Analyzing 1.3M Impressions & 45 Newsletters | How Capital Headlines Drive PE Engagement (and clicks)

Good morning, ! This week we’re unpacking what gets PE sponsors to open their emails—capital clarity, real-world anchors, and urgency. We also look at GLP-1 drugs dominating TV ad spend, why B2B marketers are still pouring into lead gen, the bottlenecks slowing AI adoption, how procurement is demanding hard ROI proof, the rise of customer-first creative, and Slack’s playbook for reframing productivity to win back enterprise buyers.

We’re also co-hosting a sports investing event in NYC on September 3rd! Learn more about it, here.

Join 50+ advertisers who reach our 400,000 executives: Start Here.

Know another marketer who’d love this? Pass it along—they’ll thank you later! Here’s the link.

AUDIENCE DATA DIVE

The Headlines Driving 80%+ Open Rates in Private Equity

PE dealmakers are clicking at unprecedented rates — and the winners aren’t guesswork. Subject lines tied to $700B NAV surges, $8B space bets, and $1T sector plays are pulling in 70–85%+ open rates, crushing the norm. The secret? Big numbers, concrete assets, and urgency. Meanwhile, broad outlooks and generic themes slump to the 20–30% range. The message is clear: if it’s not capital in motion, it’s not moving readers. (View Full Data)

AD INTEL

GLP-1 Drugs Capture a Third of Prescription TV Ad Spend in H1 2025

GLP-1 medications are dominating the prescription TV ad landscape in the U.S., accounting for $360.9 million—or 35.7%—of the top 10 prescription linear TV ad spend in the first half of 2025, according to a July iSpot.tv report. Leading the pack, Wegovy alone captured $193.2 million in ad dollars, followed by Ozempic ($90.2M) and Zepbound ($77.5M).

This surge in spending reflects broader consumer interest and behavioral shifts. A January Dentsu report found that nearly half (49%) of GLP-1 users now pay more attention to food labels after starting the medication, highlighting opportunities for cross-category health messaging. Social engagement is also significant: over half of Gen Z (55.3%) and millennials (50.3%) who are aware of GLP-1s have seen these ads on social media, per a December EMARKETER survey.

For marketers, the data suggests that TV remains a powerful channel for driving awareness and shaping perceptions, even as the industry increasingly moves digital. Aligning health and wellness messaging with the rising demand for weight-loss treatments could help brands capture both attention and consumer action. (More)

PRESENTED BY PE150 x CAPLINK

Learn from the Architects of Modern Brand Power

📍 September 3, 2025 | Jay Conference, Bryant Park, NYC | 9:00–11:00 AM

Join senior investors, agents, and operators at the intersection of capital and culture—where M&A meets media, and where sports, lifestyle, and brand equity are the new growth engines.

This isn’t just a panel breakfast. It’s a strategic look at how value is being built, monetized, and multiplied in the fast-evolving sports economy:

→ From Icons to IP: How elite agents structure wealth through equity, licensing, and brand control.
→ PE’s Sports Playbook: What leading firms are buying, how they’re navigating league rules, and where the real ROI lies.

Featuring speakers from Carlyle, RedBird, Bluestone Equity, and WME Sports, this event offers a rare lens into how sports deals really get done.

Seats are limited. Register here before it sells out.

THE FUNNEL REPORT

How B2B Marketers Split Their Budgets

When it comes to B2B marketing investment, funnel balance is everything. New global data shows how budgets are being divided across key efforts:

• 36% goes to lead generation, still the top priority as marketers chase near-term pipeline.
  

• 30% is invested in brand building & awareness, signaling that companies recognize the long game of trust and credibility.
  

• 20% is allocated to demand generation, fueling nurture flows and mid-funnel engagement.
  

• 14% supports account-based marketing (ABM), a reminder that precision targeting remains niche but strategic.
  

The takeaway: despite all the noise around brand storytelling, lead gen continues to dominate spend. But with nearly a third of budgets moving upstream to brand, B2B marketers are betting that strong awareness today translates into more efficient conversions tomorrow. (More)

BUDGET SHIFTS

What’s Slowing AI Ad Spend?

Generative AI has dominated marketing conversations in 2025, but budget allocations aren’t keeping pace with the hype. New survey data shows the top barriers holding back AI-driven marketing adoption—and it’s not lack of interest, but structural concerns.

• 45% of marketers cite data security as their biggest obstacle, underscoring ongoing trust issues.
  

• 37% struggle with integration into existing systems, making adoption more complex than vendors often admit.
  

• 33% point to high implementation costs, a reminder that AI still carries a premium price tag.
  

These friction points explain why many CMOs are reallocating AI spend away from tools and toward training, security, and integration support—a theme echoed in recent earnings calls. Until these hurdles are addressed, AI will remain more of a strategic experiment than a scaled budget line item. (More)

BUYER’S ROOM

When Procurement Demands Proof of Value

Nearly seven in ten procurement leaders (68%) now require ROI documentation as part of the vendor evaluation process, according to Gartner’s 2025 B2B Buyer Survey. Slide decks and sales pitches alone no longer suffice—buyers want quantifiable results, benchmarks, and case studies that map directly to business outcomes.

For buyers, measurable impact has become a mandatory filter. Vendors who cannot provide clear evidence of efficiency, ROI, or business impact risk being sidelined. A recent Gartner survey of 632 B2B buyers found that 61% prefer a rep-free buying experience, relying on digital self-service channels for research and initial engagement. At the same time, buyers expect sellers to add unique value in areas requiring contextual intelligence, such as determining whether a solution truly fits their company’s needs.

“Instead of offering generic information that buyers can find elsewhere, sellers should provide insights and guidance, acting as a sounding board for buyers,” explains Alice Walmesley, Director Analyst in Gartner’s Sales Practice. CSOs must encourage their teams to create value at every stage of the buying process—not just push content or outreach.

When information is inconsistent across channels, buyers notice. Gartner reports that 69% of B2B buyers see discrepancies between a company’s website and sales representatives, which can create mistrust and jeopardize deals. For buyers, the ability to verify ROI, align messaging, and ensure consistent guidance is now a critical criterion in vendor selection. (More)

CREATIVE THAT CONVERTS

Customer-First Creative Takes the Lead

The rules of high-performing B2B creative are shifting—and fast. A new survey shows that marketers are moving beyond flashy visuals or one-off campaigns and doubling down on customer-centric, values-driven approaches.

• 44% say focusing on the customer experience is now the #1 priority, making CX a creative decision as much as a product one.
  

• 35% are prioritizing content that reflects brand values, like social responsibility and transparency, as buyers demand authenticity.
  

• Data is playing a dual role: 35% of marketers use it to inform creative decisions, while 31% lean on it to prove ROI and demonstrate value to the business.
  

• Even service channels are shifting into the creative mix, with 29% pointing to social media DMs and messaging apps as critical touchpoints.
  

The takeaway? Winning creative today is empathetic, authentic, and accountable. It’s no longer enough to make ads that look good—you have to design for trust, prove impact, and deliver experiences that feel personal at every step.

INTERESTING ARTICLES

"Don't be distracted by criticism. Remember, the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you."

Zig Ziglar