This article is a summary of my notes from the ‘The Art & Science of Video on Linkedin‘ session at Digital Marketing World Forum 2026. The presenter was Wensy Antoli. Creative Strategy Lead, Linkedin. I’ve used AI to turn my notes into a short summary that’s in line with my writing style.
“Video is eating the world.”
And on LinkedIn, it’s doing so at industrial scale.
There are now 154 billion video views on the platform each year, up 36% YoY. B2B video ad spend has doubled. When B2B buyers mean business, they don’t read — they press play.
This feels less like a trend and more like a paradigm shift.
Video now drives the most attention on LinkedIn, with 1.4× higher engagement than other formats and eye‑watering message retention. But the real story isn’t the numbers — it’s why video works.
Memory banks on emotion. And video triggers more of it than anything else on the feed. In 2024, nearly two thirds of LinkedIn’s emotional reactions came from video, well ahead of static or carousel formats. Emotional storytelling — once avoided in B2B — is becoming table stakes.
The ingredients are familiar for a reason:
- a main character
- a relatable goal
- tension and risk
- transformation
- sensory detail
In short: an actual story.
A few clear patterns are emerging. Brands are leaning into characters — mascots, recurring faces, narrative continuity. Characters outperform almost every other brand asset for uniqueness. Think Duolingo, Octopus Energy, maybe even IBM having a “Bob”.
Everyone’s also talking. Executives, experts, employees. Vertical video, under‑produced and human, performs better than polished brand pieces. People want people — not PPTs in cinematic clothing.
AI, inevitably, is accelerating all of this. More personalisation, faster creative cycles, localised variants, and re‑imagined classics. AI isn’t replacing creativity — it’s compressing the distance between idea and execution.
But the clearest warning from the session was this:
video works, the old formula doesn’t.
Fast cuts don’t equal excitement. Clickbait doesn’t convert. Hyperbole fails. Dull content is dull no matter the medium. Most performance comes down to creative decisions — tone, story, humanity — not pixels and placements.
The best‑performing videos share a few traits:
- cultural references that feel instantly shared
- real people and genuine emotion
- accessible expertise
- narratives that elevate the everyday
Human, warm, factual — not “corporate”.
To win with video on LinkedIn, don’t serve ads. Tell stories.
No glorified PowerPoints.
Because video isn’t just being watched.
It’s being felt.
Glyphs & Graphs 