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Customer-Centricity in the Age of AI: What We Learned in Boston

Energize Marketing — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Customer-Centricity in the Age of AI: What We Learned in Boston

2 hours ago
4 min read

There’s a version of these “AI in Marketing” events where everyone talks about AI like it’s already solved marketing, but this “Customer Centric Growth In the Age of AI” B2B marketing event in Boston with the CMO Council wasn’t that.

What made this event different was how raw and honest the conversations were. In an intimate setting with small bites and drinks, the conversation revolved less around what AI can do and more about where things are actually breaking down.

And right now, a lot is.

We Have The Tools. We’re Short on Clarity.

The day opened with Sophia Agustina from Gain Relationship grounding the conversation in the 9 Cs framework—connecting customer, content, campaign, channel, and conversion into a single system.

It sounds so simple, but especially when it comes to AI, most teams aren’t operating that way yet.

Across the sessions and roundtables, what kept coming up was that teams aren’t so much behind on AI, but they’re feeling overwhelmed by it.

There’s no shortage of platforms, agents, or ideas. But stitching it together into a framework that drives pipeline? That’s where things get murky.

The data reinforces it:

Most companies are still early in personalization maturity
Only a small percentage are consistently acting on behavioral data
And even fewer are truly personalizing in a meaningful way

None of that points to a lack of ambition.

It points to a lack of cohesion.

You can feel it in how marketers describe their day-to-day:

“We’re doing a lot; we’re just not sure what’s actually moving the needle.”

AI Is Changing the Shape of Marketing Teams

Kathleen Joyce, currently working at Bridge Partners in AI and frontier marketing, brought one of the more forward-looking perspectives of the day:

Marketing is shifting from campaigns to continuous systems.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Always-on optimization
Real-time decisioning
AI agents running experimentation loops in the background

That shift has a downstream effect most teams are just starting to feel: the job of marketing is changing.

The panel discussion made that tangible.

Parag Pathak, VP of Product Marketing from Nasuni, talked about integrating tools like Claude agents and AI frameworks and Gong to continuously refine targeting and workflows as an ongoing learning system.

CMO of LockThreat, Rob Young shared something that came up in almost every conversation after:

Instead of hiring a “Digital Marketing Manager,” he brought on a “GTM Engineer.”

This was someone who was able to connect systems, operationalize AI, and build the infrastructure behind execution. He realized what he needed wasn’t more campaigns, but someone who could understand the technology to execute them more effectively.

The 5% That Actually Matters

Rob also made a point that landed hard in the room:

Focus on the 5% of buyers who are in-market—not the 95% who aren’t.

It’s a simple idea, but historically hard to execute. However, in the age of AI, where everyone can produce more content and more activity, the 95% actually becomes harder to reach amid the noise. At the same time, with the right tools and targeting, the 5% becomes easier to identify and engage.

We’re starting to see a shift toward:

Fewer, more relevant interactions
Higher-quality content that drives buyer action
Messaging that is grounded in proof and personalization

These shifts in efficiency come as the pressure mounts to prove results.

Engagement Is Up. Confidence Is Not.

Matthew Stein, Agent Marketplace Architect, brought a different kind of clarity with his session on “AI slop.”

His point was blunt:

AI didn’t just lower the cost of producing content—it shifted the burden to the person receiving it.

More output doesn’t mean more value. In many cases, it just means more to sift through, interpret, and validate.

That idea connects directly to what we’re seeing across the funnel.

Michael Greenhut, Co-founder of Energize Marketing®, built on this with a clear articulation of what’s happening in the market right now:

Engagement is up. Pipeline isn’t.

Buyers are engaging earlier, but deals are getting slower, more complex, and harder to close.

Why?

Because confidence is breaking down. More stakeholders means more scrutiny. Signals without context don’t drive action. Misalignment between marketing and sales resets momentum.

And the data backs it up:

93% of marketers report only moderate or low effectiveness from intent data

With the proliferation of AI content, with all its slop and noise, credibility is harder to achieve.

As Michael outlined, high-performing teams are focused on understanding and connecting with buyers, starting with proof through research-led content, activating signals with real context (who, what, and why), and aligning marketing and sales around shared execution.

Because when buyers don’t trust what they’re seeing, they don’t act.

The Conversations Between the Sessions

Some of the most valuable moments came from the honest conversations our team had with other marketers.

I spoke with several marketers navigating things like smaller teams, growing expectations to modernize, and of course, the constant pressure to prove ROI quickly.

They’re trying to move forward without breaking what already works, investing in tools without fully knowing which ones will matter long-term, and they’re being asked to do more with less room for error. Layered into all of this is the expectation to personalize at scale, to be creative, to stand out and somehow not feel intrusive in the process.

Do the math on that; it’s enough to make anyone lose their marbles.

Where This Leaves Us

If there’s one thing that tied the day together, across Sophia’s framework to Kathleen’s systems thinking to Matthew’s push for clarity to Michael’s focus on credibility, it’s that marketing isn’t being replaced. Instead, it’s being rebuilt while we’re all still operating inside of it.

