The B2B tech landscape is constantly evolving, particularly with the rapid rise of Generative AI and other cutting-edge technologies. Staying ahead of this curve will be imperative for the year ahead. We surveyed leaders across our company for their predictions for the new year. From AI and security to sustainability, here are 24 marketing observations for 2024.

Content marketing

Generative AI will transform content experiences, and disrupt commodity content 

Matt Egan, Global Editorial Director, Foundry

Generative AI will change the way people find and consume content, allowing them to gather the insights they want from trusted sources. It will make it easy for anyone to churn out landfill content, which will disrupt existing channels such as search and social media. But this will be good for those who – like Foundry – invest in creating unique and insightful content in the service of readers and customers. 

Original research content will be crowned king 

Mary Batchelder, Sr. Digital Marketing Manager 

The flood of AI generated content will make original research stand out. Original research is already one of the most valuable types of content – seeing actual A/B tests, survey results and real data is a step above the simple pontification that makes up a lot of content these days. But once the market is flooded with content that is informed, framed or entirely written by generative AI, original research will stand out as pricelessly valuable content that AI can’t generate for us. 

Generational shift changes the game for tech marketers. 

Gordon Plutsky, VP, Global Services, Foundry

Current market conditions show that Millennials and GenZ’s represent over 60% of B2B tech decision-makers and their influence will only rise in 2024. For vendors, this means traditional sales tactics happen at the end of discovery for these cohorts. Exploration for these groups consists of self-guided digital research with a focus on trusted peers/influencers on social. These specific buying committee members want content in all forms (text, podcasts, video), demos, product reviews and free trials that they can consume on-demand. For these critical prospects, tactics must shift away from cold sales outreach and towards a content-based brand-to-demand approach.

Artificial intelligence

AI brings promise and peril for IT 

Amy Bennett, Editor-in-Chief, B2B, Foundry

2024 will be an interesting year for IT as AI takes hold in the enterprise. Vendors are busily incorporating AI features into business tools – from ERP systems to security products to productivity suites. And software developers, typically early technology adopters, are embracing large language models for coding. This is all very bullish, but there will be significant challenges as well, not least of which is what all of this will cost. 

Gen AI is my co-pilot 

Rob O’Regan, Global Director, Content Strategy, Foundry

In 2024, generative AI will establish itself as a critical assistant to marketers. As these platforms and tools mature, and our comfort levels with using the tools rise, gen AI will help with everything from creative concepting and copywriting to presentation development and campaign analysis. Proper training and data governance will be critical to operationalizing GenAI across the marketing function, but there will be no turning back from this transformative technology. 

From Bits to Billions: Data Structuring Boosts Business 

Daniela Stack, VP Events Europe IDC & Foundry

90% of corporate data is unstructured. Although the data is rich in information, this has traditionally posed challenges for analysis and management. With the rise of AI, particularly generative AIs, based on large language models, unstructured data can be transformed into valuable insights without the need for extensive training. Generative AI can enhance business operations by unlocking knowledge from various sources, making unstructured data more accessible and understandable for humans. Companies will use generative AI to enhance operational efficiency and unlock the value of their data.

AI scoring enhances lead prioritization

Jason Tenenbown, Chief Strategy Officer, Foundry

AI-based scoring will enhance the efficiency of identifying high-potential prospects, enabling sales teams to focus their efforts on cultivating relationships with individuals most likely to convert into valuable customers.

SEO meets LLM 

Andrew Mahr, Chief Customer Officer, Foundry

New rules inspire new playbooks, and that will quickly prove true for SEO as marketers compete for an edge in AI-powered search results. The twist this time? PageRank could be reverse engineered to a degree, Large language models (LLMs) by their nature cannot be. That makes it a whole new playing field, and by year’s end it will be completely normal-sounding to ask questions like “How do you use prompt injection to optimize zero-click SEO performance? 

