Storytelling with Strategy: Only 7% Of B2B Videos Show Human Emotion. That's A Huge Missed Opportunity
Businesses don't buy from businesses. They buy from people.
Professional video production has never been more accessible. Businesses are investing heavily in marketing videos, thought leadership content and social media campaigns, recognising that video has become one of the most effective ways to communicate expertise, build trust and engage potential customers. Yet despite this investment, much of the content being produced still feels contrived and often lacks the one ingredient that audiences connect with most: genuine human emotion.
LinkedIn's recent analysis of more than 13,000 B2B video advertisements highlights this perfectly. The research found that only 7% of those videos featured genuine human emotion, despite campaigns built around authentic storytelling, knowledgeable experts and real people consistently outperforming more conventional corporate content.
For businesses looking to stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace, that statistic represents a significant opportunity.
Information Explains. Emotion Persuades.
Many business videos are designed to communicate information. They explain products and services, outline company history or list features and benefits in a logical, structured way. Whilst this certainly has its place, information alone rarely creates a lasting impression.
People make decisions emotionally before they justify them rationally. Whether choosing a supplier, selecting a consultant or investing in a long-term business relationship, trust plays an enormous role in the decision-making process. That trust isn't usually built through polished marketing messages or carefully crafted sales copy. It's built by seeing the people behind the business and understanding what genuinely motivates them.
A founder talking passionately about why they started the company, an employee describing the pride they take in their work or a client explaining the difference a service has made to their organisation all communicate something that facts alone cannot. They reveal authenticity, and authenticity builds confidence.
Information Explains. Emotion Persuades.
Many business videos are designed to communicate information. They explain products and services, outline company history or list features and benefits in a logical, structured way. Whilst this certainly has its place, information alone rarely creates a lasting impression.
People make decisions emotionally before they justify them rationally. Whether choosing a supplier, selecting a consultant or investing in a long-term business relationship, trust plays an enormous role in the decision-making process. That trust isn't usually built through polished marketing messages or carefully crafted sales copy. It's built by seeing the people behind the business and understanding what genuinely motivates them.
A founder talking passionately about why they started the company, an employee describing the pride they take in their work or a client explaining the difference a service has made to their organisation all communicate something that facts alone cannot. They reveal authenticity and authenticity builds confidence.
Expertise Is More Powerful When It Feels Human
One of the most interesting findings from LinkedIn's research is that videos featuring knowledgeable experts consistently performed better than highly promotional content. That reflects a wider shift in modern marketing. Today's audiences don't simply want to know what a business sells; they want to understand the thinking behind it.
This is one of the reasons thought leadership has become such an important part of B2B marketing. When business owners and industry specialists openly share their knowledge, explain their decision-making or discuss the challenges they help solve, they position themselves as trusted advisers rather than salespeople.
Video enhances this even further. It allows viewers to hear tone of voice, observe body language and experience personality in a way that written content alone cannot achieve. These subtle human qualities help establish credibility long before a prospective client ever makes contact.
Every Business Has A Story Worth Telling
Perhaps the biggest misconception RD Music & Media encounter is the belief that some businesses simply don't have a story.
In reality, every organisation has experiences, challenges and achievements that make it unique. Behind every successful business is a founder who took a risk, a team that cares about the work they do and customers whose lives or businesses have improved because of the service they received.
The challenge isn't finding those stories; it's recognising them and presenting them in a way that feels natural rather than manufactured. Audiences are remarkably good at recognising authenticity. They don't expect perfection, but they do expect honesty. Sometimes the moments that resonate most aren't the carefully scripted ones at all, but the genuine conversations that reveal passion, personality and purpose.
When businesses allow those moments to become part of their marketing, they stop feeling like companies talking at customers and begin feeling like people talking to people.
Storytelling With Strategy
At RD Music & Media, I believe the most effective marketing videos are those that balance creative production with strategic thinking and genuine human connection. Professional lighting, cinematic visuals and polished editing all have an important role to play, but they should always support the story rather than become the story themselves.
Technology will continue to evolve, production techniques will improve and marketing trends will inevitably change. What is far less likely to change is the way people make decisions. We are naturally drawn to authenticity, emotion and human connection, particularly when choosing who we trust to do business with.
That's why every project begins with understanding the people behind the organisation. The objective isn't simply to create a beautiful video, but to uncover the moments that communicate expertise, build trust and allow audiences to connect with your business on a genuinely human level.
If LinkedIn's research tells us anything, it's that many businesses are still overlooking one of the most powerful assets they already possess: their own people. Sometimes, all it takes is the right story and the right approach to help those people into the spotlight.
© 2026 Rory Davidson, RD Music & Media. All rights reserved.