Over the previous yr or so, the dialog across the significance of being a industrial marketer has gained severe momentum, and for good purpose. As budgets tighten, purchaser expectations rise, and advertising and marketing’s function in driving enterprise development comes below sharper scrutiny, industrial accountability is quick turning into the core competency for each severe B2B marketer.
At B2B Ignite 2025, that concept took centre stage. Industrial considering is not non-obligatory; it’s the best way ahead. The keynote classes set the tone, addressing the income hole, evolving advertising and marketing methods and rethinking the client journey.
With a number of content material streams and hands-on workshops, delegates tailor-made their studying throughout themes together with AI, model authenticity, management, information and creativity.
B2B Ignite 2025 delivered one in all its most insight-packed programmes thus far, drawing crowds throughout a big selection of classes, from strategic management panels to real-world AI functions.
Based mostly on attendee buzz and packed rooms, a number of classes stood out not only for their content material, however for the conversations they sparked. Listed below are the important thing themes and takeaways from the preferred classes.
Advertising and marketing’s Crucial Function as a Development Driver
The day started with a pointy give attention to the financial outlook. Susannah Streeter, Head of Cash & Markets, Hargreaves Lansdown, joined our CEO, Richard O’Connor, to encourage entrepreneurs to see 2025 as a pivotal second to step into industrial management.
Immediately’s high entrepreneurs should drive income, affect shopping for committees and lead enterprise development. A brand new Propolis report launched at B2B Ignite, Realise your potential: Your information to turning into the industrial marketer your corporation wants, and your future calls for, outlines the important thing expertise required to do exactly that.
An inspiring panel, moderated by our Propolis Professional Shane Redding, introduced collectively senior leaders from Capgemini, The Entry Group, Dentsu B2B, and extra. Their name to motion was clear: daring transformation is required.
In a quickly altering world, advertising and marketing should transcend incremental change, embracing industrial focus and strategic affect on the highest ranges of enterprise. Advertising and marketing should reclaim its function as a development driver, model guardian and trusted enterprise chief.
Nick Mason, Co-Founder and CEO, Turtl, bolstered this theme in a compelling keynote. Presenting findings from a survey of 500 advertising and marketing leaders, he revealed rising content material budgets with little measurable income return.
To assist bridge this hole he launched Hatch AI, a brand new content material agent providing automated manufacturing, income intelligence and actionable insights. One other clear takeaway: B2B advertising and marketing should transfer past vainness metrics and give attention to KPIs tied to actual enterprise influence like pipeline contribution and profitability.
Sharon Forder, CMO, Sana Commerce, and Andy Champion, SVP Worldwide, 6sense, urged entrepreneurs to personal the complete buyer journey. Sustainable development is dependent upon full accountability at each stage, from first contact to income.
The AI Actuality: Sensible, Not Hype-Pushed
AI was a recurring theme throughout classes, however the focus was refreshingly grounded. Andy Johnson, Founder & Director of Shopper Technique, and Darryl Merkli, Head of AI Options, HUT 3, showcased how AI delivers probably the most worth by way of centered, non-flashy functions.
They’ll optimize processes, assist strategic planning, and unlock time for human creativity. Ben Lee, Head of Knowledge & AI, Bidwells, explored how even conventional sectors can undertake trendy martech with out overwhelming groups, whereas Cath Manufacturers, CMO, Flintfox harassed how creativity and expertise can amplify one another.
One of the vital standard classes was The nice AI debate: Is AI killing B2B advertising and marketing? that includes debaters from Bidwells, Gamma, Pega, PwC and TCS. The session took the type of a boxing match-style debate, refereed by our Propolis Professional, Scott Stockwell.
Over three provocative rounds, the groups tackled a few of the business’s most urgent questions, starting from emotional connection in content material as to if AI might ultimately exchange entrepreneurs altogether.
The professional-AI workforce argued that AI enhances effectivity, permitting entrepreneurs to give attention to technique and creativity. The opposition pushed again with ardour, asserting that advertising and marketing is basically about human connections, and that AI struggles to grasp nuance or problem flawed assumptions.
In the long run, the viewers was swayed by the imaginative and prescient of AI as a instrument to boost advertising and marketing effectiveness and allow deeper strategic focus. For a deeper dive into the instruments shaping AI-powered advertising and marketing, discover our B2B AI Advertising and marketing Instruments 2025 report, your important information to navigating the evolving martech panorama.
Demand, Knowledge & Creativity: The Actual Work of Trendy Advertising and marketing
Essentially the most forward-thinking classes at B2B Ignite 2025 made one factor clear: the way forward for advertising and marketing isn’t about selecting between information and creativity, it’s about getting each to work tougher, collectively.
In Constructing a Excessive-Efficiency Demand Engine, leaders from Dell, Paysafe and TechnologyAdvice shared how information and well-integrated tech stacks can personalize content material, refine concentrating on and measure what issues with out compromising creativity.
That theme of stability carried by way of “From Intestine Really feel to Development”, the place Emanuela Mafteiu, Head of Digital and Demand Era EMEA, Ping Id, reminded attendees that information guides, however development comes from pairing it with human judgment and calculated dangers.
Creativity was one other central thread. In Why Entrepreneurs Aren’t Getting Outcomes: The B2B Advertising and marketing Hole, Jade Tambini highlighted how strain and misaligned KPIs are affecting inventive output.