Gen AI won’t be like Google Search 

Neil Bennett, Global Director, Product and Data – Consumer, Foundry

The real value in GenAI will be found in walled gardens, not in open systems like ChatGPT – and in tools tailored to specific users. That tailoring will happen on a macro level, where users will go to specific apps or sites for trusted information – and on a micro level where your interaction with an app or site changes depending on what you’re trying to achieve. 

Embrace the Change 

Tanu Javeri, VP, Search, Foundry

In 2024, the evolving landscape of AI will have a significant influence on SEO practices. In a generic AI-generated content world, publishers must deliver unique and insightful content tailored to user preferences and semantic search patterns. Publishers should focus their efforts on establishing their brand identity by creating comprehensive, in-depth material showcasing expertise, and most critically, cite reliable sources with the aim of increasing exposure and trustworthiness. Embracing AI-driven tools to identify keywords, augment data analysis, uncover link building opportunities and innovations will become fundamental in this process. 

Customer experience

RPA will be the silent winner 

Brian Stoller, Chief Marketing Officer, Foundry

While AI will continue to be top of mind, the process of evaluating AI vendors for marketing will recognize the need for better Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to improve data. RPA will be the silent winner, particularly in marketing organizations focused on understanding customer engagement and retention strategies or adopting the IDC ACE framework.

It’s not Human-to-Human vs Human-to-Robot; it’s Robot-for-Human-to-Human. 

Joanne McClay, Director of Customer Success, EMEA, Foundry

Building relationships with clients and customer loyalty is more prevalent than ever. Customer Service teams will be expected to be more consultative, bring more expertise to the table and present data in more imaginative ways, all more consistently. GenAI will help scale customer service teams in exactly this way; repetitive tasks will be automated, making room for personalization at scale. 

Hyper-personal is the new norm to drive Conversion 

Christian Löbering, Managing Director – Consumer, Foundry

Customers expect their needs to be anticipated. Digital experiences will become increasingly hyper-personal through the use of machine learning and GenAI. These advancements will enable marketers to leverage unstructured data sources, content analytics, and design to drive outcomes. Device categories like AR, VR, and XR will multiply the range of AI-powered experiences beyond the boundaries of smartphones, laptops, and screens, allowing for seamless blending of virtuality and reality. 

It’s all the name..or is it? 

Lee Rennick, Executive Director, CIO Communities, CIO, Foundry

In 2024 tech leaders will continue to transform legacy systems, build cloud and data capabilities, ensure security, and take steps to transform their business with generative AI. By doing so, they are leading the way to create and build frictionless end user experiences. This will require talented, diverse teams, with current skills and specialized learning opportunities to future-proof business. Who is the technology leader of 2024? It’s not one person, but a team. The CIO, CTO, CISO, and CSO will be a multitalented leading group that will guide, build and execute business strategy and growth. 

Engagement and ROI 

Stealing the Spotlight: Partner Marketing vs. Corporate Marketing in 2024 

Rick Currier, SVP US Sales & Partner Marketing, Foundry

In 2024, Partner Marketing teams will step into the spotlight as companies rely on strategic partnerships to elevate their go-to-market messages and solutions in crowded markets. Co-funding initiatives will thrive despite tight budgets, driven by a relentless focus on ROI, reshaping the corporate marketing landscape. 

Accurate engagement tracking becomes the new KPI

Deanna Hanifin, Director, Performance Analytics, Global Services, Foundry

The core KPIs for digital marketers will shift from high level site analysis to engagement and user-based metrics. With Google launching Google Analytics 4, marketers now have access to more accurate metrics such as engaged time, engaged sessions and active users. Marketers will have more exposure to user engagement than ever before, and metrics such as session duration will begin to sunset with a greater focus on engagement. 

Security priorities

2024 will be the Year of the CISO 

Jonas Triebel, Regional Managing Director, DACH, Central and Eastern Europe, Foundry

In 2024, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) will become the most important executive in every company. Having a CISO on board will be crucial for the success of the business. Not only do they protect the company against all kinds of cyber threats, they are also ensuring confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive data. 

