Captivate Puts B2B Advertising in Front of Small Business Decision-Makers

Look beyond targeting to explore why media that delivers contextually relevant content and environments plus proximity to purchase are more effective in driving results for Small Business advertisers.

The goal of any advertisement is to get the brand in front of their desired target audience. That’s easier said than done these days. With attention spans at record lows from content overload, getting noticed is never guaranteed, much less being considered. This is even more of a challenge for B2B advertising aimed at breaking through the clutter to influence small business decision makers. Captivate is uniquely suited to not only reach this audience but to engage them where and when it matters to increase ad recall, drive consideration & deliver results.  

A few things are certain: targeting, proximity and contextual relevance all play key roles in engaging audiences.  Let’s explore each to better understand how they impact campaign effectiveness. 

Effective Delivery of Small Business B2B Decision Makers

Captivate is the original office media network engaging B2B decision makers since our first elevator display was lit in 1997. We have built our business and reputation on successful execution of campaigns targeting modern professionals in office towers and recent expansion into co-working spaces and luxury residential properties.  

While we often think of massive companies employing the majority of workers, the opposite is true. B2B decision makers are more likely to work for a small business. There are approximately 33.2 million small businesses in the U.S., making up 99.9 percent of all U.S. businesses. At last count, small businesses employ nearly 62 million people, nearly half of all U.S. employees.  The data holds true for Canada as well with small businesses accounting for 98% of all employer businesses and employ nearly two-thirds (63%) of all Canadian employees.

This holds true in the predominance of small businesses within the Captivate footprint. Captivate viewers are 72% more likely to work at small businesses. Our ability to reach those who influence small business decisions, technology and vendor procurement is impressive:

Captivate Viewers Who Work at a Small Business:

• Senior Management – 172 Index
• IT Decision Maker – 171 Index
• Business Decision Maker – 155 Index
• Plan to Buy or Start a New Business – 307 Index

*Source: MRI-Simmons Spring 2021 Doublebase

Captivate Viewers:

72% More Likely To Be In Senior Management at Small Business

Top Brands Trust Captivate To Deliver Small Business

Proprietary Research Provides Valuable Small Business Insights

Captivate | OFFICE PULSE research offers marketers timely analysis, category insights and campaign effectiveness measurement from our proprietary panel of over 6,000 professionals who work and live in Captivate buildings. Our research is trusted by leading brands to measure campaign performance and data from our topical surveys has been widely published recognizing Captivate | OFFICE PULSE as the leading authority on the pulse of modern professionals.  

A recent survey of small/medium businesses (SMB) provides valuable insight into areas of opportunity for marketers targeting SMB and the business challenges they face.  

The good news is that nearly half see increased demand for their company’s goods/services. The downside is that 47% are wrestling with price increases for goods/services their company pays for. This makes budget allocation decisions all the more challenging. Understanding the insights Captivate | OFFICE PULSE provides can steer those tough decisions toward areas of opportunity that present the best ROI.  

Where are SMB companies looking to increase spend?  

• 35% Technology
• 31% Hiring Additional Personnel
• 19% New Products/Services
• 15% Marketing

35% of SMB Plan To Increase Technology Spend

Captivate | OFFICE PULSE can deliver high level analysis or narrowly focus on questions specific to your business. For example, a financial brand is eager to tap into our audience knowing that 35% are open to getting a new small business credit card.  

Proximity To Purchase Keeps Your Brand Top of Mind

B2B advertising on Captivate receives exclusive ad placement in a distraction-free environment that engages decision makers as they step into their office. Whether they are arriving in the morning to start the day, returning from lunch or heading back after a meeting – ads on Captivate are often the last impression they see before they get to work. Your brand can influence small business decision makers where and when they make purchase and procurement decisions – at the office, during the workday. With Captivate you will be the last word and ensure your message and your brand is top-of-mind.

