A new report from POM Marketing reveals a significant disconnect as B2B teams face greater pressure to deliver better results amidst flat budgets, lean teams, and the rapid disruption from artificial intelligence.
The report, Marketing Under Pressure: Inside the Minds of 100+ B2B Leaders, shows 81% feel that pressure to deliver results is higher than it was just two to three years ago. However, this increase in pressure is not matched by an increase in support as 69% of marketers see a significant gap between leadership’s expectations and the resources they are given.
Compounding the issue, 54% believe their team has enough staff, time, or budget to achieve their current goals and 29% are very confident in their ability to prove ROI to leadership.
POM Marketing Perspective
The report arrives as the $20 billion B2B marketing sector is expected to soar to $37 billion by 2033 and as agencies and independent practitioners grapple with the emergence and application of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI).
“These findings should be a wake-up call for the C-suite, not just marketers,” said Kathy Floam-Greenspan, Founder and Chief Strategist of POM Marketing.
AI Without a Roadmap
Marketing Under Pressure draws on insights from 105 B2B marketing professionals across the U.S., representing a mix of company sizes and roles— from managers and directors to VPs, CMOs, and specialists.
This report was produced as artificial intelligence (AI) is altering the B2B marketing landscape, with 79% of respondents stating it has impacted their strategy. Adoption is being hampered by a lack of clarity and internal expertise— 35% of marketers cite a lack of clear use cases as a primary barrier to AI implementation, while 44% point to a lack of necessary skills on their teams.
Furthermore, only 30% of professionals strongly agree that their organizations have established ethical guidelines for AI use, exposing potential risks and highlighting the need for a more structured approach.
What to Do
For marketers to thrive under pressure, POM officials advises teams to move beyond vanity metrics to focus on business outcomes like sales pipeline, customer acquisition cost (CAC), and revenue. The report recommends teams find force multipliers by identifying specialized skills, agency support, or automation tools that can amplify performance, and connecting resource requests directly to revenue outcomes.
Additionally, it encourages marketers to pilot AI with purpose, making sure to start with small, clear use cases, establishing ethical guardrails, and creating a framework to measure results, refine, and scale implementation.
The full report, Marketing Under Pressure: Inside the Minds of 100+ B2B Leaders, is available for download at pommarketing.com.
