There’s a gap opening up in B2B marketing, and it’s not just about tech. It’s about fluency.
AI is moving fast. And while tools grab the headlines, it’s how we use them and how we organise around them that will separate the leaders from the laggards.
Let’s be clear: you don’t need to become a machine learning expert. But you do need to understand how AI can shift how your team works, what you prioritise, and where you place your bets.
57% of UK B2B marketers now rank AI understanding as the most important skill for future success – above data analytics and collaboration (Marketing Week).
McKinsey found organisations with AI-literate marketing leaders are significantly more likely to see ROI from their investments.
And the EU AI Act puts responsibility firmly on business users, not just developers, to ensure AI is used safely, ethically, and effectively.
That means marketing leadership must understand how, where and why to adopt these tools and scale them across their marketing operations.
The role of marketing leadership
We need to build a growth culture focused on establishing the value of the tools available to us or that we want to test. We need to ask better questions, set smarter, measurable expectations, and create space for our teams to experiment without fear of failure.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Working within test-and-learn frameworks grounded in clear hypotheses
Equipping teams with the training and guardrails to operate and maintain tools confidently and correctly
Building prompting best practice
Understanding the biases and blind spots in models
Creating an AI adoption roadmap tied to your commercial priorities
And developing the instinct to spot vendor nonsense a mile off
But here’s the catch: AI only delivers value if your ways of working are actually built for it.
Agile ways of working are crucial
It’s hard to get value from AI if your processes are broken.
If your team is stuck in long planning cycles, siloed roles and perfection paralysis, AI won’t help you, it’ll confuse the hell out of them!
Agile marketing unlocks the value. It gives teams the frameworks needed to successfully test and learn. It’s data driven and customer centric, so it can help leaders spot what’s working and scale it quickly. It reduces risk while speeding up results.
Being agile allows you to use:
• Short sprints to test value
• Early indicators of success (or failure)
• Data to scale what works, fast
• The confidence to stop what doesn’t.
It’s not about moving faster. It’s about moving smarter and proving value as you go.
A brighter approach
At Bright, we believe this is another challenge for marketing leaders and the importance of reshaping how we work so we can lead confidently in an AI-enabled world
We’re not AI evangelists. We’re practical optimists. We help teams:
Cut through the hype and find where AI can genuinely add value to their marketing
Build business cases that stand up in the boardroom
Use agile ways of working to integrate new tools, data and tech in a systematic and scalable way.
Because if we don’t, we risk falling into the same trap that’s caught us many before: investing in the latest tech, without the strategy, mindset or muscle to show it adds value.
Welcome to a curated collection of inspiring and insightful reads and podcasts to help you align brand marketing and demand generation to drive commercial growth.
Why it’s useful: Actionable advice for B2B marketers on bridging the often-siloed investment in brand and demand, helping them better justify brand spend by tying it directly to commercial outcomes.
Why it’s useful: This whitepaper provides a comprehensive, research-backed framework for how to operationalise brand-to-demand integration, supported by real-world B2B case studies and data-driven insights.
Why it’s useful: This panel-style video explores how B2B marketers can move beyond tactical channel execution and build strategic brand-to-demand engines that deliver sustained performance.
Why it’s useful: Featuring global leaders, this session emphasises brand-to-demand as the cornerstone of future-ready B2B marketing, tying brand equity to pipeline performance and growth.
Why it’s useful: This episode dives into how revenue-focused B2B marketers can harmonise brand-building with demand gen programs through unified measurement and audience-centric planning.
Don’t forget, if you want some support to strategically align your brand marketing and lead gen, please get in touch
Let’s not sugar-coat it: This year is a pressure cooker for B2B marketers.
Budgets are under strain. Teams are stretched. The ask? Deliver more commercial impact with fewer resources. And no, you can’t hire.
But the best CMOs aren’t flinching, they’re pivoting. They’re treating constraint as a catalyst. Getting lean. Getting sharp. And crucially, getting agile.
Here’s how high-performing marketing teams are turning challenge into competitive advantage:
Ruthless prioritisation, not polite compromises
Top marketing leaders aren’t hedging their bets across 10 campaigns, they’re backing three that actually drive results. That means trimming the fluff, shelving the vanity projects, and focusing on what aligns with commercial strategy.
