In the mind of senior B2B Marketers 2025
Stakeholder Signals
Leveraging Stakeholder Signals, we analyzed LinkedIn posts and articles from 60 senior B2B thought leadership executives at tier 1 and tier 2 multinational enterprises (MNEs) to identify the key themes shaping their thought leadership strategies and how they differ between in 2021 and 2024.
Through AI-driven analysis, we uncovered their core priorities while also discovering emerging sub-topics that were not initially anticipated but are now top of mind.
Content Forecast for 2025
Digital Transformation and Customer-Centric Innovation:
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Content on refining digital transformation strategies, balancing new technologies with legacy systems.
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Insights on leveraging data analytics for personalized customer engagement.
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Focus on integrating real-time customer feedback to enhance omnichannel experiences.
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Generative AI and Its Impact on Marketing Innovation:
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Content on using AI to automate workflows and scale personalized marketing efforts.
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Ethical considerations around AI in customer interactions and responsible AI use.
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Exploring how AI innovations can create a competitive edge in marketing strategies.
Workforce evolution and wellbeing:
Thought leadership around upskilling teams for the future, addressing automation anxiety, and fostering continuous learning to support workforce adaptation to digital transformation.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) integration:
Insights on embedding DEI practices into marketing strategies, leadership, and operations, particularly in hybrid and remote work environments.
Cybersecurity and risk management:
Proactive strategies for mitigating emerging cyber threats, protecting customer data, and building consumer confidence through robust security measures and compliance.
Major Shifts in Marketing
Focus Between 2021 and 2024
How to read this chart
This chart shows the percentage of senior B2B marketers who were interested in each topic, compared to those who posted about it. It highlights how their focus has shifted, showing where interest has increased or decreased over time.
In 2024, Generative AI interest skyrocketed from 0% in 2021 to 77%, while interest in cybersecurity grew from 50% to 71%. These are the two focus areas that the interest in those commissioning Thought Leadership for major brands shifted and will remain relevant in 2025 as brands increasingly try to figure out how to properly use Generative AI for market innovation and protect their cyber assets. In practice this means that further Thought Leadership will be commissioned around these two topics.
Share of interested B2B senior marketers in related subtopics
Digital Transformation and Customer-Centric Innovation in 2024
Market leaders continue to prioritize strategic digital transformation initiatives (41%), balancing the challenge of integrating emerging technologies with existing legacy systems. Enhancing customer engagement through AI-driven strategies (37%) is also at the forefront, showcasing a commitment to using data to offer more personalized and seamless experiences. Although omnichannel experiences (26%) and personalized marketing through data analytics (22%) remain important, there is a notable focus on embedding customer feedback (11%) into product development, underscoring a shift toward more interactive and responsive marketing strategies.
Workforce Evolution and Wellbeing in the Age of Automation in 2024
As automation continues to reshape marketing roles, 36% of marketeers are focused on upskilling and preparing their teams for future challenges. Continuous learning (36%) is a key priority to ensure teams remain agile and adaptable in a fast-evolving digital landscape. There’s also a growing awareness of the need to manage the human side of automation, with 29% focusing on addressing automation anxiety and 21% prioritizing employee wellbeing. The ability to successfully navigate remote work dynamics (21%) also remains crucial as hybrid teams become the norm.
Generative AI and Its Impact on Marketing Innovation in 2024
Generative AI is becoming a key differentiator in marketing strategies, with 46% of marketeers exploring how AI can provide a competitive edge and drive content creation. Ethical considerations around AI’s role in customer interactions (38%) reveal growing concerns about the long-term impact of AI on customer trust and engagement. The implementation of AI tools in workflows (31%) is already gaining traction, while more advanced areas like AI-driven personalization strategies (12%) are still emerging, indicating that the full potential of AI in marketing innovation is just beginning to be realized.
Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Marketing Leadership in 2024
In 2024, 58% of marketeers are placing significant focus on leadership’s role in advancing DEI, highlighting the growing responsibility of executives to champion inclusivity in their organizations. The low interest in subtopics like fostering inclusive remote work cultures (8%) and implementing inclusive marketing strategies (8%) suggests that while leadership is focused on broader DEI goals, there’s still a gap in embedding DEI practices into everyday operations and strategies. This indicates an opportunity for further integration of inclusivity into marketing execution.
Cybersecurity and Risk Management in Digital Marketing in 2024
Cybersecurity remains a paramount concern, with 83% of marketeers prioritizing the mitigation of cybersecurity risks in marketing platforms, indicating the significant threat of cyberattacks. Preparing for emerging cyber threats (50%) is also a critical area of focus as digital landscapes evolve. However, topics like building customer trust through data security (33%) and risk management strategies (33%) demonstrate that marketeers are also concerned about fostering long-term customer relationships, recognizing that trust and security are central to customer loyalty in an increasingly digital world.