Trends in Digital Brand Activations

One emerging trendline we’re seeing among B2B CMOs on MarketerHire (hirers and talent): a shift in where new marketing investment is going in 2025. Not away from content necessarily, but toward areas like brand, paid media, events, and creative. Channels that are harder to automate, and harder to copy. The reason is probably obvious: in the age of AI the value of utilitarian, SEO-oriented, educational blog content is declining. Fast. AI is already answering basic how-to queries instantly, in the exact place and format buyers want them. Not in blog posts. Not in resource centers. But inside Slack threads, meeting notes, and inboxes. Informational content is no longer scarce or hard to find. And in marketing, when something becomes cheap and abundant, it loses its power. That doesn’t mean content disappears. It means the edge moves somewhere else. We’re seeing B2B companies rethink what marketing content is for. Less about arbitrage, more about storytelling. Less about search, more about salience. Here are a few of the tactics our marketers are being asked for most often right now: 1) Original research drops High-signal, proprietary data packaged like a product launch. Think: benchmarks, market maps, teardown decks. Designed for shares and re-use, not search. 2) Short-form video series Recurring formats designed for social distribution, hosted by the founder or a marketer, shot quickly but with a clear point of view. Not ads. Not explainers. Media. 3) High-conviction paid media Creative-first campaigns built to spark reaction. No generic "awareness" banners, this is direct response thinking applied to brand storytelling. Offline activations 4) Not trade shows. We’re talking intimate dinners, mobile experiences, speaker salons. Budget that used to go into gated eBooks is now going into rooms with the right 20 people. 5) Creative refreshes Not just new logos. Full re-articulation of category, message, and visual identity - led by brand strategists and creative directors, not just designers. The marketers getting hired right now aren’t just content writers. They’re producers, brand builders, creative strategists, and media operators. The best CMOs are ahead of the curve. They’re not just playing defense as LLMs change how people search. They’re going on offense and investing in the kind of marketing that earns attention, builds memory, and creates real differentiation. Thoughts?

What B2B Marketers can learn from #Barbie. In recent weeks, we've been flooded w/ Barbie promotions - unlike anything we’ve ever seen in anticipation of a movie release. I can't recall how many times I’ve seen “The devil works hard but the Barbie movie marketing team works harder” across my feeds. As someone who's been partnering w/ all types of companies (startups, medium-sized orgs, Fortune 100 companies) on their B2B #marketing efforts, I’ve seen thousands of marketing campaigns. According to our in-house think tank, The B2B Institute, marketing success is dependent on B2B brands adopting a “Blockbuster Marketing” approach w/ a focus on strong creative execution, which can lead to an ROI of 12x. Our B2Bi spent 5 years analyzing Disney’s creative decisions to come up w/ a winning formula: ✨ Creative Success = (Big Bets) on (Familiar Stories) with (Distinctive Styles) in (Every Channel) ✨ Let’s break that down for Barbie: 1⃣ Big Bets: That Malibu Mansion Airbnb activation was a big upfront investment but it paid off. This collab generated an estimated $216M in viral media. 💡 The media world is competitive. Don't invest in small bets, invest your resources w/ intention, proportional budget allocation is key. If you invest 4-5 figures in activations when your average deal size is multiple 6-8 figures, something is off. 2⃣ Familiar Stories: Barbie's existing cultural imprint blended w/ current trends very successfully. The AI image generator, Web3 & gaming activations are great examples. 💡 Encourage agility & innovation in your teams while retaining your brand's identity. Too often I've witnessed planning cycles leaving little room for spontaneity or marketers being all over the place waiting to see what sticks. 3⃣ Distinctive Styles: All it took was an almost blank billboard in Barbie's signature pink & font for us to register the brand. I’m surprised T-Mobile hasn’t jumped on a co-branded opportunity (yet?) in some type of “battle of the pinks/magentas”. 💡 Bold visual moves & distinctive creatives are crucial. No more stock images or lack of distinctive colors! Developing unique characters (e.g. GEICO gecko) aids brand salience. 4⃣ Every Channel: The Barbie team has mastered the blend betw. the physical & digital world. In addition to the Airbnb, AI, Web 3 & gaming activations, we’ve seen a plethora of partnerships: makeup, clothing, toothbrush, nail polish, cruise ship experience, frozen yogurt, shoes, car insurance, rug collection, luggage. 💡 I’m not suggesting B2Bs should start selling lunch boxes. But there needs to be a cohesive activation strategy across channels to create different entry points for customers, requiring a solid alignment betw. marketing & sales teams. 10 days until Barbie hits our theaters. Growing up, I didn't really play w/ Barbies. But the 29-year old me is highly anticipating this movie. Even if it’s just to pay tribute to the remarkable efforts of Barbie’s marketing team. #b2bmarketing

