A recurring theme within these pages seems to be creativity in B2B marketing… or more specifically, the lack of it, writes Joel Harrison. The ‘big idea’ is all too often conspicuous by its absence in B2B campaigns, and real cutting edge creative thinking is almost an endangered species. As my fellow commentator Scot McKee would most likely explain, this is largely due to a ‘lack of balls’ on the parts of brands and agencies (I’m paraphrasing here)… but the migration to a more ROI-centric and lead-focused approach has hardly helped. Suffice to say, the situation is petty dire, and both clichéd creative and tired ideas run riot.

Which is why I breathed a deep sigh of resignation when a press release announcing the arrival of a campaign featuring Arnie the Armadillo arrived in my inbox. “What kind of one-dimensional ‘Compare-the-meerkat’ style clone is this?” I asked myself. If there’s anything worse than blatant plagiarism, it’s plagiarising something because of its ‘cutesy’ value.

And then, reluctantly, I clicked on the link in the press release. And, to my surprise, I laughed – and forwarded it round the office. Not only have Kingsbridge Professional Services created something that is actually funny, but it’s a campaign which comes alive through the digital format, rather than suffers because of it, AND gets its message across.

Okay, so it’s not the most original idea in the world, but as we all know, there’s nothing new under the sun. This campaign is one part Itchy & Scratchy from ‘The Simpsons’, and one part Harry Enfield 1940s public information film presenter Mr Cholmondley-Warner.

Kingsbridge has taken a pretty dry but fundamental product and made it fun and engaging. Who said B2B marketing has to be dull?