AI plus Security 

Manuel Pastor Rodriguez, Managing Director, Foundry Spain

AI is the new “hotness” that is here to stay, not only for marketers and the IT industry, but for everyone. At this moment, it’s difficult to imagine the impact that AI will have in all our lives. In 2024, security will be a key consideration and target for AI, as well as quality of content, and our approach to demand generation and ROI. There is very little that AI won’t touch in 2024.

Global markets

Navigating 2024 challenges

Rob Richardson, VP Sales, ASEAN, Foundry

In 2024, the APAC region will see growth targets increase but budgets stagnate or reduce. There will be a renewed focus on alliance and partner building as vendors look to share the load and de-risk budgets. In turn, this will apply pressure on marketers to shepherd prospects further down the pipeline. Marketers will also need to provide deeper, more substantial intelligence across account data to ensure the quality of leads they send to sales.

AI-driven insights will become a global language for regional teams 

Masami Elischer, Marketing Manager APAC, Corporate Marketing, Foundry

The impact of worldwide events has had a ripple effect in regional markets. As we go into 2024, regional markets will continuously be addressing the ramifications of 2023. Global data will play a pivotal role in how regional marketers behave and communicate moving forward, as well as how to align businesses from a global perspective. This will be achieved through AI-driven insights that align teams and turn data into a global language.

Events

In-person events grow despite growing digitalisation 

Tomas Benjamin, Global Director, Events, Foundry

“Events will never be the same again”- like sentences were commonplace as we adjusted to a new digital life during the pandemic. But in 2023, these predictions have proven to be far from true. B2B conferences show no signs of slowing demand. Maybe this reinforces an evolutionary trait in which we’ll never lose – humans crave real, in-person experiences. As buyers immerse themselves in niche content and communities, sellers benefit from real interactions with potential customers, complimenting an otherwise digital marketing mix. I speculate, perhaps with a hint of self-interest, that the novelty of in-person events will see them continue to thrive in an increasingly digitized world, extending well into 2024 and beyond. 

Shifting landscapes

2024: AI, of course – and marketers – caveat emptor 

Mark Lewis, Chief Data Officer, Foundry 

1. Doubling down on trust. 2024 is the year clients, agencies and publishers double down on trusted partnerships. These three groups must work together to navigate the challenges of AI, wasted spend and bad marketing practices. 

2. No more delays. First party cookie and contact pools from trusted brands become more critical as Google finally makes good on its promise to depreciate Chrome’s support for 3rd party cookies.  

3. Rich get richer. AI becomes more prevalent, but what to use, who to trust, leads organizations to Microsoft, Google and Meta. Open-source AI tools will also be big winners as no one wants to make a large bet on a single platform in an ever-shifting environment.  

4. Flushed in Flushing. The NY Mets do not win the World Series. Futility again. 

Transformative change in 2024

Darren Brain, Vice President, Commercial Operations, APAC, Foundry

In 2024, the B2B media and marketing industry is poised for transformative changes, driven by technological advancements and evolving business landscapes. Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionize B2B marketing strategies, enabling more sophisticated and data-driven approaches to customer engagement. Account-based marketing (ABM) is expected to gain further prominence as companies increasingly recognize the value of personalized and targeted outreach to specific accounts. The continued rise of blockchain technology may enhance data security and transparency, addressing concerns related to trust and privacy in B2B transactions. As sustainability becomes a central focus across industries, B2B marketers may also witness a shift towards eco-conscious messaging and practices.

Expanding buying teams and priorities 

Keith Linden, SVP US Sales & Strategic Partnerships, Foundry

The typical B2B deal in 2023 involved an average of 25 people in the buying committee, up from 20 people in 2022. In 2024, buying teams will continue to grow, introducing new personas and challenges. To better reach these teams, we must be able to connect with various stakeholders across accounts and align our messaging with their unique priorities.