Renata Florio, International Chief Artistic Officer, Gravity International, confirmed how daring inventive can earn plenty of consideration, whereas Sophie Bowkett, CMO, Hen & Hen, explored constructing model round folks in a means that feels genuinely human and culturally aligned.
Some classes additionally checked out the way forward for groups and expertise. Piero DePaoli, VP International Advertising and marketing, Technique and Tradition, ServiceNow, mentioned evolving expertise methods for a disrupted future, whereas a dwell podcast recording by OrbitalX and Contentsquare tackled the core problem of “doing extra with much less.”
Measurement and accountability remained entrance and centre. A standout session from Cummins and Bray Leino confirmed how well-applied analytics can immediately drive ROI. Our Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Joel Harrison, positioned belief as a vital, evolving forex in B2B.
The best thought management goes past perception, it closes belief gaps in experience, market readiness and implementation. Joel’s message was clear: belief isn’t simply earned however sustained by way of consistency throughout model, demand and gross sales. Finally, belief is a industrial technique.
Leaders Roundtable: Bridging Technique and Measurement Gaps
At B2B Ignite, roundtable discussions revealed a standard problem amongst advertising and marketing leaders: whereas groups had been typically clear on overarching enterprise objectives and the specifics of their very own roles, there was typically a spot in understanding the industrial technique that connects the 2.
This disconnect was made tougher by inconsistency inside groups, some members had been extremely motivated and strategic, whereas others centered solely on what immediately impacted their day-to-day duties. Members agreed that explaining why the technique issues will be simply as difficult as speaking the technique itself.
One attendee shared that their workforce achieved sturdy alignment solely after main funds cuts slashed two-thirds of the advertising and marketing perform. In response, the remaining employees needed to totally perceive what they wanted to realize, why it mattered, and the way it aligned with new enterprise priorities.
This strain led to a “self-sufficiency mindset,” the place workforce members proactively stepped as much as ship actual worth. Measurement was one other recurring theme, particularly in relation to gross sales collaboration.
A number of contributors famous that gross sales typically dictated measurement priorities, generally introducing information inconsistencies, corresponding to reopening closed alternatives, which disrupted attribution and masked advertising and marketing’s true influence. Legacy metrics and the battle to elucidate outdated or flawed information added to the complexity.
There was widespread settlement on the significance of constructing sturdy relationships with RevOps or SalesOps, considered because the impartial “Switzerland” within the course of, to enhance collaboration and drive alignment.
Most entrepreneurs mentioned they had been early of their journey towards agreeing on shared, significant metrics. As one participant put it, “We have to cease arguing about whose pie slice is larger, and begin specializing in making a much bigger pie.”
The dialogue additionally highlighted the necessity to shift inside perceptions, significantly the misunderstanding that lead quantity equals enterprise influence, and to work extra intently with gross sales to outline shared objectives and enhance advertising and marketing visibility.
Fingers-On Workshops and Memorable Networking Moments
Past the levels, delegates bought caught into sensible studying in workshops. Yeshim Harris, Freelance Guide, Coach and Senior Analysis Fellow, College of Kent, helped attendees discover the right way to transfer “From Battle to Cohesion”, bridging inside silos for stronger exterior influence.
Fiona McKenzie, CEO, Revere, unpacked the client journey, prompting actual debate about the right way to rebuild shopping for experiences that really mirror right this moment’s B2B actuality.
The afternoon included classes on private branding by Robyn Hartley, Founder, Paper Kite Media, and a fast-paced workshop by Simon Schnieders, Founder & CEO, Blue Array, drew a packed room desperate to future-proof their search engine optimization methods.
In fact, no B2B Ignite can be full with out the excitement of networking. On the Connections Networking lunch, concepts flowed with entrepreneurs from throughout totally different industries swapping tales and constructing real connections. Considered one of them had flown 9 hours from the US particularly to attend our occasion!
For these hungry to sharpen their copy chops, our Propolis copywriting specialist, David McGuire delivered a “Lunch and Be taught” workshop, providing contemporary takes on making content material join in a loud world. His signature wit and actionable frameworks had entrepreneurs scribbling insights between bites of dessert.
Large End: Bullsh*t, Endurance and Darts Showdown
Because the day wrapped up, the keynote stage delivered a punchy finale. Our Propolis Professional, Karla Wentworth, uncovered the messiness many entrepreneurs face behind-the-scenes and the right way to clear it up. It was a candid second of collective reduction for a lot of attendees scuffling with tech stacks, integration gaps and cross-functional silos.
Then got here a crowd favourite: The World Cup of B2B Bullsh*t 2025, with David McGuire hilariously roasting the business’s worst jargon and buzzwords. The viewers voted and “circle again” was topped the winner.
Lowri Morgan, endurance athlete and adventurer, closed out the occasion with a motivational keynote. Her tales of pushing bodily and psychological limits left the viewers impressed, reminding B2B entrepreneurs that true transformation is pushed by resilience, willpower, and the fitting mindset. As she put it:
“Failures aren’t infallible. What issues is the way you reply: analyze the gaps, study the teachings and reenter with knowledge and hope. You don’t lose by falling down; you lose by staying down.”
In a world the place markets shift and expertise continually disrupts, her phrases had been a strong name to steer with function and resilience.
The day concluded with drinks and darts, bringing out everybody’s aggressive spirit in probably the most relaxed means doable. It was the proper method to unwind, and a becoming near a day that blended sharp considering with an actual sense of neighborhood.
