"Celebrity has long been a staple of B2C advertising, but in B2B, it's historically been treated as nothing more than a huge flex. Too often, an A-list name signals budget more than insight. When it's misaligned, the backlash can outweigh the buzz. Look no further than the ire Salesforce received in 2023 for paying Matthew McConaughey millions while simultaneously laying off thousands of employees."
"As 2025 comes to a close, the industry is contending with a different problem: saturation. The explosion of AI-generated content has created a flood of what many marketers admit is 'AI slop.' It's technically competent, emotionally hollow, and instantly forgettable. Authenticity and storytelling have become harder to fake and more valuable than ever. As a result, in the year ahead, we're going to see more subtle and strategic uses of celebrity talent."
"Early achievers in this trend include examples like Atlassian's campaign with Zach Woods and Ramp's recent activation with Brian Baumgartner from TV show The Office. In both cases, while the celebrity profile was smaller (and therefore less costly), the activations themselves were more humorous and used levity in clever ways, particularly by tapping into deep fandoms. Expect this approach - lower wattage, higher relevance - to become a go-to strategy in crowded B2B markets."
B2B marketing moved from rhetoric to practical transformation in 2025, favoring smarter strategies over louder or flashier tactics. Celebrity endorsements in B2B shifted away from A-list budget signals toward smaller-profile talent aligned with relevance and fandom. Overuse of AI-generated content created saturation, producing technically competent but emotionally hollow 'AI slop' that amplified the value of authenticity and storytelling. Companies are increasingly using lower-cost celebrities for humor and levity, leveraging deep fandoms to boost relevance. Early examples include ServiceNow with Idris Elba, Palo Alto Networks with Keanu Reeves, Atlassian with Zach Woods, and Ramp with Brian Baumgartner.
Read at The Drum
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