Episodes

Milka Privodanova: The New Currency

Milka Privodanova on why 95% of B2B buyers use LLMs to decide, why LinkedIn is the number one source for those LLMs, and why AI-ready beats AI-led.

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 ·  The Business of Marketing  · S5 E98  · 25 min
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"B2B is moving from brand-led messaging to ecosystem credibility."

The Conversation with John Horsley

Twenty-four years from Telelink in Bulgaria, through eleven and a half years at Microsoft and five years at Pinterest, to LinkedIn since October 2025. Milka Privodanova on why trust and credibility are the new currency in B2B, what changes when 95% of buyers use LLMs to decide, why LinkedIn is the number one source for those LLMs on professional queries, why AI-ready beats AI-led, and the leadership rule learned across twenty-four years.

Milka grew up in Bulgaria, spent six and a half years at Telelink as Associate to the Chairman alongside a year publishing Ego Magazine in Sofia, and went to business school in 2008 where her case study (in her telling) was how to monetise Facebook. Microsoft hired her out of business school. From Prague she ran CEE business development across twenty-four countries, doubled CEE online revenue in two years, then moved to London for the Bing Western Europe launch, grew search revenues 400% in three years across Italy, Spain and the wider region, and rose to Sales Director Bing UK with annual revenues past $230m. In June 2020 she joined Pinterest as Country Manager UK NL Nordics, won Media Leader of the Year (Media Owner) twenty months in, and was promoted to VP Head of EMEA in October 2022.

In October 2025 Milka joined LinkedIn as VP Marketing Solutions, Large Customers International, working with the world’s largest B2B audience: 1.3 billion members and 70 million companies. In this conversation with host John Horsley, Milka argues that B2B is moving from brand-led messaging to ecosystem credibility, that anyone in a company with a point of view can be an influencer, that 60 to 70% of an ad’s effectiveness sits in the creative, that the best teams are AI-ready not AI-led, and that the leadership discipline that has carried her through twenty-four years is the willingness to learn and unlearn.

Key Takeaways

  • Milka's career: six and a half years at Telelink in Bulgaria, one year publishing Ego Magazine in Sofia, business school in 2008, then eleven and a half years at Microsoft (CEE, Bing Western Europe, Sales Director Bing UK), three years as Country Manager and three years as VP EMEA at Pinterest, and from October 2025 VP Marketing Solutions for Large Customers International at LinkedIn.
  • B2B is moving from brand-led messaging to ecosystem credibility. People want to hear from people, much less than logos. Anyone in the company with a real point of view can be a source. 70% of B2B buyers are Gen Z or Millennials. The format is video. The brands chosen are known to 80% of the buying group on day one.
  • 95% of B2B buyers are now using LLMs to make purchasing decisions. Profound research: LinkedIn is the number one source for LLMs answering professional queries. LLMs favour original, expert, structured content (95% original, 5% re-shared). If a brand is not in the LLM's sources, it is not on the shortlist.
  • 60 to 70% of an ad's effectiveness sits in the creative. Visual storytelling is the fastest-growing marketing skill in the UK. AI is here, but the teams that succeed will be AI-ready, not AI-led. Find where AI does the heavy lifting. Humans steer the story.
  • Be willing to learn. Be willing to unlearn. With years of experience comes the discipline of intentional unlearning. The best business leaders create clarity, generate energy, deliver results, and are empathetic. Empathy is not the opposite of strong leadership.

Topics Covered

  1. 01 Twenty-four years from Sofia to Microsoft to Pinterest to LinkedIn
  2. 02 Trust and credibility as the new currency in a 211-day buyer journey with 20 people involved
  3. 03 LLMs as the new B2B gatekeeper: original, expert and structured content wins
  4. 04 Creators and Thought Leader Ads: anyone in the company with a point of view
  5. 05 AI-ready not AI-led: 60 to 70% of effectiveness still sits in the creative

Key Exchanges

05
01 A 2008 case study on monetising Facebook.

I went to business school in 2008. I took a class called Managing Media Companies. My case study was how to monetise Facebook. I fell in love with media.

Before business school Milka had worked only in Bulgaria, six and a half years at Telelink and a year publishing Ego Magazine in Sofia. Business school was the route into media. The 2008 Facebook case study was the inflection point. Microsoft hired her out of school and the career compounded from Prague to London to Pinterest to LinkedIn.

