How has B2B video marketing changed?

It went from one expensive video for everything to a whole new playing field of formats. Meg Dalessandro of Wistia explains why there's now a place for both cinematic brand video and scrappy social clips.

Quick Answer

Five to ten years ago, there was usually just one high-production video used everywhere.
Now there's a whole new playing field of different video types, from cinematic to webcam.
Both still matter: a catchy hook earns attention, and substantial video earns time and trust.

The way B2B video works keeps shifting. If you'd rather not track it yourself, I send a short note whenever something actually changes worth acting on. Subscribe to the newsletter.

How the playing field opened up

Meg describes a clear before-and-after in how companies make video.

"Five, ten years ago, all there was was just one really high production video, and that was used for sales, customer success, social... but there's also a whole new playing field of different types of video." — Meg Dalessandro

That doesn't mean polished video is dead. Meg warns against swinging all the way to memes, because a brand needs substance to be remembered.

"It's one thing to be relevant, but you also need to make sure that what you have has sustenance and that you're actually differentiating." — Meg Dalessandro

Her model is a two-step: a catchy short-form hook gets someone to opt in, and then the deeper assets, like case study videos and product walkthroughs, are where people spend "more time and intention with you." The evolution added new lanes without erasing the old ones.

Still getting your head around why B2B video matters at all? Start with why B2B SaaS companies need video marketing. It's the foundation the rest of this sits on.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did B2B video look like five to ten years ago?

Meg Dalessandro says it was usually one high-production video, reused across sales, customer success, and social. There was far less format variety.

What changed?

A whole new playing field of video types opened up, from cinematic brand pieces to scrappy webcam and social clips. Lower-cost tools made many formats viable.

Does cinematic video still matter?

Yes. Meg warns against devolving to just memes. A brand still needs substance and differentiation, and deeper videos are where people spend real time with you.

Want to see this in practice, not just in theory? Here's the TubeMogul story: what it looks like when video does the visibility work for a real team.

Watch the full interview

Meg Dalessandro and Dane Frederiksen go deeper on video-first content and AI search in the full interview.