Agile isn’t a theory, it’s a working style
Agile ways of working aren’t new, but they’re becoming non-negotiable. The teams leading the pack have baked in agile rhythms: sprint planning, backlog prioritisation, iterative testing, and regular retros.
They’re not just reacting faster, they’re learning faster, and delivering faster.
It’s not about doing more work. It’s about doing the right work. In the right order. With the right people in the room.
Collaboration over control
Marketing doesn’t sit in a silo anymore (and if it does in your org — fix that). Smart CMOs are forging stronger ties across sales, product and finance, aligning on outcomes, not just outputs.
It’s a team sport now. And marketers are the ones keeping the scoreboard.
Data is your proof point and your power play
Marketing has to justify its seat at the revenue table. That means mastering the numbers such as CLV, CAC, pipeline velocity, engagement-to-conversion rates, and using them to steer investment.
Gut feel isn’t good enough. Real-time insight is how you earn (and defend) your budget.
Content that cuts through (not just fills the funnel)
Paid is plateauing. Content is climbing. But the bar is higher. Mediocre messaging gets ignored, especially in a market flooded with AI-generated ‘meh’.
It’s not about more content. It’s about braver content. Useful, opinionated, and properly distributed.
Fractional, flexible, and faster to value
Permanent headcount is harder to come by, so leaders are tapping into a more elastic talent model such as outsourced experts, fractional CMOs, freelance specialists, to fill gaps fast and keep momentum high.
It’s smart. It’s scalable. And it’s how high-growth teams are staying agile without overloading their core.
This is agile leadership in practice
Constraint doesn’t kill marketing. Complacency does. The CMOs thriving in 2025 are the ones embracing agile principles, making bold decisions, and embedding experimentation deep into their team’s DNA.
Where are you doubling down this year?
How are you embedding agility into your strategy and operations?
Rewire your B2B marketing for pace, focus and impact
The B2B Agile Marketing Playbook is your practical guide to working smarter, moving faster, and delivering measurable impact – without adding more to your to-do list.
Built for modern B2B marketers under pressure to prove value, this playbook shows you:
What agile marketing is and how it helps you ditch outdated plans in favour of fast, focused execution
How to improve effectiveness by aligning campaigns to real business goals
How to build a team that collaborates better, adapts faster, and delivers more consistently
How to run high-impact experiments that drive learning, lead quality, and ROI
How to scale what works, cut what doesn’t, and stay one step ahead of changing priorities
Whether you’re optimising an existing strategy or starting fresh, this guide gives you the tips and tools to transform how your team operates and how your work gets measured.
Complete the form to download the playbook and start delivering better marketing results – faster.
Download your Growth Mindset cards to re–frame conversations and spark fresh perspectives.
The Reframe Cards are designed to help you and your team re-think your current practices, iterate towards exciting outcomes and deliver exceptional results through continuous learning.
By offering specific prompts, these cards encourage team members to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions more openly, fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration.
Each Reframe Card aims to stimulate problem-solving discussions, driving the team towards actionable, goal-focused solutions.
Reframe your thinking with a growth mindset
Ready to reframe your mindset and your conversations? Download your Reframe Cards today!
Here are some additional resources you may find useful:
At the latest Bright B2B Marketing Leaders Dinner, senior marketing leaders gathered to discuss how agile marketing operations are helping teams sharpen focus, drive efficiency, and make smarter decisions in an environment where budgets are tight, AI adoption is accelerating, and commercial impact is under scrutiny.
The discussion reinforced that marketing effectiveness isn’t just about running better campaigns—it’s about operational excellence. Agile methodologies are helping teams prioritise work more effectively, improve cross-functional collaboration, and ensure marketing is driving real business outcomes.
For teams that have fully embraced agile marketing, the biggest benefits have been:
Greater focus on high-impact activities and faster execution
More efficient workflows using sprints, iterative planning, and test-and-learn approaches
Smarter decision-making based on data rather than reactive execution
A key theme was the importance of data-driven prioritisation. Many teams are implementing a tiered KPI framework to align reporting with different audiences:
Leadership KPIs focused on business impact, including revenue contribution, customer lifetime value (CLV), and marketing efficiency gains
Despite progress, many teams struggle with poor data hygiene, fragmented reporting systems, and inconsistent attribution models. This is not just a technical challenge; it’s an operational issue that limits agility.