02 The new currency in B2B.

B2B is moving from brand-led messaging to ecosystem credibility. People want to hear from people, much less than logos.

B2B buyers face high-risk, hard-to-reverse decisions and have to defend them internally. The buyer journey runs 211 days with more than 20 people involved. 70% of those buyers are Gen Z or Millennials and the format they engage with most is video. The brands that get chosen are known to 80% of the buying group on day one. Lowering perceived risk for those buyers (through trusted, credible voices) is one of the most underrated jobs in marketing.

03 LLMs as the new gatekeeper.

95% of B2B buyers are using LLMs to make purchasing decisions. LinkedIn is the number one source for LLMs on professional queries.

Profound’s recent research identified LinkedIn as the top source for LLMs answering professional queries because the platform carries real people having real conversations. LLMs favour expert opinion, expert reviews, original content (95% of what they surface is original, 5% is re-shared) and well-structured information. Brands that want to be considered have to be present, known and trusted in those sources. Otherwise they are not discovered.

04 Creators in B2B.

In B2C it is a halo of celebrity. In B2B it is a halo of credibility. Anyone in the company with a point of view is an influencer.

Creators on LinkedIn doubled between 2021 and 2025. They come for credibility, not followers: connections with decision makers and real business impact. 80% of B2B CMOs now say creators are critical to their strategy. LinkedIn’s Thought Leader Ads (boosted posts from a CEO or any employee with a strong point of view) perform unusually well, which speaks to the move from views to credibility.

05 AI-ready, not AI-led.

The teams that will succeed will be AI-ready teams, not AI-led teams. AI does the heavy lift. Humans steer the story.

AI handles the heavy lifting; humans hold the curation, tone of voice, judgement and creativity. 60 to 70% of an ad’s effectiveness sits in the creative, and visual storytelling is the fastest-growing UK marketing skill. The discipline that has carried Milka through twenty-four years of leadership is the willingness to learn and the willingness to unlearn. The best leaders create clarity, generate energy, deliver results, and do all of that with empathy.

S5 E98Season & Episode
25 minDuration
211 Days of the Average B2B Buyer Journey
95% Of B2B Buyers Now Use LLMs to Make Purchasing Decisions

"60 to 70% of an ad’s effectiveness is the creative."

Hear Milka on
The Business of Marketing
Season 5 Episode 98 25 min
Apple Podcasts→ Spotify→ Milka's full profile→ Milka on LinkedIn→
Read the full transcript
Lightly edited for readability.

John Horsley How did you get to where you are today?

Milka Privodanova I went to business school in 2008. I had worked only in Bulgaria up to that point. At school I explored real estate, private equity, and a class called Managing Media Companies that I really loved. We worked on cases and my project was how to monetise Facebook in 2008. I fell in love with media. Microsoft hired me. The career progressed from there.

John Horsley What attracted you to these platforms?

Milka Privodanova The company, the product, the people, the values. I have been very lucky working with amazing companies.

John Horsley The most fundamental shift in marketing over the last decade.

Milka Privodanova The technological advancement. I remember an early Microsoft demo where AI could recognise the breed of a dog and the audience applauded. Where we are now is incredible. We are creating what I call the serendipity of advertising: moments where everything comes together.

John Horsley Where LinkedIn sits.

Milka Privodanova LinkedIn is unique. 1.3 billion members, 70 million companies. People come to find their next economic opportunity. We help brands connect with B2B decision makers. And there is a network effect: a CEO post sparks a conversation; a future client engages with one of your posts. That is special.

John Horsley Internal advocacy and thought leadership.

Milka Privodanova B2B is moving from brand-led messaging to ecosystem credibility. Credibility matters. People want to hear from other people, much less than logos. Anyone in the company can be a source of credibility if they have a point of view.

John Horsley Who is the new B2B buyer?

Milka Privodanova 70% of B2B buyers today are Gen Z or Millennials. The content they engage with most is video. They build credibility by listening to real people, trusted voices, point-of-view content. The buyer journey is 211 days with more than 20 people involved. 95% of buyers are not in market at any given time. Marketing has to nurture before they reach the decision point.

John Horsley What separates the brands that get the most value.

