What Makes B2B Tech Buyers Distrust Brands? [Report]
42 percent of B2B technology buying decision-makers have said that providing case studies was the top way that B2B marketers could build trust with them, with 35 percent pointing to providing current and actionable data, and the same percentage who noted that providing access to experts was a top trust-booster — three of numerous findings contained in newly-published report data. MarketingProfs
Google agrees to invest up to $2 billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic
Search giant Google’s parent firm Alphabet will infuse up to $2 billion in AI firm Anthropic — maker of the Claude AI chatbot — beginning with an initial $500 million investment, as Google looks to bolster its AI partnerships as rival Microsoft did recently with OpenAI, Anthropic recently announced. Reuters
Forrester Predicts A Turbulent Year For B2B Marketers In 2024
Generative AI was among the top forces expected to drive change within the B2B marketing space during 2024, with some 70 percent of B2B buyers predicted to find a degraded purchase experience due to generative AI content that hasn’t had enough of a human touch involved in its creation, according to newly-released Forrester report data. Forbes
LinkedIn hits 1 billion members, adds AI features for job seekers
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn (client) has topped the 1 billion member mark, lifting the professional social media platform to a spot among the leading social media networks, LinkedIn recently announced, while also rolling out an array of new AI-infused features for job seekers. Reuters
Instagram Tests Collaborative Carousel Posts
Meta-owned Instagram has begun live testing of a new feature that will allow brands working with collaborators to have multiple contributors to content published in the carousel post format, offering creators and influencers new ways to collaborate on the platform, Instagram recently announced. Social Media Today
U.S. Ad Market Posts Third Consecutive Gain In September, Albeit Marginally
September marked the third consecutive month that the U.S. advertising market recorded a rise in year-over-year ad spending, with a scant 0.1 percent rise, continuing a rebound from previous months of declining ad revenue, with digital faring better than traditional formats, according to newly-released report data. MediaPost
Pew Research: Brands Not Targeting Gen X Are ‘Leaving Major Revenue On The Table.’
Only 13 percent of those in the Gen X demographic have said that they feel seen in social media advertising, despite accounting for some 31 percent of the world’s population, and has contributed to 30 percent lower engagement with influencer campaigns among Gen X audiences, according to recently-published Pew research findings of interest to B2B marketers. InsideRadio
Microsoft CMO Steps Down, Takeshi Numoto Steps In
After 32 years Microsoft chief marketing officer Chris Capossela has stepped aside, with Takeshi Numoto — previously the firm’s executive vice president and commercial CMO — taking the key marketing role reporting to CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft recently announced. MediaPost
What Skills Are Most Important for Strategists? [Survey]
68 percent of marketing strategists have said that gaining insight into emerging cultural and behavioral trends was their most important skill, with 54 percent pointing to the ability to deliver upstream brand planning insight, while 44 percent noted the importance of gaining insight into the latest consumer trends — three of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published WARC survey data. MarketingCharts
As more brands use generative AI to create social content, agencies are changing how they measure its success [Report]
66 percent of agencies and brands have said that creator-led content has driven greater return on investment (ROI) than more traditional forms of advertising, while the same percentage noted that they had used AI technology over the past year, according to recently-released influencer marketing report data. DigiDay
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:
A lighthearted look at “Fear of AI” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist
People are speaking with ChatGPT for hours, bringing 2013’s Her closer to reality — Ars Technica
TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:
- Harry Mackin / TopRank Marketing — This Week in Marketing: Setting a New Course — LinkedIn (client)
- Donna Robinson / TopRank Marketing — 5 Ways To Think About Leadership For 2024 — Forbes
- TopRank Marketing — The Thinkers360 Guide to B2B Influencer Marketing — Thinkers360
FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:
Avinash Kaushik @avinash
Dennis Shiao @dshiao
Joanne Sweeney @JSTweetsDigital
Joe Pulizzi @JoePulizzi
Melanie Deziel @mdeziel
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