46% of Marketers Now Fully Use AI — But Governance Is Still Broken

Good morning, ! This week we’re digging into how B2B marketers are leveling up—from dedicated email campaigns proving that vertical content drives outsized CTRs, to new data showing nearly half of marketers now fully use AI despite governance hurdles. We explore why brand is reclaiming the top of the funnel, how linear TV still dominates key sectors, and what the latest research says about what truly moves the needle in thought leadership—plus the platforms powering today’s best-performing email campaigns and Adobe’s blueprint for enterprise rebranding.

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AUDIENCE DATA DIVE

What a 5.5% CTR Tells Us About B2B Engagement (And How Dedicated Emails Can Drive Real Results)

Our latest dedicated email campaign just delivered a 5.5% CTR across 175K senior operators—more than 2× typical B2B benchmarks—and the reason is clear: vertical specificity beats broad AI narratives every time. The content spoke directly to private equity decision-makers, pairing urgent AI insights with practical workflows, and once readers opened the email, engagement surged. Even with softer open rates on our largest segment, the open-to-click efficiency was exceptional, reinforced by a strong mid-email CTA and tightly aligned value framing. The big lesson for advertisers? Deeply relevant content + high-intent audiences = real downstream performance—and small optimizations (like segmented subject lines) can unlock even bigger gains. (More)

AD INTEL

Nearly Half of Marketers Are Fully Using AI—But Restrictions Remain

AI in marketing has gone mainstream—but not without limits. According to new research, 46% of organizations are fully allowed and actively using AI in their marketing efforts, while 30% operate under partial restrictions. Another 14% remain unsure about what’s permitted, revealing ongoing uncertainty around governance and compliance.

Meanwhile, 72% of marketing leaders plan to boost AI and machine learning budgets in the next year (Deloitte). With 48% of companies already reporting improved customer experiences (IBM), adoption barriers are likely to erode quickly. The data signals a decisive shift: AI is moving from experimental tool to everyday marketing infrastructure. (More)

THE FUNNEL REPORT

Brand First, Leads Second in 2025

Marketers are rebalancing their funnel priorities. According to new data, branding and awareness top the list for 2025, earning an 8.45 out of 10 in priority—well ahead of lead generation (7.6) and demand generation (7.0).

After several years of performance obsession, many teams are returning to brand investment as the foundation for long-term demand. Customer loyalty and retention (6.37) and account-based marketing (5.97) still rank mid-tier, signaling that while conversion remains vital, brand equity and visibility are once again setting the pace for sustainable pipeline growth. (More)

BUDGET SHIFTS

Linear TV Still Reigns in Key Industries

Despite the streaming boom, some sectors are staying loyal to traditional TV. According to eMarketer, automotive, media, and financial services advertisers will spend significantly more on linear TV than OTT in 2025. Automotive brands, for example, allocate 9.7% of total US ad spend to linear TV versus just 6.2% to streaming, while financial services spend 13.1% vs. 9.0%.

Why? These categories often rely on broad-reach awareness and brand trust, areas where TV still delivers scale and credibility. Meanwhile, CPG and “other” industries are leaning harder into OTT—signaling that as targeting precision and measurement improve, the balance is shifting, but not uniformly. (More)

BUYER’S ROOM

What B2B Marketers Really Value in Thought Leadership

A new B2B Content and Marketing Trends 2026 study reveals how marketers judge their own thought leadership—and the results are telling. 80% measure success by audience engagement (views, downloads, shares), while 63% look at business impact such as leads or pipeline influence. Far fewer prioritize qualitative signals like audience feedback (40%) or brand authority (38%). The takeaway? Most B2B marketers are still wired for metrics that prove visibility and revenue, not reputation. Yet in a saturated content landscape, those who measure influence—not just clicks—will be better positioned to build trust and long-term authority. (More)

CREATIVE THAT CONVERTS

The Tools Powering Top Email Campaigns

According to Litmus – The State of Email 2025, Mailchimp (34%), Salesforce Marketing Cloud (29%), and HubSpot (24%) dominate as the top email marketing platforms. These tools lead because they bridge creative and data—enabling segmentation, personalization, and A/B testing that lift engagement. Interestingly, newer entrants like Klaviyo (9%) and ActiveCampaign (13%) show growing adoption among agile B2B teams prioritizing automation and measurable conversion impact. The takeaway? Your creative only performs as well as your platform allows—choose a tool that empowers testing, iteration, and integration across the full marketing stack. (More)

CASE STUDY

Adobe Repositions Itself With “Creativity for All”

Adobe’s bold “Creativity for All” campaign stands as one of the clearest examples of how a legacy product brand can reinvent itself for the enterprise buyer. Historically known for Photoshop and Illustrator, Adobe faced a strategic hurdle: business leaders still viewed it as a design-tools company, not as a full-stack customer experience and analytics platform. The challenge was simple—reshape perception without alienating its creative core.

To close that gap, Adobe executed a multi-layered campaign combining storytelling, data-driven targeting, and heavyweight thought leadership. The brand launched personalized ads aimed at CMOs, digital strategists, and martech buyers across LinkedIn, YouTube, and top B2B tech publishers. A robust content series showcased real companies using Adobe Experience Cloud to orchestrate cross-channel, personalized customer journeys. Adobe then amplified credibility through partnerships with martech influencers and analysts, securing third-party validation in a crowded category.

The results were unmistakable: brand favorability +14%, Experience Cloud searches up 180% YoY, 25M+ LinkedIn impressions with 2.7x engagement, and a 33% lift in B2B sales inquiries in just 90 days.

The takeaway? B2B storytelling wins when emotional creativity meets hard ROI. Adobe proved that repositioning isn't about louder messaging—it’s about narratives, proof, and the right audience at the right time. (More)

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