The Value of Contextual Relevance in Driving Engagement

Even the best ad will fail if it falls on deaf ears. Relevancy is everything, and it means getting relevant ads in front of the right people at the right time. For many, the right time isn’t when they are on a social app, scrolling online, at the gym, or driving in their car. For B2B brands looking to reach small business decision makers – it is at the office. Beyond the environment itself, Captivate delivers B2B advertising alongside a programming mix tailored to engage busy professionals, offers editorial alignments with business or small business content and even partners with brands to develop custom content collaborations. Let’s break each of these out to paint a better picture of what’s possible and why it matters.  

Proximity to Point of Influence

As we discussed, the proximity of impressions to point of influence and purchase decision is critical. Captivate amplifies this by serving B2B advertising in office environments where professionals are focused on their work, in the right mindset and receptive to ads related to their business. The contextually relevant office environment Captivate delivers is unmatched. Our recent partnership with WeWork extends our Office network by an additional 190+ locations in 32 DMAs. WeWork co-working spaces are havens for small businesses and start-ups with 78% of WeWork members working for small businesses. Their seniority and influence is on par with the overall Captivate Office network and only strengthens our ability to effectively deliver the highly desirable, hard-to-reach small business audience.

Content Alignments Increase Relevance & Impact

Beyond the office environment itself, Captivate’s professionally curated programming mix is another key factor in extending the relevance of your ad. Not only are our displays in contextually relevant environments but our editorial team works hard each day to curate customized content that is relevant and meaningful to busy professionals. Our research-driven approach ensures viewers enjoy watching and in turn remain engaged with our screens which drives higher recall for brand ads. Our Q4 2022 viewer tracker conducted by Captivate | OFFICE PULSE confirmed that:

• 9 in 10 viewers like Captivate
• 93% enjoy watching Captivate
• 88% would be disappointed if Captivate were removed from their building

Multiple content alignment opportunities exist to further connect your brand’s B2B advertising with relevant business or small business content – from turnkey content syncs to more customized collaborations. Let’s start with the simple part – content alignments. Based on your campaign goals and/or creative executions, there are ample opportunities to sync ads with specific evergreen content. It can be as general as “business” content and market updates or as specific as tech reports or our popular “small business tips” series.

Custom Content Collaborations for B2B Advertising

To take the contextual relevance of your campaign to the next level, explore a custom content collaboration. Our editorial team will partner with you to craft a custom small business content series that seamlessly integrates your brand to maximize awareness and recall of your ad. Recent examples include Dell, Gentleman Jack and Mastercard in Canada. Captivate worked closely with Mastercard and their agencies to create a two-part plan that delivered impressive results including 40% ad recall, 9% lift in awareness & 14% lift in familiarity. On-air execution included:   

1. Full screen ads aired alongside 40 unique branded content spotlights written by Captivate editorial team that profiled Canadian female-owned businesses​. 
2. Campaign extension to include standard ads synced with “small business” content. 

The consideration these brands took to ensure they maximized the contextual relevance of their B2B advertising campaigns paid off. The results were strong because they prioritized engagement of their target audience.  

Successful B2B Advertising Strategies Aimed At Small Business Must Be Targeted And Relevant

For an ad to succeed, it has to be seen, but perhaps even more important is that is viewed as meaningful and relevant. Today’s consumer sees advertisements as noise, so agencies and brands must determine how best to stand out and be effective without annoying their audiences.

If you are looking to target small business decision-makers, in-office advertising with Captivate is essential because of our ability to efficiently and effectively reach them across our network. By thoughtfully curating content with the B2B buyer in mind and presenting B2B advertising alongside content that engages them and makes sense for their brand, viewers innately connect the dots and move from observation to action.

Advanced targeting capabilities allow us to build a plan specifically targeted to buildings in our footprint that over-index (120+ index) for small business ensuring efficient, targeted audience delivery and no waste of your media dollars.

A Small Business targeted plan with Captivate includes 10,850 displays in 1,380 buildings across North America delivering over 119 million monthly impressions. 

Out-of-home B2B advertising across multiple channels remains necessary, and adding in-office advertising to target small business purchasers is efficient and yields results. This strategy pairs ads with valuable content to more effectively engage the decision makers behind B2B purchases during the workday. Most importantly, our approach meets key players where and when they make and influence business purchase decisions. Let’s discuss your brand goals and solutions to elevate your campaign performance. Captivate is here to help.