Spikes Asia 2026: Meet the inaugural Creative B2B jury president

Asia-Pacific's most prestigious and sought-after awards for creativity and marketing effectiveness, Spikes Asia, is returning in the new year to set the benchmark for creative excellence in the region.

One of the most notable changes announced this year is the introduction of a new Creative B2B category. To give you the inside track into what our jury will be looking for, Campaign Asia caught up with with new category's jury president Wendy Walker, VP and chief marketing officer at Salesforce, ASEAN.

In the interview, Walker talks about the unique factors that come into play in B2B campaigns, the inventiveness applied in many campaigns, including her recent favourite, and drops some hints at what she'll be looking for in Creative B2B submissions from across APAC. 

1. To what extent does creative have different challenges, if not a higher bar, to break through to business professionals compared to consumers? 
 
Creativity in B2B carries a unique responsibility. You’re often speaking to highly informed decision-makers who are juggling complexity, risk, and accountability. To reach them, creativity has to do more than capture attention; it has to create clarity and confidence. The best B2B work translates intricate ideas into stories that feel human and relevant. It earns trust through intelligence, empathy, and precision. In that sense, the bar isn’t just higher; it’s different. Success lies in simplifying complexity without losing sophistication, and in connecting to people’s motivations, not just their roles. 
 
2. It’s been suggested that B2B communications = “Bound 2 Be boring.” How do we dispel that stereotype? Does B2C really have all the fun? 
 
That stereotype is long out of date. B2B has become one of the most exciting spaces for creative innovation, and the work recognised at Cannes Lions this year proved that beyond doubt. It was bold, emotional, and beautifully crafted; in fact, 2025 was the strongest year we’ve seen for Creative B2B, with work showing up with confidence, clarity, and real momentum.
 
The misconception that B2B equals boring comes from viewing it as products and procurement, when in reality it’s about people making decisions that shape industries. When brands resist hiding behind jargon and tell human stories, B2B becomes anything but boring. Some of the most inventive uses of humour, purpose, and real insight at Cannes Lions came from B2B brands. In many ways, B2B now has the creative freedom to experiment in ways B2C once did. 
 
 
3. Is there a B2B creative campaign that you really admire—whether it be for its craft or for its effectiveness? 
 
Without a doubt, it would have to be this year’s Cannes Lions Creative B2B Grand Prix winner, GoDaddy’s “B2B Act Like You Know.” It captured everything that defines world-class B2B creativity today. The work was bold and brilliantly executed, yet what made it exceptional was the sharp human insight at its core. In small business, there’s a universal desire to look like you know what you’re doing, even when you’re still figuring it out. Instead of playing to that insecurity, the campaign flipped it into something empowering, turning uncertainty into celebration. 

The work combined emotional intelligence, humour used with confidence, and a seamless demonstration of the product by actually using the product. It also reflected many of the strongest Creative B2B trends we saw this year: emotion surfacing with real strength, a marked volume of work supporting small business in ways that felt empathetic and grounded, and influencer use showing up more intentionally and strategically. 

AI played a smart supporting role; it strengthened precision, relevance, and personalisation without ever overshadowing the creative idea. To me, this campaign is proof that B2B is no longer the quiet category. It’s creative, it’s strategic, and when it’s done well, it’s truly unforgettable. 
 
 
4. Business clients tend to have longer-term relationships with brand partners compared to fickle consumers. How does this loyalty factor affect the creative work required for B2B? 
 
Loyalty in B2B is shaped by something far more fundamental than routine; it hinges on buyability. Decision-makers want to choose brands they feel confident standing behind; brands they trust, brands that feel familiar, and brands that others like them have already chosen. This matters even more in B2B; a US $17 trillion category where the stakes are significantly higher. 

When a buying decision carries financial risk, operational impact, or career implications, people look for work that signals credibility, stability, and alignment. That’s why B2B creativity has to do more than entertain. It needs to build memory, foster recognition, and show consistency over time. The most effective brands invest in long-term creative platforms that reinforce, again and again, that choosing them is a smart, defensible decision. 
 
What will you be looking for in the standout B2B work that comes into the jury room? 
 
Together with my fellow Spikes Asia Jurors, we’ll be looking for work that’s brave in thought, grounded in real human insight, and demonstrates how creativity in B2B can drive both commercial impact and meaningful progress. When campaigns put the human experience first, everything else follows; clarity, resonance, and effectiveness. We’ll celebrate ideas that don’t just simplify complexity but humanise it; campaigns that blend intelligence with empathy and show the power of creativity to move markets and minds.

And I hope we see work that is undeniably APAC; ideas shaped by the cultural strengths and nuances of this region, the kind of creativity that could only be made here. Ultimately, we want the winning work to be the kind of idea that makes the industry stop and say, “I wish I’d made that”; work that represents the very best of APAC creativity and deserves to win on the global stage.