Systems are replacing one-off campaigns
Roles are shifting toward architecture and orchestration
Personalization is getting closer—but still uneven
And credibility is becoming harder to earn, and more valuable when you have it

This event in Boston provided us with a snapshot of where things actually are. We’re in flux, but we’re starting to figure out ways forward.

Chasing every new tool out there isn’t going to create efficiency, but focusing on how your buyers actually make decisions, how your systems make sense internally, and creating work that people trust enough to act on will help create the momentum we’re all seeking.

The marketers who win in this next phase will use AI to create clarity, build confidence, and make it easier for buyers to say yes.

B2BMX 2026 Takeaways: AI, Trust, and What’s Next for B2B Marketing

Energize Marketing — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

B2BMX 2026 Takeaways: AI, Trust, and What’s Next for B2B Marketing

Apr 3
3 min read

For a lot of us coming from the still-frozen East Coast and Midwest, sunny Carlsbad, California felt like a warm, welcoming hug. Stepping off the plane and into the palm-, fruit tree-, and flower-lined Omni Resort, marketers across B2B industries arrived ready to nourish their strategies—and soak up some much-needed vitamin D.

As a B2B Marketing Exchange sponsor, the Energize Marketing® team had the opportunity to engage with marketers across sessions, networking events, and the show floor. Personally, I valued the chance to connect with peers from startups to global enterprises. Despite the diversity of industries and company sizes, a clear pattern emerged: many were grappling with the same core challenges.

Two Challenges, One Bigger Problem

Two themes surfaced again and again in conversations.

The first—unsurprisingly—was AI implementation. It was almost comical how often I heard some version of: “Our C-suite keeps saying, ‘Use more AI,’ but we’re not really sure how.” Despite the explosion of AI vendors and capabilities, many teams still lack a clear playbook. Events like B2BMX have become a place to search for that clarity.

As John Johansen, Director of Global B2B Growth Marketing at Keeper Security, put it:

“With AI it is easier than ever to narrow audience targeting and personalize messaging…but we’re also facing data security questions, content quality issues, and existential concerns. Our experimentation mindset will be crucial in sorting out real results versus chasing shiny distractions.”

The second theme was the growing challenge of building trust across increasingly complex buying committees. Today’s marketers are being asked to do more with leaner teams, fewer vendors, and heightened accountability for pipeline and ROI. The margin for error is shrinking—and so is the time available to think strategically.

Kim Maibaum, Senior Product Marketing Manager at WatchGuard Technologies, captured the value of these shared conversations:

“Beyond the interesting vendors and speakers, connecting with others who have similar experience sparked meaningful conversations… and provided insights I’m excited to bring back to my role.”

AI Pressure and Trust Are Intertwined

What stood out most was how connected these two challenges really are.

The pressure to “figure out AI” is not separate from the pressure to build trust. Teams are being pushed to move faster—often without a clear understanding of what actually earns attention or credibility with buyers. So they experiment, add tools, and increase output… but still struggle to drive meaningful pipeline impact.

That tension showed up everywhere. Marketers aren’t short on ideas or effort—they’re short on clarity around what actually moves buyers forward.

As Cori Gordon, VP of Sales & Growth at Energize Marketing, summarized:

“AI, data, and creativity have to work together—but they only drive results when grounded in real human connection. The teams pulling ahead are scaling AI across research, content, and analytics while doubling down on credibility, community, and true go-to-market alignment.”

What Actually Moves the Needle

This is where Energize’s perspective continues to resonate.

Marketers are highly capable—but access and alignment are harder than ever to achieve. If you’re not consistently reaching the right decision-makers, and your content isn’t aligned to how they evaluate and decide, building trust becomes nearly impossible—regardless of how advanced your tools are.

Ricky Abbott, President at Transmission, highlighted how buyer behavior itself is evolving:

“Customer habits are changing… they’re engaging in long-form, short-form, and AI-driven experiences. As B2B marketers, we need to adapt—moving away from traditional brand-to-demand motions and toward more dynamic, experience-led strategies.”

What we heard at B2BMX reinforces what we see every day: teams are trying to scale demand in an environment where attention is fragmented and buying groups are harder to engage. Adding more channels or more AI alone doesn’t solve that.

What does make a difference is being intentional—about who you reach and what you deliver when you do.

When marketers connect verified audience access with credible, insight-driven content, everything changes. Conversations become more productive. Sales teams start further along. Pipeline becomes something measurable and optimizable—not just aspirational.

Turning Insight Into Action

Events like B2BMX are energizing not just because of the setting, but because they bring shared challenges into the open. The real opportunity lies in what comes next: turning those conversations into more focused, intentional execution.

To go deeper into what today’s marketers are facing, explore our 2026 Global State of Demand Generation Report:

https://www.energize-marketing.com/globalstateofdemandgen2026insights

When More Budget Doesn’t Mean Less Pressure

Energize Marketing — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

When More Budget Doesn’t Mean Less Pressure

Mar 30
2 min read

If you’re in B2B marketing right now, chances are the pressure hasn’t let up. In many cases, it’s intensified.

That might feel counterintuitive. Budgets are up in a lot of organizations. Investment in brand, content, and AI continues to grow. And yet, confidence hasn’t followed the same trajectory. Many marketers are being asked to do more, prove more, and move faster—all at the same time.

