DMA: B2B effectiveness soars but all is not hunky dory

B2B marketing effectiveness has increased by 70% over the past two years, overtaking B2C for the first time, but while campaigns reporting brand awareness effects have more than doubled, those reporting lead generation effects have fallen, raising questions about how marketers turn brand investment into commercial results.

So says a new report from the DMA, “The Value of B2B Marketing 2026”, which draws on analysis of 303 B2B DMA Award entries in the DMA Effectiveness Databank, alongside research with 40 B2B marketers, and reveals a significant shift in marketing performance.

The findings point to a growing contribution from brand building, while highlighting the challenge of connecting stronger brand effects with measurable commercial outcomes.

The 70% increase reflects the average number of reported marketing effects per DMA Award entry, rather than direct financial ROI. The analysis shows that brand effects doubled between 2022–23 and 2024–25, driving much of the recent improvement in effectiveness.

However, the report also identifies a disconnect between brand performance and lead generation. While reported brand awareness effects increased from 20% to 45% of award entries, reported lead generation effects declined by 27%, from 33% to 24%

The DMA insists this does not mean commercial performance is uniformly declining, with reported revenue effects increasing significantly over the same period, rising from 30% to 53% of entries. The findings do raise questions, however, about how effectively marketers are measuring the contribution of brand building to business growth, and whether existing attribution frameworks are capturing its full impact.

DMA director of insight and planning and Ian Gibbs, who created the DMA Effectiveness Databank, said: “B2B marketing has reached a significant turning point. Our findings show that brand building is delivering real improvements in effectiveness, and that marketers are increasingly recognising the value of creating meaningful connections with customers.

“But the challenge now is to connect that brand momentum to commercial growth. We need to move beyond a false choice between brand and demand, and ensure our measurement frameworks reflect the full value marketing delivers to businesses.”

The report also highlights an imbalance between customer acquisition and retention. Acquisition now accounts for nearly three quarters (71%) of B2B campaigns, while pure retention represents just 9%. Fewer than half (48%) of B2B marketers report that customer loyalty has increased over the past year.

Customer advocacy and real-world experiences emerge as important opportunities for growth. Eight in ten B2B marketers say recommendations from other people have a positive impact on future loyalty, while more than two thirds (69%) highlight the positive impact of in-person experiences.

AI and generative engine optimisation (GEO) represent another significant opportunity, but organisational readiness remains limited. While 80% of B2B marketers believe strong GEO performance is linked to business results, only half say their organisation has a GEO strategy in place.

The report concludes that B2B marketers must better balance brand and demand, improve measurement of commercial impact, invest in customer advocacy and move from AI experimentation towards strategic implementation.

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