With reporting being time-intensive, many marketing leaders are turning to agentic AI to streamline data collection, automate insights, and generate reports faster.
Key takeaway: Agile marketing provides the governance and structure needed to improve marketing operations, ensuring teams can optimise resources, refine attribution models, and use data to drive strategic decision-making.
2. The reality of reporting: What’s the point?
Marketing leaders agreed that reporting often feels like a box-ticking exercise rather than a strategic tool for decision-making. The key to simplifying reporting and driving action is:
Defining the right metrics for the right audience – not overwhelming leadership with too much detail
Moving beyond spreadsheets and PowerPoint decks – using storytelling techniques, impact reports, and video sizzle reels to showcase marketing’s contributions
AI is already playing a critical role in improving reporting efficiency, with many teams using AI-powered tools to:
Automate data extraction and analysis – reducing manual reporting time
Generate first drafts of insights and reports following meetings or campaign reviews
Improve attribution accuracy and forecast performance trends
However, marketing leaders noted a challenge: efficiency gains from AI are often met with budget reduction pressures rather than being reinvested into higher-value initiatives.
Key takeaway: Agile marketing and AI are natural partners. Agile methodologies enable teams to rapidly test, deploy, and refine AI-driven workflows, ensuring AI supports strategic decision-making rather than just automating processes.
3. Brand vs Demand: Making the case for long-term investment
A recurring challenge is educating stakeholders on the role of brand marketing. Many leaders reported ongoing friction between brand-building efforts and demand generation priorities – with leadership often prioritising short-term pipeline impact over long-term brand equity.
The most effective marketing teams are:
Integrating brand and performance KPIs – demonstrating how brand awareness contributes to demand efficiency
Educating leadership on why brand investment must be always-on, rather than a discretionary spend
Using data to prove impact – leveraging brand tracking studies and share-of-voice metrics to reinforce marketing’s contribution
Marketing leaders agreed that without brand investment, demand campaigns become less effective over time – yet many still find themselves having to re-justify spend that was already approved.
Key takeaway: Agile marketing can help bridge the gap by embedding brand and demand within iterative planning cycles, ensuring both are continuously optimised and aligned with commercial outcomes.
4. Budgeting battles: More agility, Less justification
Budgeting continues to be a major frustration for marketing leaders, with teams facing pressure to deliver more with less while constantly justifying spend.
Key challenges include:
Incremental budget approvals – even when performance is on track, marketing leaders often need to re-justify their spend
Lack of budget autonomy – teams are slowed down by needing approval for even minor adjustments
Rigid annual budget cycles – preventing marketing from shifting investment based on real-time performance insights
To address these challenges, marketing leaders are advocating for:
Agile budgeting cycles – where financial planning is reviewed quarterly rather than locked in annually
Incremental budget releases – aligning spending with performance milestones rather than requiring constant approvals
More flexibility in spend allocation – enabling marketing teams to shift investment based on data rather than fixed plans
Key takeaway: Applying agile methodologies to budgeting ensures that financial resources are allocated dynamically, based on measurable business impact rather than arbitrary planning cycles.
5. The one change marketing leaders would make tomorrow
When asked what single change would have the greatest impact, responses highlighted three major frustrations:
Marketing should be recognised as a strategic function, not just a cost centre. Many teams still spend too much time justifying their existence rather than being trusted as a commercial growth driver.
Breaking down silos is essential. Too often, marketing leaders still fight for a seat at the table, rather than being included in strategic discussions from the outset.
More budget autonomy would unlock impact. Having to secure approvals for small spend adjustments slows down execution and limits agility.
Key takeaway: Agile marketing is not just about process – it is a strategic enabler that allows marketing teams to lead business transformation, drive AI adoption, and operate as a core commercial function.
Final thoughts: The future of marketing ops in B2B
The discussions reinforced that agile marketing is not just a methodology – it is an operational model that enables marketing teams to drive efficiency, improve alignment, and deliver measurable business impact.
As organisations continue to explore AI-driven transformation, the next frontier for marketing leaders is ensuring AI adoption is integrated using agile frameworks, balancing automation with strategic oversight.
