New B2B Research Finds Winning Marketing Teams Are Building Fundamentals—Not Just Playing With Prompts

Content Marketing Institute Releases Research on Key Marketing Trends

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- While AI may dominate marketing conversations, winning teams are doubling down on marketing fundamentals first, THEN using AI to amplify creativity and impact. That’s one of the key takeaways from Content Marketing Institute’s latest B2B content marketing research – B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026.

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE.

The just-released CMI survey of more than 1,000 B2B marketers, conducted with MarketingProfs and sponsored by Storyblok, highlights nine key takeaways that include more than AI. It also addresses content strategy, thought leadership, first-party data, personalization, experiential marketing, and other key trends. This year’s B2B research focuses on how well marketers are addressing the major trends that will shape marketing over the next few years.

“The 2026 B2B research shows that winning marketing teams aren’t just playing with prompts,“ explains Stephanie Stahl, managing director, Content Marketing Institute. “The most successful marketers go beyond the AI hype and invest in growing their teams’ skills, cross-functional muscles, and ability to adapt. Their effectiveness is less about the tools and more about what teams do with them.”

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
-- Marketers say people drive results – but budgets say otherwise. When we asked marketers the top three areas they expect to increase investment in during 2026, 45% said AI-powered marketing tools. Meanwhile, investment in human resources (salaries, training, and development) ranked dead last at 9%.

-- AI is flooding B2B marketing – but is it dumbing it down? While 9 in 10 marketers already use AI to churn out content, fewer than 4 in 10 say it has actually improved performance. Productivity is up, but creativity and quality often lag.

-- Personalization is table stakes, but most marketers are barely playing the game. Most (89%) say their organizations personalize content, but they don’t go far with it. Nearly 60% personalize in only one or two channels, and most stick with personalized email (85%).

-- Everyone’s doing B2B thought leadership, but nobody’s doing it at scale. Nearly every B2B marketer (96%) says their organization creates thought leadership content. But in many companies, fewer than 5% of employees contribute. In reality, many programs are just content teams trying to look smart on LinkedIn.

This is the 16th annual content marketing survey conducted by the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs. To see the full report, including additional insights and what steps marketers should prioritize for 2026, visit cmi.media/b2b-2026-research.

About Content Marketing Institute
Content Marketing Institute (CMI) exists to do one thing: advance the practice of content marketing through online education and in-person and digital events. We create and curate content experiences that teach marketers and creators from enterprise brands, small businesses, and agencies how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. Global brands turn to CMI for strategic consultation, training, and research. Organizations from around the world send teams to Content Marketing World, the largest content marketing-focused event, and CMI virtual events. Our community of 215,000+ content marketers shares camaraderie and conversation. CMI is organized by Informa. To learn more, visit www.contentmarketinginstitute.com.

Amanda Subler
Content Marketing Institute
Amanda.Subler@informa.com

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