That tension is exactly what our founder, David Steifman, explores in his latest Forbes Business Council article: Read the full Forbes article

David writes about how demand generation has evolved beyond lead capture into something far more strategic and complex inside modern organizations. That evolution should feel like progress. In reality, it often comes with a heavier burden.

Buying cycles are longer. More stakeholders are involved. Attribution is harder to pin down in a way that feels definitive. At the same time, leadership expectations haven’t softened. If anything, they’ve sharpened, with teams increasingly asked to demonstrate clear impact on revenue and justify spend more frequently.

And underneath all of this is a shift that’s easy to overlook but hard to ignore once you see it: buyers are doing more on their own. They’re researching, forming opinions, and narrowing options well before they ever engage with a sales team. That changes what marketing needs to do—and when it needs to show up.

So the pressure marketers feel isn’t just about performance. It’s about navigating a role that’s still being redefined in real time.

What we appreciate about David’s perspective is that it doesn’t try to simplify that reality. It acknowledges the complexity without reducing it to a neat formula or a quick fix. It reflects the conversations we’re having every day with teams who are balancing growth expectations with operational constraints, and trying to make smart bets in an environment that doesn’t always offer clear feedback loops.

As David begins contributing more regularly through Forbes, you can expect more of this kind of thinking—grounded in how B2B marketing actually works today, not how we wish it worked.

If you’re feeling the weight of rising expectations, this is a piece worth your time.

Energize in Forbes: Building B2B Brands That Drive Growth

Energize Marketing — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Energize in Forbes: Building B2B Brands That Drive Growth

Mar 27
1 min read

In B2B, standing out is harder than ever. Buyers have more information, more options, and less patience for anything that feels generic. That’s why brand authority is getting so much attention right now, not as a “nice to have,” but as a real driver of pipeline and growth.

A recent Forbes Business Council article, “How To Build B2B Brand Authority That Drives Sales Growth,” brings together perspectives from a range of leaders tackling that exact challenge. We’re excited to see Energize Marketing® co-founder David Steifman included in the mix.

David’s point is grounded in how buying actually works today. Buyers are not waiting to be educated by sales teams. They are researching, comparing, and forming opinions long before a conversation ever happens. When brands understand that process, they can create content and experiences that feel useful in the moment, not just promotional.

That usefulness is what builds trust early and carries into the pipeline. It gives sales teams a stronger starting point and helps conversations move faster because buyers already have context and confidence.

This is very much how we think about marketing at Energize. The goal is to go beyond standard marketing activity to connect with the right decision-makers and turn credible, insight-driven content into something sales can actually use.

When that connection is in place, brand and demand start working together instead of pulling in different directions.

If you’re thinking about how your brand shows up in the buying journey, this is a great read. You can check out the full Forbes article here: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2026/02/27/how-to-build-b2b-brand-authority-that-drives-sales-growth/

Cybersecurity Demand Generation in 2026: What the Benchmark Data Reveals

Energize Marketing — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Cybersecurity Demand Generation in 2026: What the Benchmark Data Reveals

Mar 18
3 min read

Updated: Mar 20

Cybersecurity marketers operate under a different kind of pressure than most B2B teams.

Every purchase carries risk. Buyers scrutinize vendor claims, internal stakeholders challenge assumptions, and decisions often stretch across multiple quarters. Marketing isn’t just responsible for generating interest—it must help sales establish credibility with security leaders who are trained to question everything.

To better understand how demand generation works in this environment, Energize Marketing analyzed responses from cybersecurity leaders within our global State of Demand Generation 2026 research.

The findings reveal a market that is sophisticated, data-rich, and increasingly focused on one outcome above all others: qualified pipeline.

You can explore the full industry brief here:

Cybersecurity Demand Generation in 2026: Powering the Pipeline in Cybersecurity Marketing

Below are several of the most important insights from the research.

Pipeline Has Become the Defining Metric

Across industries, marketing leaders are shifting away from activity metrics and toward revenue accountability.

Cybersecurity teams are no exception. In fact, the shift is particularly pronounced. The majority of cybersecurity marketers now define success by pipeline contribution and revenue influence rather than lead volume.

This reflects a broader change in executive expectations. Marketing is increasingly evaluated not on how many leads it produces, but on how effectively it helps sales move deals forward.

The implication is clear: modern demand generation programs must be designed around conversion and deal momentum, not just top-of-funnel engagement.

Signal-Rich Environments Still Struggle With Activation

Cybersecurity marketers operate in a data-dense environment.

Intent signals, content engagement, event participation, and partner programs all generate indicators of buyer interest. Nearly all teams report using third-party intent data as part of their demand generation strategy.

However, the research highlights a critical challenge.

While adoption of intent data is nearly universal, only a small percentage of marketers consider it very effective in practice.

This gap between signal and action is becoming one of the defining challenges of modern demand generation. Teams collect enormous volumes of behavioral data but still struggle to translate those signals into coordinated outreach, targeted messaging, and sales-ready opportunities.

In other words, the problem is rarely data availability.The problem is operational activation.

