Sensis has launched a new B2B content marketing advertising campaign today, poking fun at the often ridiculous advice small businesses receive about online marketing.

Created by Isobar and directed by John Pace, ‘Don’t ask Susan’ consists of seven online videos, starring ex-Blue Heelers actor Julie Nihill as the lead character, Susan.

The content marketing team at Sensis audited the B2B content marketing landscape and found a distinct lack of emotive-based content in the marketplace. The first video ‘Want to get a website up?’ sees Susan explaining why the Internet is simply just a ‘fad’ and offers what she thinks is far superior marketing advice.

Nihill’s comic timing brings to life the awkwardly behind-the-times character of Susan.

Sensis executive general manager, James Ciuffetelli, said the campaign will resonate with small business owners across Australia.

“The campaign really showcases what a lot of small businesses go through when seeking advice on marketing online. It’s often coming from a friend-of-a-friend at a BBQ, rather than from an expert,” he said.

“We’ve been running a hugely successful B2B content marketing program for more than two years. We all know people prefer humorous content – and it’s far more likely to be shared. From our research into the content marketing landscape, we feel that using humour will really give us cut-through.”

Isobar associate creative director Rob Barnett added, “We had a lot of fun on-set. Julie was an absolute trooper and really understood what we were trying to create with Susan’s character”.

The campaign has seven different videos and will be pushed out via social media, Sensis channels and influencers over the next 14 weeks.