B2B Marketing Digest - January 2026
Dear reader,
Welcome to the first B2B Marketing Digest of 2026.
A new year always arrives quietly, even though business rarely slows down anymore. Strategies roll over, dashboards reset, expectations stay high. And yet, this moment invites something else too: a breath, a pause, a chance to choose more deliberately what deserves our attention.
If 2025 was the year of experimentation with AI, new channels, new funnels, and constant testing, then 2026 is already asking for something different: focus.
Clearer priorities, stronger alignment, and fewer things done with deeper intention. Across the latest research and conversations with marketing leaders, a few signals stand out:
GenAI is moving from curiosity to a core capability
Budgets remain under pressure, while expectations continue to rise
The buyer journey is becoming increasingly invisible, unfolding long before brands see a signal
This edition of the Digest is designed to bring calm to that complexity, highlighting where to place your energy in 2026, which shifts actually matter, and how marketing leaders can move from constant execution to more confident, strategic decision-making. Thank you for being here. For staying curious. And for doing the thoughtful, often unseen work that makes marketing not just effective, but meaningful.
Warm regards,
Kristīne
Hot Updates
Meta Ads & Data in the EU: New Rules, Fewer Signals
From January 2026, Meta is changing how it uses data across Facebook, Instagram and other services in the EU. After regulatory pressure, people in the EU now have to actively consent if Meta wants to combine their data across apps for ad targeting. If they say no, advertisers get fewer behavioral signals to work with. Digital Markets Act (DMA)
For B2B marketers, this means:
Less reliable cross-app tracking and narrower retargeting audiences
A stronger need for first-party data and clear value exchanges
More focus on creative quality and context, not just micro-targeting
Meta’s AI Assistant Enters the Ad Journey
Outside the EU, Meta is testing ways to use conversations with its AI assistant to refine ad targeting and measurement. When people chat with Meta AI about a topic, those intents can later influence what ads they see. Even if this isn’t fully live in our region yet, it’s an early signal: AI assistants are slowly becoming new discovery layers, shaping what buyers see before they ever hit your website.
LinkedIn Leans Harder into Video & Creators
LinkedIn is expanding its BrandLink program, bringing more publishers and creators into revenue-sharing for pre-roll video ads. B2B brands like IBM, SAP, and ServiceNow are sponsoring series aimed directly at decision-makers, and video views on the platform are growing fast.
For marketers, this reinforces three things:
Video is no longer “nice to have” on LinkedIn
Thought-leadership style series are becoming prime awareness and trust formats
Partnering with niche creators and publishers can open new, high-intent audiences
Feature Insight
From Experiments to Engine: GenAI as a Driver of Profitable Growth
Most teams have now tried GenAI for copy, images, or basic automation. But the latest research shows a gap between playing with AI and using it as a true growth lever.
Across new B2B studies from McKinsey and others, a pattern emerges:
The biggest gains come when AI is tied directly to revenue moments – pipeline generation, pricing, upsell, and customer expansion – not just content speed.
High-performing companies use an integrated approach. They connect AI to sales, data, and leadership priorities.
Marketing leaders who treat GenAI as part of the operating model (not a side project) report stronger profitability and faster time-to-market.
What this means for marketers in 2026:
Move from “more content” to “better decisions.” Use AI to prioritize accounts, predict which opportunities are warming up, and help sales teams focus their energy.
Build a small, sharp GenAI roadmap. Pick 2–3 clear use cases tied to revenue, for example:
3. Intelligent lead scoring and routing. Dynamic proposal or pitch generation, Account-level insight summaries for sales.
Design roadmap once – reuse everywhere. Define tone, approvals, data rules, and copyright boundaries centrally. Then let team/s plug those guardrails into daily work instead of re-inventing them in each campaign.
C-Suite & Leadership Corner
The CMO’s Comeback: From Firefighter to Growth Architect
Recent leadership research paints a familiar picture: many CMOs feel stretched across brand, performance, CX, data, and now AI – while still being resourced as if marketing were a single function.
However, in companies where marketing is truly seen as a growth partner:
CMOs sit at the centre of cross-functional decisions, not just campaign planning.
KPIs are aligned across marketing, sales, product, and finance around customer-centric metrics instead of siloed dashboards.
The CMO role is defined less by “channels owned” and more by customer insight, orchestration, and profitability.
Reflection for 2026:
Where do you currently spend more time, firefighting or architecting? And what one conversation could you start internally that moves marketing closer to the centre of growth decisions, not just the edge of delivery.
Reader’s Voice - Community Insight
How Marketers Really Feel Going into 2026
Pulling from the latest European marketing surveys and leadership reports:
Many marketing leaders expect slightly higher budgets, but almost all say the bar for proving ROI is rising.
Measuring impact across channels (especially dark social (peer-to-peer sharing), communities, and AI-driven search) remains one of the hardest problems.
Teams feel the weight of “always-on everything”, more channels, more tools, more data, while headcount doesn’t grow at the same pace.
In other words, the complexity has gone up, but the human capacity hasn’t. That’s exactly the tension this Digest exists to ease by curating signal over noise.
Tools & Tactics
3 Practical Focus Areas for 2026
1. Design for the “Invisible Funnel”
Reports on the future of marketing show that buyers increasingly move in non-linear paths: they research in AI tools, Slack threads, niche communities, and internal documents before they ever show up as a lead.
Reflections:
Are your best insights, case studies, and POVs easy to lift and share inside a buying group?
Do your stakeholders have simple one-pagers or mini-decks that can travel without you?
2. Treat First-Party Data as a Strategic Asset
With signal loss from cookies, EU data rules, and platform changes, structured first-party data is becoming your most reliable source of truth.
Practical steps:
Agree on a minimal, meaningful set of fields to collect across forms.
Regularly clean and enrich – even a quarterly clean-up sprint can change campaign performance.
Build simple segments around intent and stage.
3. Build One “AI-Assisted” Workflow Per Quarter
Instead of trying to automate everything at once, design just one workflow each quarter where AI genuinely lightens the load. For example:
Monthly account research recaps for sales
First-draft campaign briefs pulled from performance data
Drafting webinar recaps or conference summaries
The aim is not perfection. It’s building confidence and muscle memory in your team.
Deep Dive Article: The Myth of the All-in-One Marketer
Why It’s Time to Rethink Marketing Roles in 2026.
Marketing hasn’t become harder; it has become heavier. More channels. More tools. More expectations. And somehow, fewer clear owners.
In this article, we explore why the “all-in-one marketer” is a dangerous myth in 2026 and how clarity, role design, and strategic ownership are becoming the real competitive advantage.
Quick Hits
Pantone11-4201 Cloud Dancer
A soft, airy off-white shade chosen as the 2026 Color of the Year by the Pantone Color Institute. It’s described as a hue that evokes calm, serenity, and clarity, offering a kind of visual breath in a world full of noise and stimulation.
This is the first time Pantone has selected a mostly white tone for the Color of the Year, signaling a broader cultural desire for simplicity and renewed focus.
There are other 2026 color forecasts from brands like Benjamin Moore and Etsy, but Cloud Dancer is the most widely recognized official color from Pantone.
2026’s color of the year is an understated, soothing off-white, symbolizing clarity, calm, and a fresh beginning.
These values are shaping B2B buying behavior and brand perception today. This tone pairs well with minimalist layouts, human-first messaging, and premium brand positioning. Expect more whitespace-led design, calm interfaces, and visual breathing room across campaigns as brands move away from loud visuals to strategic simplicity that signals confidence.
Future Signal
Trust Will Be Measured Before Conversion
The Quiet Rise of Strategic Minimalism
Closing Note
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