The Biggest Pipeline Barrier Isn’t Technology

One of the most striking findings from the cybersecurity data is where pipeline momentum breaks down.

When asked what most often prevents qualified leads from becoming real opportunities, marketers overwhelmingly pointed to execution gaps rather than tooling limitations.

The top barriers include:

inconsistent sales follow-up
unclear lead scoring and qualification
changing buying committees

Among these, inconsistent sales follow-up ranks as the most frequently cited issue.

These findings reinforce a reality that many demand generation leaders already understand: modern marketing challenges are less about acquiring more technology and more about aligning marketing signals with real sales action.

Credibility-Driven Content Converts Best

Cybersecurity buyers expect evidence.

That expectation shapes the types of content that actually move deals forward. According to the research, the formats most frequently ranked as top contributors to pipeline include:

original research reports
deep technical whitepapers
detailed guides and benchmarks

These assets help buying committees justify decisions internally and defend them externally—an important consideration when security decisions can carry operational and reputational risk.

Short-form webinars and events still play an important role, but they tend to function as engagement drivers rather than final conversion triggers.

The most effective demand programs combine both:research that builds authority and engagement formats that sustain attention across long buying cycles.

The Next Competitive Advantage: Demand Generation Maturity

The research also highlights meaningful differences between high-performing demand generation teams and the rest of the market.

Cybersecurity organizations report relatively strong maturity in areas such as:

intent data usage
full-funnel content alignment
attribution analysis

However, many still struggle with foundational operational elements like lead qualification frameworks and routing consistency.

These gaps create friction downstream. Teams may generate signals quickly but lack consistent processes to validate, prioritize, and activate them.

Closing that gap represents the next frontier of demand generation performance.

Turning Insight Into Action

The broader lesson from this research is that demand generation success increasingly depends on building connected systems.

High-performing teams treat signals, qualification, enablement, and sales follow-up as part of a single operational flow rather than separate functions. They ensure that every engagement signal carries context forward, enabling sales teams to respond with relevance and confidence.

As cybersecurity buying environments continue to grow more complex, the organizations that succeed will be those that align access, authority, and activation into a single demand engine.

Explore the Full Cybersecurity Industry Brief

The insights above represent just a portion of the findings from Energize Marketing’s research into cybersecurity demand generation.

To explore the full analysis, including benchmark data and operational guidance, download the industry brief:

Cybersecurity Demand Generation in 2026: Powering the Pipeline in Cybersecurity Marketing

Stay tuned for more updates from the State of Demand Generation 2026 research series.

Content Syndication in 2026: The Modern B2B Playbook for Driving Pipeline Growth

Energize Marketing — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Content Syndication in 2026: The Modern B2B Playbook for Driving Pipeline Growth

Feb 23
3 min read

B2B content syndication has become a core growth engine for demand generation in 2026. High-performing teams use it to reach target accounts, activate intent data, and accelerate pipeline creation.

With more than ten stakeholders involved in the average B2B purchase, influencing a single contact is no longer enough. According to the Energize Marketing® 2026 State of Demand Gen Report, marketing effectiveness is now measured by buying group engagement and revenue impact, making precision distribution essential.

To compete in this environment, content syndication must evolve from simple distribution to a data-driven, account-based demand engine.

Here’s how to build a high-performing B2B content syndication strategy in 2026.

1. Prioritize Buying Group Engagement Over Individual Leads

Enterprise buying decisions require coordinated engagement across roles, functions, and priorities. Effective content syndication strategies are designed to create influence inside accounts, not just capture individual responses.

In 2026, effective content syndication strategies focus on:

● Target account identification

● Buying group mapping

● Persona-based messaging

● Account-level engagement tracking

Success is measured by account progression, stakeholder engagement depth, and movement toward opportunity creation.

2. Develop Persona-Driven, Intent-Based Content

Relevance is now the top performance driver in B2B demand generation.

High-performing B2B content syndication programs align content to both persona priorities and real-time intent data.

Build assets that address different roles in the buying committee:

● Technical buyers

● Implementation guides

● Product comparisons

● Security frameworks

● Financial stakeholders

● ROI calculators

● Cost-benefit analyses

● Budget justification templates

● Executive leaders

● Industry trend reports

● Strategic impact briefs

● Digital transformation case studies

Intent-informed distribution ensures the right content reaches the right stakeholders at the right time.

3. Choose a B2B Content Syndication Partner Built for ABM

Not all content syndication vendors are built for modern demand generation.

In 2026, marketers prioritize partners that provide high-Intent, verified audiences.

Your syndication partner should engage active IT and cybersecurity decision-makers, not passive or low-quality databases.

Look for:

● Verified, opt-in contacts

● Intent data insights

● Account-level reporting

● Transparent lead validation

● ABM and Data Integration Capabilities

● Modern B2B content syndication must support your ABM strategy.

The right partner should:

● Target named accounts

● Enable persona-level segmentation

● Provide buying group visibility

● Integrate with CRM and marketing automation platforms

Content syndication should strengthen your full demand generation ecosystem — not operate in isolation.

4. Track Engagement Signals and Activate Sales Faster

Tracking downloads is no longer enough.

