A theory on why B2B marketing requires so many darn customer touches today
When you step back and look, the trend line is clear: when companies cut B2B marketing brand and awareness programs, sales cycles grow longer and require more touches It takes 62-plus touches to close a deal in 2026. The B2B...Read More
28 PR and B2B marketing statistics from studies published so far in 2026
Mid-2026 data reveals AI delivering underwhelming returns while B2B marketing and PR grapple with fractured media, longer sales cycles, and the enduring value of trust and reputation Regular readers know I spend a lot of effort on these pages sorting...Read More
AI might get you on the short list, but it still takes people to move forward
Survey of B2B buyers, especially those using gen AI to short list software and tech, suggests that as long as people are buying software, it’s also going to take people to sell it “B2B buyers are changing how they...Read More
Generative AI makes PR a key business priority in 2026: 35 PR and marketing predictions
Thirty of these PR and marketing predictions are from real humans; the five short ones at the bottom are from various LLMs and it’s interesting to see the similarities and differences between what they wrote among each other and the...Read More
People are not taking government economic surveys; businesses have the same problem
Businesses need to take a more considered, deliberate and cohesive approach to obtaining feedback; don’t allow a machine to get between your business and the customer Every now and then, the Federal Reserve will send me a survey. The last...Read More
Analysts say B2B prospects form preferences earlier and avoid sales conversations later
Forrester survey finds 92% of B2B prospects start evaluation solutions with one vendor in mind; 41% have a single preference; Gartner says 61% B2B buyers want to avoid talking to sales Technology is changing buying behavior, but that’s not the...Read More
B2B tech vendors that hide pricing may never make a prospect’s short list
Generative AI provides succinct product comparisons for B2B buyers, including pricing; vendors who choose to omit pricing information risk never even being considered for the short list A few months back, a session at a conference on generative AI caught...Read More
What marketing and comms *really* need to watch how generative AI is changing *behavior*
Even if there’s a bubble that pops, generative AI is changing behavior, and that’s what strategic marketing and communications people need to observe Much of the discussion of generative AI centers on the tactical improvement it can make to marketing...Read More
41 B2B marketing and PR statistics that provide us all with a status update halfway through 2025
What’s going well: CMOs, marketing budgets, alignment with sales What could be improved: Trust, conversions, and customer retention In the course of writing weekly blogs and a monthly newsletter, I tend to cover many marketing surveys and PR statistics. While...Read More
Reduce marketing employee turnover to improve performance [academic study]
Rigorous study shows marketing turnover has a high cost and lasting impact; demonstrates the importance of continuously investing in the marketing team When a marketing team turns over a team member, two things happen: 1) the value of the brand...Read More