Milka Privodanova The brands chosen were known to 80% of the buying group on day one. Building credibility takes work over a long planning cycle. Use video. Use trusted voices and creators. 80% of B2B CMOs say creators are critical to their strategy.

John Horsley Measurement.

Milka Privodanova Last click is vanity. Real impact lives in revenue, pipeline, pipeline velocity, deals closed. Holistic measurement (CRM sync, conversion APIs) is essential to see what actually drove the journey.

John Horsley LLMs as the new gatekeeper.

Milka Privodanova 95% of B2B buyers are using LLMs to make purchasing decisions. So much happens that companies do not see. Profound recently showed that LinkedIn is the number one source for LLMs on professional queries. Real people having real conversations is what LLMs prefer.

John Horsley How brands show up in LLMs.

Milka Privodanova If you are not present you cannot be discovered. To be viable you have to be known and trusted. LLMs favour expert reviews, expert opinion, original content (95% original, 5% re-shared), well-structured information. Authentic, original voices win.

John Horsley The 95-5 rule.

Milka Privodanova 95% of buyers are not in market at any given moment, and arguably less. The job is to be on the consideration list before they ever come in. That means thoughtful planning across a long cycle, video as a format, and credibility built through trusted voices, creators and your own people.

John Horsley Video formats.

Milka Privodanova Less about format, more about strategy. Video works for brand, consideration and bottom-of-funnel. Start with ideal customer profile, unique value proposition, measurement strategy. Then creative: 60 to 70% of an ad's effectiveness sits in the creative. B2B often over-shows the product and under-builds the emotional connection.

John Horsley Brands doing it well.

Milka Privodanova ServiceNow, Workday, Trustpilot. Well-defined full-funnel strategies, multiple formats, engaging creative.

John Horsley Trust through people rather than organisations.

Milka Privodanova Trust and credibility is the new currency in B2B. B2B buyers face high-risk, hard-to-reverse decisions. Marketing's job is to lower the risk. The route is trusted, credible voices.

John Horsley AI-generated content.

Milka Privodanova LLMs favour original content from human experts over anything else. Original human expertise beats generated content.

John Horsley B2B influencers.

Milka Privodanova Different from B2C. In B2C it is a halo of celebrity. In B2B it is a halo of credibility. Creators on LinkedIn doubled between 2021 and 2025. Anyone in the company with a point of view can be an influencer. The original perspective is what matters.

John Horsley Thought Leader Ads.

Milka Privodanova Performing incredibly well. A senior person or any employee publishes; the post gets engagement; we boost. It is the move from views to credibility.

John Horsley Authentic versus transactional creator work.

Milka Privodanova Find the people who can tell the story of your product or company in the most authentic way. People who have built credibility in the area where you operate. Genuine connection wins.

John Horsley Expertise and authenticity vs polished brand messaging.

Milka Privodanova Both have a place. You are not going to do a Super Bowl ad on your iPhone. But the authentic, real content is what people come to LinkedIn for: to learn, to build connections, to hear from experts.

John Horsley AI in advertising over the next few years.

Milka Privodanova 60% of search is zero-click now, which is a complete change for someone who came from search. The teams that succeed will be AI-ready, not AI-led. Find where AI does the heavy lifting and where humans hold curation, tone, creativity.

John Horsley The risk of sameness.

Milka Privodanova Visual storytelling is the fastest-growing UK marketing skill. Storytelling is human. Augment humans with what AI can deliver.

John Horsley Leading teams internationally.

Milka Privodanova You are as good as your team. Be willing to learn and willing to unlearn. With years of experience comes assumptions; the work is intentional unlearning.

John Horsley Empathy in leadership.

Milka Privodanova Empathy is not weakness. The best business leaders are empathetic. They think about the team, the context, and still drive outcomes. A leader creates clarity, generates energy, delivers results. Empathy lives in how you do it.

John Horsley An overhyped trend.

Milka Privodanova Vanity metrics. Clicks, CTR. Real outcome metrics are revenue, pipeline, velocity.

John Horsley A capability every marketer needs.

Milka Privodanova Visual storytelling.

John Horsley Brands doing things differently.

Milka Privodanova ServiceNow and Trustpilot.

John Horsley Advice to younger marketers.

Milka Privodanova Learn the AI tools. Learn what AI can automate and where a human adds real value. Build creative storytelling. Stay curious. Be open to being wrong and to learning new things.

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