The 2026 demand landscape requires monitoring:

● Account-level engagement

● Multi-touch content consumption

● Topic-level intent spikes

● Buying group penetration

Top-performing marketing teams use engagement data to:

● Trigger personalized nurture workflows

● Alert sales to high-intent accounts

● Prioritize outreach based on coordinated research behavior

● Adjust messaging based on consumption trends

● The faster engagement data is operationalized, the faster pipeline moves.

5. Optimize Content Syndication for Pipeline Contribution

Marketing leaders in 2026 are accountable for revenue impact — not just lead volume.

That means B2B content syndication programs must be optimized for:

● Opportunity creation

● Pipeline velocity

● Account progression

● Revenue influence

Continuously analyze performance by:

● Account tier

● Industry vertical

● Persona engagement

● Content asset type

The most successful demand generation teams treat content syndication as a long-term growth lever — continuously refining targeting, messaging, and partnerships based on pipeline data.

Read our 2026 State of Demand Generation Report to get more insights into what marketers are doing to generate pipeline now.

Why Energize Marketing

Energize Marketing has been named the Most Effective Lead Gen/Content Syndication Vendor at CyberMarketingCon for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) — recognizing our data-driven, account-focused approach to B2B demand generation.

Our methodology helps marketers:

● Reach high-intent IT and cybersecurity buyers

● Engage full buying committees

● Align content syndication with ABM

● Deliver measurable pipeline impact

If you're looking to elevate your B2B content syndication strategy in 2026, our team can help you build a precision-driven program designed for real revenue outcomes. Contact us today.

The Rise of Credibility: A Practical Guide to Turning Trust into Pipeline

Energize Marketing — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

The Rise of Credibility: A Practical Guide to Turning Trust into Pipeline

Feb 17
2 min read

By Solange Deschatres

If you lead demand generation right now, you feel it. Right now, every conversation leads back to pipeline. Impressions and MQL volume still matter, of course, but they’re no longer the headliner.

In Energize Marketing’s latest research, 52% of B2B marketers rank driving qualified pipeline as their number-one priority, and 71% say pipeline generated or revenue influenced is their top success metric.

Most teams wouldn’t call themselves immature.

Still, pipeline feels harder to predict than it should, with deals stalling, handoffs losing momentum, and reporting that seems to spark new debates instead of settling them.

Nearly 7 in 10 describe themselves as “somewhat mature,” yet only about 1 in 4 are truly mature or advanced.

Most teams have the tools in place, but not the operational consistency that makes for reliable pipeline.

Here are some practical steps to stabilize your pipeline:

Step 1: Get Clear on What 'Qualified' Means

Everyone says they want more pipeline. Fewer teams agree on what good pipeline actually looks like. Define revenue-ready criteria with sales. Revisit it quarterly. Clarity builds credibility internally first.

Step 2: Audit Where Your Budget Is Going

53% of marketers expect budget growth, and demand generation represents 20–39% of total marketing spend for most teams. Review which programs consistently influence opportunity creation and reallocate with discipline.

Step 3: Make Research Your Center of Gravity

72% of marketers identify research reports and executive insights as top performers for generating qualified pipeline. Buyers engage with content that helps them think better. Build durable, data-backed assets that sales can use.

Step 4: Modernize Engagement Thoughtfully

Short-form webinars are gaining interest, and most teams are modernizing content formats. Shorter, sharper sessions work — especially when they deliver real insight buyers can use internally.

Step 5: Strengthen the Middle of Your System

Only about one in four teams consider themselves mature or advanced. Improve one operational friction point deeply — scoring, SLAs, follow-up loops, or data hygiene. Maturity builds layer by layer.

Step 6: Treat Trust as a Revenue Lever

As pipeline accountability increases, authority becomes a growth lever. When prospects reference your research and sales uses your insights in live conversations, trust is translating into revenue.

Download the Full Report

If you want the full benchmark data, maturity insights, and detailed findings behind these trends, download Energize Marketing’s State of Demand Generation 2026 Report. It provides the global data, operational breakdowns, and practical direction to help your team move from insight to measurable pipeline impact.

Five Years In: A Conversation with the Co-Founders of Energize Marketing

Energize Marketing — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Five Years In: A Conversation with the Co-Founders of Energize Marketing

Jan 27
7 min read

Co-founders David Steifman and Michael Greenhut reflect on the five-year journey of building Energize Marketing, from its early vision to what has remained constant as B2B marketing rapidly evolved.

While marketing tools, automation, and channels have changed dramatically, Energize Marketing’s core belief has remained the same: strong content, trusted audiences, and real buyer engagement drive growth. To mark the company’s fifth anniversary, Steifman and Greenhut share what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how the company has grown alongside its customers.

Q: What originally motivated you to start Energize Marketing?

D: While leading well-known B2B media brands, we saw a clear gap in the market. Even with large audiences, many programs struggled to scale lead generation while maintaining audience quality. More importantly, we wanted to work more closely with customers, understand their goals, and help drive real outcomes.

That insight led to the launch of Energize Marketing as a full-funnel demand generation provider and digital media network. By bringing together trusted audiences, strong content, and deeper customer partnerships, we built a model that better serves how B2B marketers operate today.

