Marketers turn to communities as Gen Z demands ‘real voices’

As AI floods corporate comms, Aussie B2B marketers still trust their professional networks more than anything else.

New research from LinkedIn finds B2B professionals are wary of the flood of AI-generated content when evaluating brands, opting instead to vet organisations within their own professional networks.

With Millennials and Gen Z comprising 71 percent of B2B decision-makers – a demographic that relies heavily on peer input and trusted social media creators to guide their spending habits – nine in 10 Aussie marketers say they’re now investing more in community-driven content that utilises authentic voices.

While AI-generated content is ideal for scale and sheer volume, it does little to engender genuine trust. The key findings from the new LinkedIn research emphasise organic conversation and genuine word-of-mouth as the key drivers of B2B marketing, rather than just a flood of information across newsfeeds.

The research also finds that three out of four 18-24 year-olds state that even as AI becomes increasingly ‘lifelike’, it cannot replace the genuine insight gauged from direct conversation with trusted colleagues. As such, 79 percent of Australian B2B marketers say trusted content creators are now essential to earning the trust of younger buyers.

“As AI speeds up how content is created and shared, credibility comes from real human voices,” LinkedIn Marketing Solutions director Andrea Rule (pictured above) tells Marketing Mag. “Decision-makers aren’t just listening to brands – they’re turning to peers, experts, creators and communities to validate what’s being said and guide their next move. Someone’s next great business idea might be sitting in the comments.”

Rule cites the sensitivity of Gen Z, in particular, to the polished pitches of corporate press releases and inauthentic statements. This new generation of buyers is reshaping the rules, she says, and they expect to be a part of the conversation.

“The brands breaking through are building trust through participation, not perfection. AI is giving brands the ability to scale faster and ship more than ever, but the ones with staying power will marry automation with originality, speed with engagement, and tools with trusted voices.”

Connecting audiences with advertisers through strategic video channels

To meet this shift away from engagement in purely AI-generated content, LinkedIn is expanding its BrandLink program globally with the launch of its new platform, Shows by LinkedIn.

With 80 percent of marketing leaders revealing that video is the primary means of driving change within their network, the launch of the new platform marks an important expansion in LinkedIn’s reach and influence.

Among the first organisations to partner exclusively with LinkedIn are IBM, SAP, ServiceNow and AT&T Business, with the debut of four new shows for the professional network hub: Small Business Builders presented by AT&T Business; Founder’s Blueprint by IBM; AI in Action by SAP; and The CEO Playbook, presented by ServiceNow.

Each show will showcase a range of exclusive content from creators and large-scale publishers, affording LinkedIn’s global membership base of 1.2 billion users to engage organically with the topics that matter most to them.

BrandLink’s publishing footprint is also experiencing notable growth, with the addition of BNR, TED, The Economist, BBC Studios and Vox Media all joining the service.

As The Economist global head of partnerships and media solutions Crista Gibbons enthused: “Through LinkedIn’s BrandLink program, we’re able to connect our trusted journalism with advertisers who want to support meaningful reporting and reach engaged professional audiences with contextually relevant content.”

Aiding the expansion of these publications across global markets is the availability of BrandLink across mobile and desktop platforms, where creators can share ideas in region-specific media. In addition, advertisers can specifically select a location – Australia, for example – and even the preferred language setting for member profiles, ensuring a direct line to audiences that will most actively engage with their output.

As LinkedIn marketing solutions vice president Matt Derella says, “AI has unlocked scale like never before, but credibility can’t be automated. The brands breaking through today aren’t just pushing content, they’re sparking conversations through the voices people trust most – peers, creators and experts.”