campaign worry. And, 66% say that investing in video is imperative to not lose out to competitors.
LinkedIn’s ‘2025 B2B Marketer Sentiment Research’ that surveyed over 3,000 B2B marketers across 13 countries – UK, USA, France, Germany, Netherlands Spain, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, UAE, Singapore, India, and Australia – reveals that 76% of B2B marketers in the UAE, and 80% globally feel they need to invest in creative strategies to stand out because it’s more competitive these days.
However, creativity still needs to make its case in the boardroom. Senior-level marketing leaders are clear that creative ideas and video will influence purchase decisions, but they’re being forced to rely on more traditional and stale tactics over experimental ones, with 83% of UAE CMOs and VPs saying their leadership is risk averse.
B2B video and influencer marketing among most effective strategies to drive direct sales
As B2B marketers continue to do more with less and face increasing pressure to demonstrate impact on the bottom line, 97% of B2B marketers in the UAE say video and 98% say influencer marketing are among the most effective strategies to gain direct sales in the current landscape.
Short-form video in B2B helps marketers build trust with audiences (72%) and reach decision makers (72%), and short-form influencer video content is emerging as the top investment priority for marketers.
The research also uncovers that building authentic and credible brands is a top priority for B2B marketers, and influencer and creator partnerships can help achieve this. Sixty-six per cent of B2B marketers say that their marketing strategy is incomplete today without influencer and creator partnerships, and 91% are confident that influencer marketing campaigns will directly lead to sales by the end of the year.
Jessica Machalani (pictured), Head of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions MENA, said: “Today’s B2B buyers, 71% of whom are Gen Z or millennials, are engaging with brands in entirely new ways.
LinkedIn expands video advertising capabilities; introduces First Impression Ads, Reserved Ads, and expands CTV Ads capabilities to help B2B marketers cut through the noise.
LinkedIn has announced a number of updates that make it easier for marketers to continue innovating with video, including:
First Impression Ads: 86% of B2B marketers say that day one of a campaign is extremely important in driving the highest impact, and that’s why LinkedIn has introduced First Impression Ads – a new full-screen, vertical video format for single-day campaigns to maximize visibility for important marketing moments. First Impression Ads allow marketers to target professional audiences, like small business owners or tech decision-makers, and exclusively reserve the first ad impression that a member sees on a given day.
