Not nearly enough ink gets spilled sharing the best of B2B advertising and video. In 2021, we saw some excellent work coming out of the B2B side of the ad world. Here are some of our favorite B2B ads of 2021.  

Intel - Justin Gets Real

In the biggest spokesperson swap since the Verizon guy started pitching for Sprint, Intel’s new campaign features Justin Long, the Mac side of Apple’s famous “I’m a Mac I’m a PC” campaign, this time promoting PCs over Macs.

PCs, of course, use Intel chip technology. Last year, Apple announced they were transitioning away from Intel in favor of their own chips. Intel’s new campaign takes a nice dig at their former partner.

In the “Go PC” spots, Long promotes several advantages PCs have over Macs, including gaming capabilities, touch screens, and variety of choices.

What we like about these spots: Solid use of a celebrity spokesperson and a callback to a memorable campaign. The message is clear: Sure, we all thought Macs were the young, hip option back in the early 2000s, but times have changed. Maybe it’s time to give PCs another chance.

Vistaprint - Ready for Anything

Vistaprint’s new campaign aimed at small business owners shows that quick turnaround times and easy access to printed materials are essential for the fast moving business world.

The spots feature ridiculous scenarios, like a yoga studio being hit by an asteroid and needing to pivot to being a hot yoga studio. Vistaprint helps the owner update her signage and business cards fast.

What we like about these spots: The hyperbole of the situations are memorable, and the message lands.

I do feel the need to point out that putting “:30” or “:15” in the title of your YouTube videos is not best practice. As a user, it feels like an error, or it just looks sloppy. I have to dock two points from this campaign for weak YouTube execution.

Nuance - We, the Customers

We have all been stuck on the phone with a terrible customer service bot sometime in the past decade. Nuance wants prospects to know that it doesn’t have to be this way. By focusing on the prospect’s customer, these spots show the benefits that switching to Nuance can have on your business. Bad customer experiences can bring down even the best company or product.

The script is catchy, and the situations appeal to both our human side (we’ve all been there, right?) and our business side (I don’t want to treat my customers that way!). This spot was awarded the #1 spot in DesignRush's Best Video Production Designs category.

What we like about this spot: A strong combination of engaging copy balanced with RTBs keeps you watching. The use of the customer as the hero is sadly too rare in B2B spots, which tend to position their company as the hero. [Full disclosure: We made this one. We're allowed to be proud parents.]

Wasabi - Save Up to $400K a Year with Wasabi

A follow up to last year’s delightful “Migrate with Nate” music video, Nate is back to tell companies how much they can save with Wasabi cloud services over AWS. We love a brand that continues the story of a successful character like Nate the IT Guy. Why move away from what works?

A song is a great way to get attention and be remembered by your audience. Throw in some industry inside jokes and Wasabi has a hit on their hands.

What we like about this spot: I admire a brand that lets themselves be a little silly in their marketing. Life is too short to be so serious all the time.

Qualtrics - Chief Apology Officer

Qualtrics, an experience management software company, wants the C suite to know that you can fix bad customer experiences, not just apologize for them. The simplicity of this spot is part of the brilliance. They don’t need more than 30 seconds to get their point across.

What we like about this spot: This spot is another example of a B2B brand branching out into creating a character spokesperson. B2C has done this for years (insurance brands love this tactic). A character is a consistent, memorable vehicle for your brand message.

Squarespace - 5-9

Another spot aimed at small business owners and entrepreneurs, Squarespace went to the Super Bowl with an update of the classic Dolly Parton song. B2B brands have long been afraid of songs and jingles, despite the evidence that songs are memorable and catchy. In other words, they work!

What we like about this spot: A song is still considered risky in B2B advertising. We love to see brands like Squarespace show the industry it can be done.

‍

Want more great B2B ads? Check out our list of the best B2B ads of 2022 or the best B2B ads of all time.