This is the last in a 3-part series on audience understanding, co-authored by Ledger Bennett (Anna Harris, SVP of Strategy) and DMPG (Graham Newell, Head of Global Sales), who are part of the Havas Media network.
Ledger Bennett is a B2B marketing agency with expertise across the funnel, including big brand media thinking, customer experience, strategy, digital PR, and SEO.
DMPG is a digital agency that combines data and technology to deliver effective omnichannel marketing solutions across disciplines.
Millennials and Gen Z now represent 71% of B2B buyers according to Forrester, which means they have a huge say in how buying decisions get made.
Clearly, B2B brands need to make sure their marketing reflects the preferences and purchasing behaviours of these two key demographics. Where to start? Here’s what our two experts from Ledger Bennett and DMPG had to say on this topic.
To help set the scene, what big differences are there between Millennials and Gen Z when it comes to work?
Graham: “Millennials are a transitional generation. They grew up pre-internet and entered the workforce when people were expected in the office five days a week. Very often, their managers would have been Boomers or from Gen X — the kind of generations that had a more traditional, top-down approach to leadership.”
“Gen Z are really different in that respect. They’ve only ever known a digital world. And the majority of that cohort entered employment post-pandemic when workplace culture had been radically upended and leadership styles were generally less formal and hierarchal. So they’re used to an environment where there’s a bit more freedom and autonomy.”
Anna: “When you look at the research, we know that the outlooks and behaviors of Millennials and Gen Z will have been influenced by the management styles and workplace culture they’ve been exposed to, and they’re in turn shaping the change they want to see to create purposeful careers.”
Let’s talk about the B2B buying process. How do both generations approach it differently from more senior peers?
Anna: “Brands need to keep in mind that Millennials and Gen Z are usually well-informed long before they have a sales conversation. And when messaging feels too pushy, generic, or over-engineered, they’ll disengage quickly.”
Graham: “We know that Millennials and Gen Z are big on self-service. They like to research on their own terms and frequently seek out the opinions of their peers, whether that’s via social channels or forums like Reddit.”
“None of this makes them anti-sales or anti-brands. By placing particular value in getting proof from external sources, we’re seeing the latest iteration of crowdsourcing and peer review — a timeless part of the buying process.”
Anna: “AI search summaries are also radically changing and accelerating the self-serve process. I came across a report by 6Sense that found 94% of buyers use LLMs during the purchase journey. These tools are influencing how buyers discover and shortlist vendors long before any sales engagement begins.”
Graham: “Although it’s worth saying that buyers across all ages are using LLMs for research. B2B brands need to show up in AI summaries because the vast majority of their addressable market are being in some way influenced by them.”
What content types and channels are best for engaging with Millennials and Gen Z?
Graham: “There are lots of lazy assumptions about this topic. Like the vague idea that anyone under the age 25 is only interested in highly visual, snackable content. Yes, TikTok is a popular channel with this demographic. But their channel interests also overlap with older generations.”
Anna: “There was actually a great report by Digitalzone that found email is Gen Z’s number one channel when it comes to keeping brands in mind. Which is surprising, right? And it featured just behind internet search when it comes to finding new vendors.”
“When B2Bs are targeting this demographic, newsletter content should definitely be in the mix as part of a wider content strategy. But the bigger point is that marketers should challenge generational assumptions that might only be part of the story, or just plain wrong. It’s easy to create an entire campaign based off a misguided supposition.”
“Added to that, we must consider the increasingly blurred — or nonexistent— lines between ‘work’ and ‘home’ content. Across the generations, we’ve seen research that a third of b2b buyers engage in business content on their personal channels every day and a further 48% do so several times a week.”
“At the end of the day, it’s about driving the right balance between snackable content that generates awareness and longer-form content which builds trust and aids conversion across a variety of channels.”
How influential are Millennials and Gen Z in modern buying groups?
Graham: “Millennials and Gen Z aren’t just participating in B2B buying groups. They’re actively reshaping how buying happens and very much central to research, evaluation, and recommendation, and increasingly influence final decisions.”
Anna: “In terms of the numbers, recent Forrester research showed that Millennials and Gen Z now represent over 70% of B2B buyers. And compared to more traditional, top-down leadership, these younger buyers are more interested in gathering perspectives to help make decisions.”
Graham: “It’s also worth pointing out that the oldest members of Gen Z will turn 30 in 2026. It’s easy to fall into the trap of viewing this generation as less influential junior team members. But many of them have reached a stage in their careers where they’re in managerial positions and having a big say in B2B buying conversations.”
Based on everything we’ve discussed, what are some key takeaways that B2B brands can apply?
Graham: “I think in concrete terms, it’s vital to get familiar with communities and channels like Reddit, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky. These are the kind of informal spaces where explorative research often begins for Millennials and Gen Z. According to LinkedIn, Millennials are also 80% more likely to engage with B2B video ads compared to older generations, so it warrants investment.”
“And of course, having a presence in AI-generated summaries is key. Brands that don’t do that risk getting bypassed entirely from the consideration process.
Anna: “One thing we haven’t mentioned is their values. Millennials and Gen Z pay especially close attention to how brands show up in the world. Their sustainability credentials, social responsibility, diversity and inclusion policies…these things really matter when it comes to the buying decision.”
How we can help 
Millennials and Gen Z now have a huge influence on B2B buyer groups. How can B2B brands build trust and relevance with them? It starts by getting a real understanding of who they are, where they spend time, and how they make decisions.
At Ledger Bennett, we can help brands achieve that with Converged. Combining LinkedIn data with your first-party data (optional), Converged provides invaluable audience insights that can inform every aspect of a campaign — and ultimately, increase its effectiveness.
Keen to find out how? Let’s chat.