M: When I look back at the broader digital transformation movement and the rising expectations placed on today’s marketers, launching Energize Marketing could not have come at a better time. Marketing teams were being asked to deliver pipeline, prove impact, and operate with a higher level of accountability than ever before.

Our early customers recognized that shift immediately. They saw the opportunity to approach demand generation differently, with a stronger focus on quality and execution. Many of those same customers are still with us today, just operating at a much larger scale, which says a lot about the foundation we built early on.

Q: When you look back at year one, what stands out most to you now?

M: What stands out most is the timing. We launched Energize Marketing during the pandemic, at a moment when the entire B2B marketing playbook was being rewritten. Field marketers suddenly had budgets that were no longer tied to face-to-face events and were actively looking for ways to reallocate spend into demand generation and digital experiences.

We were nimble and able to respond quickly. Launching the TechEvents brand allowed us to help customers stay connected to their audiences through online events at a time when engagement mattered more than ever. That early focus on flexibility and execution set the tone for how we’ve continued to operate.

D: From my perspective, even in those early days, we were very focused on account-based marketing and helping B2B marketers scale content syndication and full-funnel programs globally. Customers weren’t just looking for vendors, they were looking for partners who understood how to reach the right accounts with the right message, regardless of region.

That mindset helped us build long-term relationships early on. Over time, we’ve continued to deepen our audiences, strengthen our technology stack, and modernize our approach to keep pace with how buyers and marketing teams operate today. The foundation we set in year one has continued to guide how we grow and evolve.

Q: The B2B marketing landscape has changed rapidly over the past five years. What shifts had the biggest impact on how you operate today?

D: One of the biggest shifts has been the rise of accountability as a core operating requirement for marketing. Over the past five years, demand generation has moved decisively from activity-based reporting to revenue-based accountability. Marketing teams are no longer measured by how much they do, but by what actually converts into qualified pipeline.

That shift has influenced how we design programs from the start. We think more deliberately about attribution models, qualification frameworks, and how engagement data connects to downstream outcomes. It’s not about chasing every signal or overcomplicating measurement. It’s about clarity, making sure marketers and sales teams can trust what the data is telling them and act on it with confidence. That mindset has become central to how we operate.

M: From an operational standpoint, the biggest change has been the expectation that demand generation functions as a system, not a collection of tactics. Most organizations now have access to intent data, automation, and analytics. The challenge is no longer adoption, it’s activation.

That reality has changed how we work with clients. We spend more time aligning on definitions, handoffs, and execution models so programs hold up once they’re live. The pipeline mandate has raised the bar for consistency. Programs need to be repeatable, measurable, and scalable across regions and buying groups. That shift has pushed us to operate with greater discipline, helping clients turn insight into action rather than just reporting on activity.

Q: Despite all of that change, what has stayed consistent in Energize Marketing’s approach?

D: What’s stayed consistent is how deeply we understand the realities B2B marketers face. Buying journeys are complex, audiences are harder to reach, and expectations for impact keep rising. From the beginning, our focus has been on helping marketers bridge that gap, connecting real buyers to enterprise organizations through trusted audiences and thoughtful activation.

We’ve always believed in account-based thinking, quality over volume, and meeting buyers where they are in their journey. While the tools, channels, and technology have evolved, that philosophy hasn’t changed. What has evolved is how we execute against it, continually expanding our audiences, strengthening our data and technology, and modernizing our solutions so we stay relevant not just today, but well beyond the next five years.

M: From a client perspective, what’s remained consistent is how we show up as a partner. We’ve always believed that working with Energize Marketing should feel like being part of your team, approachable, collaborative, and grounded in experience. Our senior team stays close to the work, and that hands-on involvement makes a real difference.

We bring deep account-based expertise and a practical understanding of how demand generation actually operates inside organizations. That means listening closely, adapting to each client’s reality, and building programs that can scale without losing quality. No matter how much the market changes, our commitment to partnership, execution, and helping clients succeed in a measurable way has stayed the same.

Q: How have customer expectations evolved, and how has Energize Marketing adapted to meet them?

M: Customer expectations have become far more outcome-driven. A few years ago, many teams were still focused on activity, leads, or channel performance in isolation. Today, customers expect demand generation programs to clearly connect to qualified pipeline and to hold up under executive scrutiny.

What’s changed most is the expectation for operational maturity. Clients want programs that are repeatable, scalable, and aligned across marketing and sales, not one-off campaigns that look good on paper but break down in execution. We’ve adapted by focusing just as much on process, handoff, and activation as we do on audience and content. That means helping clients move from adoption to execution, turning signals, intent, and engagement into something sales teams can actually use.

D: I’d add that customers are also expecting more credibility and relevance at every stage of the buyer journey. Buyers are more informed, more selective, and often part of larger buying groups, which means generic outreach no longer works. Marketing teams are being asked to deliver experiences that respect buyer time, reflect real insight, and support decision making, not just awareness.

We’ve adapted by doubling down on our audience solution, research-led content, and programs that balance speed with substance. That includes helping customers design full-funnel strategies where content, engagement, and measurement work together as a system. The expectation today isn’t just to generate demand, but to generate confidence, internally with sales teams and externally with buyers.

