At the recent Informa TechTarget EMEA ROI Summit in London, keynotes and panels explored what’s next for B2B marketers navigating turbulent markets. Here’s a breakdown of the most critical insights, predictions, and actionable strategies that emerged.

A-HA MOMENT #1: Mass Marketing is Dead. Long Live People-Based Marketing

Opening the event, Ben Legg delivered a powerful message: mass marketing is deceased. Once the industry standard, pushing uniform campaigns across broad audiences, it’s now too inefficient and expensive in the face of modern buyer behaviors.

Instead, the new mandate is people-based marketing. Each individual, whether prospect, customer, or partner, requires a personalized journey. With AI and big data, this shift is not only possible, it’s essential. And the surprising statement of AI? AI is going to justify higher spending on Marketing. (Didn’t see that one coming, did you?)

Ben underscored the importance of leveraging customer lifetime value (CLV) as the new universal language of marketing performance. CMOs who adopt CLV-driven strategies can better demonstrate value to CEOs, repositioning marketing as a revenue driver rather than a cost center.

If you can predict, optimize, and prove lifetime value with people-based marketing, you’ve cracked the code for earning long-term buy-in from the C-suite.

Why This Matters:

• The cost of customer acquisition is skyrocketing, requiring smarter, not broader, investments.
  
• Behavioral data and AI can now uncover granular buyer preferences, timing, and engagement patterns.
  
• CLV-focused frameworks allow CMOs to forecast revenue impact with greater precision.

A-HA MOMENT #2: Segmentation Isn’t Enough, You Need Personalization at Scale

Many marketing teams are still optimizing their efforts by segment. But the leaders at this summit say that’s no longer sufficient. The future lies in moving from segmentation to true personalization, delivering messaging and experiences unique to each buyer’s intent, context, and needs.

Thanks to the rise of AI, personalization can now be automated, scalable, and cost-efficient. One standout example: companies automating tailored email campaigns using AI tools that respond to individual buyer behavior in real-time, eliminating human bottlenecks entirely.

Several panelists highlighted the importance and prioritization of experimentation budget and time as the fuel for these next-gen strategies:

The best marketing ideas in the world have come from experiments. You must protect your experimentation budgets—even during cost-cutting cycles.

Why This Matters:

• Personalization is proven to significantly boost conversion and retention rates.
  
• Automation + AI enable hyper-targeted experiences without needing massive headcount.
  
• Protecting “test budgets” ensures innovation doesn’t fall victim to quarterly pressure.

A-HA MOMENT #3: AI Levels the Playing Field, But Also Raises the Bar

One of the most discussed themes? AI is both the great equalizer and the great differentiator.

Smaller companies are now able to compete with giants by embracing AI for speed, content output, and personalization. Yet, this advantage only holds if businesses are intentional and disciplined in how they deploy AI.

AI needs reward functions to improve, meaning humans must define success and feed that back into systems. That’s why building an AI Council or even bringing in an AI Trainer to upskill teams was repeatedly suggested.

It’s not just about tools. It’s about teaching your organization how to think and act with AI in every workflow.

Practical AI Use Cases Shared:

• Case study production accelerated 10x using AI for outlining, drafting, and editing.
  
• AI-powered intent-based email copywriting tailored to each lead’s engagement history.
  
• Productivity audits to assess where AI can replace time-consuming manual tasks.
  
• Full-funnel campaign automation using modular AI tools that create, test, and optimize content.

Rethink Your Marketing Org And Build a 3-Year Plan, Starting Now

If there was one rallying cry that closed out the event, it was this: create a 2–3 year plan to future-proof your marketing organization.

In a dynamic panel, speakers were asked what B2B marketers should prioritize over the next 2–3 years. Their answers:

1. AI-Led Campaign Execution: Not just incorporating AI into tools, but running entire campaigns end-to-end using AI tools and systems.
   
2. Resource Optimization: Realigning teams based on market conditions and business priorities, not just historical roles.
   
3. Navigating Market Volatility: Expect continued turbulence. Marketers must be agile, informed, and strategically grounded.

Digital transformation isn’t just an IT initiative anymore; it’s a survival strategy for marketing departments under pressure to deliver more with less.

Here’s what that looks like:
✅ Audit your current marketing org, tech stack, and data maturity
✅ Define your highest-value customer use cases
✅ Design your data infrastructure for personalization
✅ Assign resources to implement AI tools strategically
✅ Build a culture of experimentation and cross-functional education
✅ Shift your metrics to CLV, avoid vanity numbers
✅ Form an AI council to lead organizational change

Marketing won’t just be supporting business strategy; it will become the strategy.

With Momentum Marketing, I help B2B tech scale-ups bridge the gap between complexity and clarity. As this summit made clear, the future belongs to bold marketers who lead with data, act with intention, and experiment without fear.

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If you’re ready to reimagine your go-to-market strategy, shift to CLV-led marketing, or bring AI into your workflow, get in touch. Let’s co-create your next chapter.