Why video might be B2B’s best investment in 2026 – The Drum

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January 28, 2026 | 6 min read
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Marketers have long known the power of video to deliver real emotional engagement. But, done properly, video can also deliver just what the AI algorithm is looking for. Matt McClung explains how marketers can use video storytelling to cut through the competition in the evolving world of AI discovery.
The evolving world of AI discovery is making video storytelling more important than ever for B2B marketing.
A new generation of Gen Z and Y buyers is eschewing traditional search in favor of generative engines that serve them neat insights and information before they ever get to a website. Critically, these AI-powered tools are drawing from a broader set of sources – including social content, transcripts, and multimedia – which makes high-quality, context-rich video more likely to be incorporated into AI responses and recommendations.
Video is fast hitting the top of the content schedules of B2B marketers looking to max out on their ‘AI availability’ through contextually relevant brand storytelling. Video doesn’t just survive AI summarization; it cuts through because it can be easily embedded, indexed, and recommended.
Marketers have long known the power of video to overcome complex messaging and deliver real emotional engagement, but with its new allure for AI agents, investment in video is on the up. A whopping 78% of B2B marketers now use video, and more than half plan to increase their video investment in the year. Smart thinking, given that over 95% of B2B buyers now engage, in one way or another, with video during their research.
This shift is matched by trends in media. Online video ad spend is projected to grow by around 11.5 % next year, with dollars increasingly moving toward the video environments of social media (+11%) and connected TV (+14%).
But clearly, it’s not enough just to lay down the cash. Creating cut-through video that ticks all the boxes for AI discovery and delivers measurable human engagement requires strategic capabilities and creative prowess. And the stakes here are only getting higher. Competition in B2B markets is fierce, with more companies than ever using video in their marketing. Creative that would once have delivered perfectly respectable results has been eclipsed by stand-out video storytelling – and that’s before AI discovery is brought into the equation.
While it might initially appear that serving two masters necessitates a dual approach, the reality is that video storytelling that succeeds with humans also wins out with AI discovery systems.
AI search and generative engines rely on many of the same signals that underpin effective human communication: clarity, context, structure, authority, and relevance. And, as we are all fast learning, these are the fundamentals that underpin all content for AI discovery. The algorithm relies on structured meaning.
AI tools increasingly prioritize content that answers intent directly and clearly; this means addressing specific questions, solving problems, and mirroring buyer intents. In many respects, B2B marketing has always been about this. But now, if you don’t get it right, you simply won’t be seen.
AI engines don’t watch video; they read the associated text. The better these reflect what the video is about, the more likely an AI system is to cite or surface that video in responses. To please the AI master, videos must have machine-readable context: accurate transcripts, keyword-rich descriptions, captions, structured metadata, and strong titles.
For AI algorithms, brand authority in videos is all about signal quality. These are the same signals that are best practice in written content: citations, expert interviews, structured problem solving, and cross-linked context.
AI discovery favors content that is connected as part of a clear system. Embedding video within blogs, resource hubs, or topic clusters creates multiple layers of meaning that AI systems can parse and link back to your brand.
Effective video content needs the structural signals that AI discovery systems rely on. But, with the best will in the world, those signals alone won’t persuade a B2B buyer who’s decided to watch some or all of your video.
Once a video is surfaced – whether by an AI overview, recommendation engine, social feed, or search – human judgment takes over. And that judgment is usually emotional before it’s rational.
This is why creativity in B2B video still matters in the emerging world of AI discovery. Emotion drives decision-making. B2B buyers are often drawn towards brands by emotional connection, even though the decision to purchase a product or service will be rational and usually made across a group.
If the driver is emotion, then it follows that the most effective B2B videos center on people, not products. People are the center stone of B2B cases and testimonial videos, where the customer, not the brand, is positioned as the hero.
Human-centered narratives generate longer watch times, higher engagement, and greater sharing. And the good news is that these are all the types of secondary signals that reinforce authority and relevance for AI discovery. Not only that, but customer story videos naturally embed proof and credibility, which AI systems interpret as stronger signal quality.
All of this results in authenticity. Real people and real stories persuade B2B buyers and, maybe ironically, are the stuff that AI engines favor over AI-generated content. This means keeping it real in your creative approach:
Authenticity must also be the framework you apply when deciding on the type of video that will work best. Customer success stories deliver peer credibility and demonstrate lived experience. Expert-led explainers ensure authority, clarity, and trust. And problem-solution narratives mirror buyer intent.
B2B films make complex ideas easier to understand and remember. Emotion helps humans care about the issue, and clarity helps AI to understand and prioritize the content. By embracing the principles of authentic, authoritative, and emotionally-led storytelling, B2B marketers can achieve consistent results in the evolving world of AI discovery.
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