These four shifts signal a new playbook for growth-focused marketers navigating real-time buying and fragmented journeys.
In addition to some delightful cactus tchotchkes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, we collected a trove of memorable takeaways from all the presentations at B2B Summit 2025. It’s given us a fresh perspective on the state of data management, AI workflows, and B2B marketing—and demonstrated why trust is the last competitive advantage in the buying journey.
But what does that actually mean for demand gen teams on the hook for pipeline, sales alignment, and measurable results? Here’s a look at the key themes from this year’s Summit—and what they mean when you’re in the trenches.
“Introducing Buying Networks: Your Buyers’ New Reality”
According to Forrester, generative AI is now the second most impactful source of information in B2B buying—one rung below product experts, and one above sales reps.
AI has gone from being a marketing tool to a trusted source of insight for modern buyers—drafting vendor shortlists, comparing solutions, analyzing risks, and validating decisions.
So if AI is now part of the buying committee, how can sellers stay in the conversation?
Why it matters
Even with a B2B Buying Network of voices, data, and tools influencing the buying journey, 81% of B2B buyers are dissatisfied with the experience. And this is the opportunity.
When buyers turn to generative AI for insight, they’re not just gathering facts—they’re shaping preferences.
The new reality
Your B2B brand’s messaging, positioning, and value prop must show up clearly and consistently to build trust with human buyers and recognition with machines.
B2B leaders need to rethink how they engage—not just with buyers, but with the entire network influencing their decisions.
Read When AI Becomes the Buyer: Insights from Forrester Analyst Barry Vasudevan at the B2B Summit 2025 for the full story—and three ways that smart B2B teams are responding.
“The Single Source Of Truth Is Dead — Long Live Data Unification!”
The Single Source of Truth (SSOT) no longer fits today’s marketing reality.
Buyer expectations have shifted. Tech stacks have expanded. And personalization is now table stakes. Today’s marketing and sales teams need flexibility, not bottlenecks.
Why it matters
Marketing teams struggle to integrate customer data across platforms. Most don’t know what data they have, where it lives, or how to activate it—slowing campaigns and blocking insight.
Meanwhile, buyers expect real-time relevance. When teams can’t move fast enough, trust and pipeline suffer. It’s time for a more flexible approach to B2B data management: Distributed data unification. This connected, dynamic approach allows data to flow between tools as needed—prioritizing accessibility over centralization and ensuring teams can get the right data to the right place at the right time.
The new reality
Distributed data unification isn’t just about access—it’s about speed. When data is stuck or delayed, teams miss signals and sellers lose momentum.
The future isn’t about forcing everything into one system. It’s about making data work across all your systems, for everyone who needs it, in real time.
Read The Single Source of Truth is Dead: Meet Distributed Data Unification | Insights from the B2B Summit 2025 and learn how to start small on your way to large-scale data transformation.
Marketing to a More Anonymous, Selective Buyer
Buyers are becoming harder to track and slower to engage. They operate anonymously, avoid filling out forms, and expect more value from every interaction. Traditional demand strategies no longer work the way they used to—and earning trust starts much earlier than most marketers think.
Why it matters
B2B buyers now control when, how, and if they engage. And they’re tuning out anything that doesn’t feel worth their time.
That shift is forcing marketers to rethink how they collect and use data to build meaningful engagement.
Zero-party data might just be a marketer’s secret weapon.
So what is it? Data that buyers willingly share. And it’s not only permissioned and reliable, it can help savvy marketers to build trust and create personalized experiences.
The new reality
Relevance and trust are the ultimate differentiators in today’s quieter, more selective buying journey. Marketers must make the most of every interaction, ensuring each one is relevant, respectful of the buyer’s pace, and offers real value.
So while AI can help marketers to scale content faster than ever and reach more people, more often, content’s real value lies in strategic use. It’s about creating meaningful and relevant engagement that ensures the right message gets to the right buyer at the right time. When trust is scarce and attention is selective, timeliness and usefulness are essential. Each interaction must offer relevant answers that guide buyers to the next step.
Read Trust Is the Last Competitive Advantage: Insights from the B2B Summit 2025 for three ways to earn buyer attention and trust.
Making the Move to Adaptive Programs
The theme of a quieter, less externally engaged buying journey continued in this session, as we learned 90% of buyers now use generative AI to guide their journey.
Buyers are increasingly tuning out brand-led outreach and turning to GenAI-led discovery instead—which means marketers need a new approach to keep up.
Why it matters
So how can marketing respond—and re-engage buyers?
It’s time to move away from traditional programs that are manual, linear, and slow to respond and embrace adaptive programs that are AI-driven, run autonomously, and adapt in real time.
From signal-based targeting to intelligent content delivery, adaptive programs are designed to meet buyers where they are—without waiting for form fills or firmographic triggers.
The new reality
Traditional marketing programs can no longer be relied upon to drive engagement and generate leads. Your transformation must begin now.
Marketers that transform the five dimensions of adaptive programs—technology, insights, buying groups, orchestration, and customer lifecycle—can look forward to a connected tech stack, clean data, and signal-based engagement.
Most importantly, they can look forward to meeting the expectations of modern buyers.
Read Data, AI, and the Future of Marketing: Key Insights the B2B Summit 2025 to see how smarter data and adaptive programs will define the future of B2B marketing—and your brand.
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Gen AI has exposed a fundamental truth about the buying process: brands have lost buyers’ trust. Your marketing and sales teams must face up to that reality—now. And if your current setup doesn’t serve smarter data management and adaptive programs that can consistently engage buyers with timely, personalized, and value-rich insights, transformation is the only option. Whether you’re running campaigns, building programs, or fine-tuning your stack, these insights aren’t just interesting—they’re immediately relevant. Rebuild your systems, workflows, and engagement strategy to rebuild trust.
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How are you rethinking your programs this year? We’ll keep digging into what’s shifting—and what’s sticking—in modern B2B marketing. Join the conversation and follow us on LinkedIn.