I’ve worked on several sponsorship programs over the past few months. 9 trends: → Sponsors want your creative support, not just a space to exhibit. → Awareness is a tough sell unless you have a very exclusive audience. → Satellite events are preferred. For large events, brands choose ad hoc activations OUTSIDE of the event. → Social continuity. Many clients preferred to invest in sponsorship opportunities with events strong on social to extend visibility and reach. → Activations over everything. Experiences, wine tasting, ziplining, custom shirts, you name it. Participation = Lead generation. → A la carte. I am sorry if you love your bronze, silver, and gold. Many clients don’t. → In-depth data. Many exhibitors/sponsors request concrete data before deciding. No data = no business. → Meeting certainty. Events that offer meetings with buyers are winning. E.g., This is going to be the biggest IMEX ever. → Sponsorgeddon. Yes, you’ve heard it here first. Once again for a client, we closed 30% of the sponsorship on the final week before the event 😳 What else are you tracking? Oh, and on Wednesday I am sharing my complete marketing framework to drive more registrations. It’s in my free newsletter. Llnk at the top of my profile.

Businesses have to start acting like media companies. As fewer companies win solely on better technology (thx to AI, access to tech, competition), more companies will try to differentiate via better marketing. More competition for better marketing will accelerate trends we're already seeing: - Decreased efficacy of SEO - Increased cost to acquire paid customers - More founders going direct to audience - More events. More podcasts. More youtube channels. More newsletters. More blog posts. More everything. That means there will be more desire to own an audience through original content. There will be two things that separate the content winners from the losers: better ideas & better creative. For every Liquid Death there will be a commoditized, poorly marketed CPG brand. For every HubSpot there will be a commoditized, venture-backed martech zombie. This is why I launched storyarb in the first place & why so many companies trust us to crush their content. I believe more companies, CMOs, and marketing orgs are going to realize the post-ZIRP, post-COVID playbook must look different. But many won't feel equipped to create exceptional content that actually earns an audience (and eventually, customers). 1) Sterile, SEO-optimized articles will be replaced by authentic, high-specificity, data rich essays - See Jason Fried, Tyler Denk 🐝, Hampton 2) Self-serving, sales-driven company newsletters will be replaced by value-first, newsletters-as-a-product - See Morning Brew, Lenny Rachitsky, CB Insights 3) Lifeless company social that doubles as customer service for pissed off customers will be replaced by voicey accounts with a strong POV run by a 23-year old digital native - See The Wendy's Company, Duolingo, Mid-Day Squares The list goes on. Content is moving from forgotten stepchild to favorite kid in a company's marketing department... so unless you're a truly generational technology business (read: Anduril Industries, Tesla, NVIDIA), better marketing is your best chance at sustained success.

As I dove into Kantar’s Marketing Trends Report 2025, one message stood out loud and clear: brands that don’t evolve won’t survive. 👈    Some of big trends that popped for me in this next wave of marketing:    💜 Social media needs to level up. With only 31% of people saying social ads catch their attention (down from 43% last year!), standing out requires bold creativity, authentic storytelling, and meeting people where they are—with what they actually care about.    💜 Creator-driven communities are the new trust currency. Creators are no longer just content machines—they’re building tight-knit communities that brands can tap into. But alignment is key. Consumers can spot inauthentic partnerships a mile away.    💜 Generative AI is powerful, but trust is fragile. 43% of consumers don’t trust AI-generated ads. As marketers, our job is to use AI responsibly, ensuring transparency, data accuracy, and most importantly, human creativity.    💜 Inclusion is a growth driver, not a checkbox. Almost 8 in 10 people globally factor diversity and inclusion into their buying decisions. It’s not just the right thing to do—it’s a business best practice.    What’s your take on these trends? Where do you see marketing heading in 2025? Let’s discuss. 👇    #MarketingTrends #ThoughtLeadership #SocialStrategy #AI #StandOutAuthority #CreatorEconomy #Branding