Q: Is there a moment or milestone over the past five years that you are especially proud of?

M: One of the moments I’m most proud of is seeing TechChannels become a true go-to destination for B2B professionals worldwide. Building a global audience takes time, consistency, and a real commitment to quality.

What’s been especially rewarding is pairing that growth with the ongoing, positive feedback we receive from customers—seeing our work directly help them achieve ambitious demand goals and hearing that we’re viewed as a true partner, not just a vendor.

Watching our editorial, research, and content teams build an authority led ecosystem that both practitioners rely on and customers trust to drive real outcomes reinforces a core belief for us: reliable content, quality audiences, and strong partnerships are still at the heart of effective demand generation.

D: For me, it’s seeing our solutions recognized by both customers and the industry. Being named Most Effective Lead Generation and Content Syndication Vendor twice, and Best Webinar Partner by the Cybersecurity Marketing Society is meaningful, not just because of the recognition, but because it reflects the outcomes our clients are achieving.

Those awards validate the approach we’ve taken to full-funnel demand generation across TechResources, our lead generation brand, and TechTalks, our webinar platform. It’s reassuring to see that what we’ve built over the past five years is working, and exciting to think about how much more is still ahead.

Q: As you look ahead to the next phase of Energize Marketing, what excites you most, and what insights from the 2026 State of Demand Generation Report stand out to you right now?

D: The data now clearly reflects what we’ve believed since day one. We found that 52% of marketers rank driving qualified pipeline as their top priority, and more than 90% include pipeline, account based marketing (ABM), or lead quality among their top goals.

That shift signals a more mature market. The focus has moved away from volume for volume’s sake toward outcomes sales teams actually trust. Buyers are more informed, buying groups are more complex, and marketing is being held accountable in new ways. That reality aligns directly with how we approach demand generation, with an emphasis on trusted content, real buyer intent, and programs designed to support the full funnel.

M: The trends emerging in the market are increasingly supported by clear data signals. At B2B Marketing Live London 2025, conversations with marketers from across EMEA consistently pointed to the same priorities: pipeline, quality, and activation. Those discussions closely mirrored what our research is showing and helped frame where demand generation is headed next.

40% of organizations now prioritize scaling account based marketing, making it the second highest strategic focus after pipeline creation. That perspective was echoed on the show floor, where senior marketers spoke less about ABM as a concept and more about building repeatable, operational processes around it.

This underscores the growing importance of execution and discipline. The right data, trusted audiences, and consistent activation across channels matter more than ever. As Energize Marketing enters its next chapter, the focus remains on helping clients operationalize ABM and demand generation in ways that work day to day and deliver measurable impact.

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To dive deeper into the insights highlighted in this conversation, read the full 2026 State of Demand Generation Report, based on research from marketing and revenue leaders across the industry.

Read the full report: https://www.energize-marketing.com/globalstateofdemandgen2026insights

2026 Is the Year of the Pipeline Mandate

Energize Marketing — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

2026 Is the Year of the Pipeline Mandate

Jan 20
2 min read

Updated: Jan 26

By Solange Deschatres

For a long time, demand generation lived in a comfortable gray area.

We optimized engagement. We reported on leads. We told stories about awareness, trust, and long-term brand value. And often, we were not required to draw a straight line from any of it to revenue.

As most of us in the trenches may be aware by now, that has changed.

2026 is the Year of the Pipeline Mandate.

The 2026 State of Demand Generation Report by Energize Marketing® shows that most B2B demand gen teams now carry explicit pipeline targets, many for the first time. Pipeline is no longer something marketing influences. It is something marketing is expected to deliver.

That changes the job from "We Contribute" to "We Own It"

The mandate might even seem simple on paper, right? Show how marketing creates pipeline.

However, in practice, it’s a lot more complicated than expected.

Buying cycles have stretched longer. Budgets are tighter. Leadership teams are asking harder questions. Demand gen programs are no longer evaluated on activity, engagement, or lead volume alone. Teams are being asked to defend strategy, spend, and headcount with pipeline data.

Demand gen has earned a bigger seat at the table. But that seat comes with real revenue accountability. Many teams were not built for that shift, at least not yet.

The Buying Reality No One Built Models For

Pipeline expectations are rising at the same moment buying behavior is getting harder to track.

The research shows:

• Buying committees are larger

• Stakeholders are harder to identify

• Engagement is split between anonymous and known buyers

• Journeys are long, nonlinear, and fragmented

Demand gen teams are now accountable for pipeline created by groups, not individuals, across journeys they cannot fully see. Traditional lead models and attribution frameworks were never designed for this reality.

So, we end up in a tough spot. Expectations to produce pipeline are higher. The ways to prove how it is happening are fewer and messier.

If that feels familiar, you are not alone.

Where the Old Playbook Starts to Strain

This “Pipeline Mandate” is not breaking demand generation. It is revealing where the foundations were already shaky.

Lead-based models do not reflect deal momentum. Channel-first reporting hides real buyer behavior. Traditional attribution falls apart under committee decisions.

Most teams are not underperforming because they are ineffective. They are underperforming because the measurement systems around them no longer match how pipeline is actually formed.