Our next Marketing Leaders Dinner will explore Agentic AI in B2B Marketing, focusing on how AI can support autonomous decision-making and dynamic marketing execution.
B2B publishers and media firms are juggling events, content, subscriptions, and communities to grow audiences and keep them engaged year-round. But what’s actually driving results — and what’s just making more noise?
In this panel, senior marketing leaders who’ve been in the thick of it share real-world insights on what’s working (and what’s not). No fluffy theory — just practical strategies for building connected audience experiences across events and media.
We explore:
Connecting events, content, and digital products to keep audiences coming back for more
How to cut through the noise with compelling narratives and storytelling that turn audiences into engaged communities
What works (and what doesn’t) and how to craft content that actually resonates
Practical ways to test, learn, and adapt faster (without burning out your team)
How leading B2B publishers are transforming unknown audiences into loyal, engaged communities
There’s candid, experience-backed insights — plus actionable ideas you can implement right away to sharpen your audience strategy and make your marketing more effective.
Check out the reading list:
Download your Reframe cards:
Meet the panel
Chelsey Lang
Head of Brand, Content & Community Marketing Informa Markets, Dubai, UAE
Chelsey is passionate about the way storytelling and data work together to drive action and craft profitable user journeys. She specialises in bringing content marketing into the events marketing sphere, leading on brand building, audience growth and community development across global event portfolios.
Dasha Dollar-Smirnova
Founder, Frog Talk
Dasha Dollar-Smirnova is a seasoned storyteller and the founder of Frog Talk, a communication and public speaking training company, where she empowers individuals to harness the power of their narratives for greater confidence and impact.
She has developed a unique methodology that blends her background in performing arts as an actress, years in the advertising industry, and her Master of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health.
Having shaped brand communications across multiple channels and markets for global giants like Apple, Nike, and Starbucks, she understands how to craft messages that cut through and connect.
Now, she applies this expertise to coaching, helping individuals and teams communicate with authenticity, clarity, and influence.
Zoë Merchant
Managing Director, Bright
Zoe Merchant is the founder and managing director of Bright, a strategic B2B marketing consultancy that gives marketers the power to do great work and deliver business results. With over 20 years of experience in agile marketing, she helps clients reinvent their marketing operations, align with business goals, and deliver tangible value.
As a leader and innovator in her field, Zoe has been recognised as a top 10 women leader of 2020, a 3x #40overforty advertising and marketing leader, and a #CannesLions70 Creative B2B juror in 2023. She is also a certified Agility in Marketing professional.
Zoe is passionate about investing and reinventing marketing teams, promoting diversity and inclusion, and championing marketing’s role in business transformation.
Why it’s useful: This podcast provides practical insights into how media brands and event organisers can build, engage, and monetise their audiences effectively. It explores strategies for increasing audience retention, leveraging data, and adapting to changing content consumption habits.
Key takeaways: Expert discussions on audience development, data-driven marketing, and sustainable engagement strategies.
Why it’s useful: AI is transforming how publishers and event organisers understand and connect with their audiences. This report explores how AI-driven tools can enhance content personalisation, automate audience interactions, and improve loyalty metrics—critical for businesses looking to sustain engagement in a competitive digital landscape.
Key takeaways: AI can improve audience retention by offering personalised content recommendations, predicting user behaviour, and automating engagement processes.
Why it’s useful: The event industry is rapidly evolving, and virtual and hybrid events have become an essential part of audience engagement strategies. This resource explains how agile marketing methods help teams quickly adapt their event strategies, optimise performance in real-time, and drive higher engagement.
Key takeaways: Agile marketing enables continuous testing and iteration, improving virtual event outcomes through data-driven decision-making and audience responsiveness.
Why it’s useful: With the rise of digital events and online content saturation, it’s harder than ever to capture audience attention. This episode shares actionable strategies for event marketers to craft compelling campaigns, differentiate their events, and ensure their messaging stands out.
Key takeaways: Effective event marketing requires clear messaging, differentiated positioning, and strategic use of digital channels to maximise audience engagement.
Why it’s useful: Understanding emerging trends in B2B events is crucial for staying competitive. This report highlights data-backed insights on how event formats, attendee expectations, and marketing strategies are shifting, helping businesses refine their event planning and investment decisions.
