Why B2B Brands Struggle for Attention (and How to Win It)

A recap of key takeaways from LinkedIn’s Robin O’Connell at Digital Day Out (DDO) 2025,  and how video can give your content the edge.

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B2B marketing is fighting for attention in a world where thumbs never stop moving.
Your buyers aren’t short on content. They’re short on time, memory, and patience.
So the question isn’t how do you get seen? It’s how do you get remembered?
One answer: video.

Video is where attention meets action.
Where your brand stops blending in and starts sticking out.

At Digital Day Out 2025, we joined an audience of marketers to hear Robin O’Connell, Senior. Content Solutions Consultant at LinkedIn, unpack what’s working (and what’s not) in B2B content right now. The real problem isn’t reach. Plenty of content gets seen. The challenge is recall, being the brand that stays in their head long after they have closed the tab.

Why your audience’s attention is slipping away

“What is the biggest problem facing content marketers today?”
That’s how Robin opened his talk, and the answer was clear: attention.

81% of B2B ads vanish from memory almost as quickly as they are seen

That is not just “not ideal”, it is also wasted money and a missed opportunity when you are trying to build a brand worth remembering.

So what is working?
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As shared in LinkedIn’s The Video Revolution on LinkedIn presentation at DDO NZ 2025, the platform’s data shows that video:

• Drives the most attention on LinkedIn
  
  
• Delivers five times more engagement
  
  
• Retains 95% of your message
  
  

These aren’t nice-to-have numbers. They’re the starting line if you want your brand to be the one they remember into the future

Why LinkedIn owns the B2B scroll

With over 154 billion video views annually on LinkedIn and a +72% increase in NZ since 2023, the platform has become a primary destination for B2B decision-makers. As Petra Hailu, Content Strategist at LinkedIn Marketing Blog, notes: ‘With B2B decision-makers consuming 26% more video content on LinkedIn year over year, brands that show up with authentic, engaging videos are the ones breaking through’.

What kind of video content works?

Here is the good news. You do not need Hollywood lighting or a five-person crew.
In fact, lo-fi often performs better than high-production polish.

Robin highlighted three key formats to prioritise:

• Vertical video: Mobile-first. Native to the feed. No-friction viewing.
  

• Behind-the-scenes or “workplace culture” moments: Authenticity drives connection.
  

• Employee-driven content: Put your people in front of the camera and let them speak.

• Video length matters too: keep it short. For clicks and actions aim for 5 - 10 seconds. For brand recall go with 15 - 30 seconds.

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The result? More emotion, more engagement, and content people remember.

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Where to start

Start here. Start small. Just start.
The best-performing B2B content is not perfect. It is human.

• Create native video, ideally vertical

• Let your people speak. Execs, experts, employees
  

• Lead with emotion, not just features
  

• Test, measure, optimise, and repeat

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Because in B2B, attention isn’t given. It is earned. And video is your sharpest tool.

Start showing up human.

That’s the through-line of every insight Robin shared, and it’s what Human Digital believe in too.

Whether you are finding your voice, planning your first vertical series, or rethinking your format mix, we can help.

Imagine being the brand they bring up in the next meeting without looking at their notes. That is what happens when you blend video, voice, and a human-first approach.

Let us help you be more thumb-stopping, spark a connection, and turn fleeting attention into measurable action.