That gap is now impossible to ignore.

A Defining Moment for Demand Generation

This is not a temporary trend. It is a structural shift in how marketing is evaluated.

Some teams are already adapting, rethinking how demand is created, measured, and defended inside the business. Others are still trying to make legacy metrics stretch further than they were ever meant to.

The 2026 State of Demand Generation Report captures this inflection point. The pressure. The breakdowns. The new patterns shaping the next era of demand gen.

If 2026 is the year marketing’s responsibility for pipeline became non-negotiable, this report shows what that mandate actually means and what is at stake for teams that do not evolve.

Download the full 2026 State of Demand Generation Report to see how demand generation is being redefined under the Pipeline Mandate.

Energize Marketing: Two Times A Winner

Energize Marketing — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Energize Marketing: Two Times A Winner

Dec 18, 2025
3 min read

Last week, Energize Marketing took home two award wins at CyberMarketing Conference in Austin, TX!

The Cybersecurity Marketing Society’s Marquee Awards

Most Effective LeadGen/Content Syndication Vendor Award 2025

Last year, Energize Marketing took home the Cybersecurity Marketing Society’s Marquee Award for “Most Effective LeadGen/Content Syndication Vendor”. This year, we were again honored with this win, judged by a panel of esteemed cybermarketers from around the world.

In 2025, Energize Marketing doubled down and invested in demand generation, technology, compliance, and audience intelligence for Cybersecurity, IT, and FinTech marketers. Today’s buying cycles stretch longer and the decisions carry more weight, so it’s important that our full funnel programs connect with decision makers and deliver the measurable impact that our clients can bring back to stakeholders.

Key Advancements and Innovations in 2025

Community Meetups: We sponsored and hosted meetups with Cybersecurity Marketing Society members across the United States in 2025, meeting directly with demand marketers to align on campaign design, ICPs, and activation, which increased pipeline velocity and improved program performance.

Industry Research: Conducted a Global State of Demand Generation Survey for Cybersecurity marketers (sign up to be the first to receive the report: form)

AI-Enhanced Targeting: Integrated predictive analytics and real-time intent scoring into energizeDB™ to improve conversion velocity.

Insight-to-Impact Research: Launched the TechStudio™ research-as-a-service model, blending survey data into content syndication and demand strategy.

Certifications: SOC2 certified, with continuous control monitoring and ISO 27001 aligned controls across our lead and data platforms.

Expanded Client Portfolio: FIS, AWS, KnowBe4, BeyondTrust, Ping Identity, Informatica, Arcesium, Cypress Data Defense, Rapid7, and RingCentral.

Pipeline Acceleration: Programs in 2025 delivered 2x–3x higher engagement and stronger lead quality.

AI-Driven Content Syndication: Real-time targeting using intent, predictive modeling, and firmographic enrichment to identify active buyers.

TechTalks™ Webinars: A reimagined on-demand series that transforms traditional B2B webinars into broadcast-quality experiences. Each professionally produced 1080p session is storyboarded for narrative flow, guided by experienced producers, and designed to captivate audiences. Every 25-minute episode includes viral-ready social clips and delivers lead volumes starting at 500, redefining engagement and elevating a brand’s market presence.

Custom Research & Content: Survey-driven insights that position clients as thought leaders and capture demand early in the buyer journey. Our reports and research have powered client go-to-market strategies and been featured across multiple industry media outlets.

Best Webinar Partner Award 2025

This year, we also brought home the Marquee Award for “Best Webinar Partner.”

Energize Marketing’s TechTalks™ is redefining how B2B webinars are produced, distributed, and measured. The 1080p, broadcast-quality, short-form webinars with built-in lead generation and campaign analytics, create an end-to-end demand engine; not just a streaming engine.

Our webinar format is on the leading edge of video content trends. Through our Global State of Demand Generation survey, we found that marketing decision makers aspire to create higher quality, short-form video content in 2026. However, through many conversations we’ve had with fellow marketers and clients, we’ve found that many organizations don’t have the resources or the processes in place to develop high-quality, high-impact content that will deliver the ROI they need. That’s where TechTalks™ has been able to shine, as a turnkey solution that spotlights thought leadership and creates pipeline while freeing up marketing resources to do what they do best: broadcast quality episodes that audiences watch and sales teams can use immediately.

Why TechTalks Is the Partner That Delivers

• 35% higher average watch time with 1080p production quality

• Producer led storyboarding, scripting, and pacing that keeps sessions tight and on message

• AI dubbing in multiple languages, with burned in captions on request

• Upload your product demos and we seamlessly add them into the program

• Optimized 25 minute format, plus short social cutdowns for promotion

• Guaranteed lead volumes starting at 500, targeted through energizeDB™, leveraging our worldwide audience of 25 million Cybersecurity and IT professionals.

• Integrated campaign reporting with account level engagement and ICP match

• Direct CRM delivery for fast follow up, plus compliance and accessibility best practices.

Onward and Upward: 2026

With two more awards to add feathers to our Energize cap, we’re more than thrilled with the results of this year. However, we’re far from resting on our laurels. Expect more thought leadership content, events, and surveys and reports from us in 2026.

Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/energizemarketing