Dive Brief:

• Tech company TE Connectivity is partnering with Twentieth Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment on a new campaign around the film "Alita: Battle Angel," which premieres in theaters on Feb. 14, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive.
• TE created a content series that digs into the science fiction depicted in "Alita." Though most of the technology from the movie is futuristic, TE's real-life scientists are working on products that could make some of the elements a reality, per the press release, including electric and autonomous transportation, sensor proliferation and advanced medical devices. The series includes behind-the-scenes interviews with the movie's cast and crew and is available on TE's website and social channels.
• Customers and employees of TE will have the chance to win "Alita" gear and tickets to see the movie in China, Japan and the U.S. before it's released.

Dive Insight:

TE Connectivity's B2B co-marketing partnership around the upcoming film is part of the company's efforts to grow its brand awareness among global tech-focused audiences and potentially attract new customers through more consumer-friendly channels. The content series will let the company flaunt its technology and products in a more relatable and appealing way by connecting it to the new sci-fi movie and social media content.

Content series and other highly produced video is a trend that many consumer-facing marketers have embraced for some time. Now, B2B marketers are following suit in seeing video as a valuable marketing strategy to engage audiences. Sixty-two percent of B2B marketers rated video as the most important format in 2018, over email, social media, infographics and case studies, according to a LinkedIn survey. Building brand awareness and generating leads were the main benefit of B2B video campaigns, highlighting two reasons that may have inspired TE's efforts.

Video can provide more relevant, unique experiences for audience and can offer transparency for B2B brands. One challenge with video campaigns for B2B marketers is that 46% struggle to find a quality environment to reach key decision-makers with their content, according to a separate LinkedIn study. This led LinkedIn to recently launch two new video capabilities on its platform — video for sponsored content and video on company pages — pointing to how the professional network can help companies like TE connect with target audiences on platforms they're already familiar with.