New York, NY, June 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anteriad, a global leader in AI and data-driven, tech-enabled B2B marketing, today announced the release of its fifth annual B2B marketing report, conducted in partnership with Ascend2. This year's survey reached 631 marketing decision-makers across the United States, United Kingdom, and APAC. Released at a time when B2B marketers face mounting pressure to prove ROI, navigate economic uncertainty, and reach buyers across an increasingly fragmented landscape, the report gives marketing leaders a clear picture of what the most successful marketers are doing differently and a practical roadmap to close the gap. Entitled The 2026 B2B Marketing Edge: Control Is the Competitive Advantage, the report uncovers the key challenges and opportunities that many B2B marketers face and reveals the actions that correlate with high performance.
The report notes, “The B2B marketers with the best results have found ways to create a competitive advantage. They have implemented buying groups, have a strong data foundation, and use sophisticated measurement to track their outcomes. The good news is that every B2B marketer can use these best practices, starting today.”
The key findings of the report include:
- Using the right data is more important (and effective) than ever. Despite being a slightly smaller group this year, Data Heroes are more likely to meet or outperform goals compared to their peers, with 43% significantly exceeding goals compared to 18% of other marketers.
- Buying Groups are now a critical audience strategy. 38% report having fully implemented buying groups. This group experienced improved marketing and sales alignment, higher win rates, and better conversion from opportunity to closed revenue.
- Attribution Leaders have better insights that drive results. Marketers who prioritize full funnel attribution were much more likely than others to have significantly exceeded their primary marketing goals in the last fiscal year (45% vs 24% of non-attribution leaders).
- Campaign agility delivers higher performance. 41% of B2B marketers reported they frequently reallocate spend based on performance data. Those who don’t face more challenges, including slow approval, technology and platform limitations, and lack of real time performance data.
- B2B Marketers need to “Be In the Room Where It Happens.”. For the first time, Anteriad asked who the top marketing leader reports to and found that approaches to B2B marketing varied depending on the title of their boss, including KPI usage and data strategies. Additionally, B2B marketers reported that misalignment with the CFO can have negative consequences: 39% of marketers face increased scrutiny on spend, 36% see their budget reduced, and 35% experience delays in launching strategic initiatives. Being aligned and “in the room” when the CFO is leading discussions on marketing investments and return is critical, no matter who the top marketer reports to.
“Five years of research has shown us exactly what sets apart high-performing B2B marketers, and this year the pattern is sharper than ever. The marketers winning in 2026 have control: over their data, their measurement, their audience strategy, and their place in the revenue conversation. That's the competitive edge, and the encouraging part is that every marketer can start building it today,” said Lynn Tornabene, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Anteriad.
Read the report [here].
Methodology
Ascend2 benchmarks the performance of business strategies and the tactics and technology that drives them. Anteriad partnered with Ascend2 to survey 631 marketing decision-makers across all levels of marketing leadership and practitioners, located across the United States, United Kingdom, and APAC. These marketers represent B2B and B2B/B2C organizations with 250 or more employees. The survey was fielded in March 2026.
About Anteriad
Anteriad empowers B2B marketers to get in front of their next customer faster through full-funnel marketing programs powered by responsible AI and deep human expertise. Our unique global data and award-winning Anteriad Marketing Cloud drive advanced analytics engagements, managed service multichannel brand and demand campaigns, programmatic audiences, and BDR-as-a-service programs. Ambitious marketers and agencies including ServiceNow, JustGlobal, Microsoft, KPMG, RTIC, and Havas trust our data-driven approach to maximize impact and ROI. Start creating your future today at https://anteriad.com/
Emily Riley Anteriad 914-330-1128 emily@rileystrategic.com