Key takeaways: Hybrid event strategies, personalisation, and ROI measurement are central to the future of B2B events, shaping how companies allocate budgets and resources.
Why it’s useful: This case study demonstrates how agile marketing can drive significant business impact, making it particularly relevant for event marketers looking to improve efficiency, audience engagement, and commercial outcomes. It provides a real-world example of how agile methodologies can be applied to enhance marketing performance for large-scale events.
Key takeaways: Agile marketing helped the Informa Pharma team rapidly test and refine their event strategy, leading to a 123% year-on-year revenue increase. The approach focused on continuous learning, real-time adjustments, and cross-team collaboration.
Download your cards to re–frame conversations and spark fresh perspectives.
Reframe Cards are an easy-to-use tool intended to stimulate conversations within teams, encouraging them to reconsider strategies and tactics by prompting thought-provoking discussions.
This edition, created especially for marketing teams working in publishing, media and events, are designed to challenge thinking and uncover key learnings, to help refine strategies, optimise performance, and drive audience development for greater engagement and business impact.
They aim to foster transparency and collaboration by prompting team members to share their thoughts and ideas openly, and can be used in various settings such as team meetings, workshops, or planning sessions to focus on goal-oriented actions and results.
The cards can infuse creativity and agile thinking into team communication, aiming to drive discussions towards actionable solutions.
Complete the form below to download the Reframe cards
Markets shift. Budgets tighten. Stakeholder expectations change overnight. And just when you think you’ve nailed your strategy, something new disrupts your plan. Sound familiar?
For B2B senior marketing leaders with good sized teams, the challenge isn’t just about keeping up; it’s about staying ahead. The ability to pivot quickly, effectively, and with minimal waste is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a commercial imperative. And that’s where agile marketing skills make all the difference.
Why traditional marketing models fail under pressure
The problem with traditional marketing approaches is that they rely on long-term planning, rigid execution, and an often-siloed structure. That’s fine when the world is predictable. But in today’s climate? Not so much. When a competitor makes an unexpected move, a customer need shifts, or a campaign underperforms, legacy processes don’t allow for quick shifts without major disruption.
Agile marketing: your built-in pivot system
Agile marketing flips the script. It’s not about having a set plan and sticking to it no matter what. It’s about creating a framework that allows your team to move fast, test ideas, and adapt based on data and insights.
Here’s how agile marketing enables your team to pivot effectively and efficiently:
Sprints keep the team focused and adaptable – Instead of rigid annual plans, agile teams work in short cycles (sprints) with clear goals. If a market shift happens mid-sprint, you assess, adjust, and course-correct without derailing everything.
Data-driven decision-making – No more ‘gut feel’ marketing. Agile marketing prioritises experimentation, with continuous A/B testing, real-time performance tracking, and data-informed tweaks that help teams respond to what’s actually working (or not).
Collaboration breaks down silos – When cross-functional teams work together in agile marketing hubs, communication improves, and pivots happen smoothly. No waiting for a ‘sign-off process’ that takes weeks. The right people are in the room, making decisions in real-time.
Fail fast, learn faster – One of the biggest mindset shifts with agile marketing is that failure isn’t the enemy—stagnation is. By rapidly testing small-scale experiments, teams get insights quickly, double down on what works, and ditch what doesn’t before major budget is wasted.
Flexibility without chaos – Some worry that agility equals disorder. In reality, agile marketing operates within a structured framework of prioritisation, backlog refinement, and sprint planning. This means you can pivot without panic and adapt without losing sight of business goals.
The commercial impact of agility
For senior marketers leading teams in complex B2B organisations, agile marketing isn’t just about ‘working differently’—it’s about delivering better business outcomes. When done right, it results in:
Faster go-to-market – Marketing teams get campaigns out the door in weeks, not months.
Higher ROI – More frequent testing means budget is spent where it has the most impact.
Stronger alignment with sales & product teams – Agile structures foster collaboration between marketing, sales, and product, ensuring alignment on commercial priorities.
Increased team engagement – Marketers feel empowered and energised, with clearer visibility of impact.
Are you ready to pivot?
If your team still operates with lengthy campaign cycles, rigid plans, and a fear of failure, it’s time to rethink your approach. Agile marketing gives you the tools to navigate uncertainty with confidence—and drive better results while doing it.
