The State of B2B Marketing

AI engines benchmarked

1,000 AI responses analyzed

41,180

Brand mentions analyzed

23,948 citations measured

20,100

Articles in the corpus

12 years of B2B coverage

18,014

Distinct B2B topics tracked

across every vertical

Named vs. cited, by engine

Perplexity34 pts uncited

37% named

3% cited

AI Overviews9 pts uncited

35% named

26% cited

AI Mode2 pts uncited

33% named

31% cited

Gemini23 pts uncited

32% named

9% cited

ChatGPT15 pts uncited

31% named

16% cited

From mention to citation

Brand mentioned

41,180

Mention backed by a citation

23,948 · 58%

Of every brand mention AI answers produce, the share that arrives backed by a source citation.

Perplexity leads in mention rate · Mention rate 37.3%

Prioritize content optimization for platforms like Perplexity.

AI Mode excels in citation ratio · Citation-to-mention ratio 0.94

Invest in ensuring content alignment with reliable sources.

Citation Rate Varies Widely · Platform spread 6.2 percentage points

Target platforms based on your content's credibility.

Third-Party Validation Crucial · From source_citation_share

Enhance third-party advocacy.

Publishing volume by year

180

'17

3.7k

'18

2.0k

'19

2.2k

'20

2.4k

'21

1.8k

'22

4.3k

'23

1.9k

'24

1.3k

'25

346

'26

Publishing volume is down 73% in 2026 vs. 2025.

Corpus at a glance

20,100

articles published

18,014

distinct topics

14,888

distinct tags

Trade shows are content triggers. Between them, most B2B teams go quiet.

B2B organizations consistently treat upcoming industry events and trade shows as deadlines that activate content production planning. Teams coordinate video shoots, interview logistics, and promotional materials specifically around these events. Outside of event windows, content production cadence tends to be lower and less structured.

Industry events are the primary forcing function for B2B content production. B2B marketing teams coordinate video, interviews, and promotional materials around trade show calendars, and content output drops sharply when no event is on the horizon.

“For most B2B marketing teams, content production ramps when a trade show is approaching and stalls when one is not. The event calendar is, in practice, the editorial calendar.”

“B2B organizations treat upcoming industry events as hard deadlines that activate coordination across video production, interviews, and promotional materials. Outside those windows, output and structure tend to decline.”

Signal 02

The production gap: why B2B video output stalls on lean teams

B2B marketing teams with limited headcount are consistently unable to maintain a regular cadence of video content production. Teams report that small staff sizes, competing priorities, and a lack of dedicated production resources create gaps in content output. This is a recurring operational challenge rather than a strategic disagreement about the value of video.

Lean B2B marketing teams consistently cite headcount and competing priorities as the primary reason video content production stalls. The gap is not strategic. Teams that want to produce video regularly are blocked by operational constraints, not ambivalence about video's value.

“Most B2B marketing teams believe in video. Few have the operational infrastructure to produce it consistently. The gap between intent and output is a resource problem, not a strategic one.”

“Small marketing teams face a structural disadvantage with video: production requires time, coordination, and dedicated effort that competes directly with every other demand on limited staff.”

Signal 03

Why B2B marketing programs stall during organizational transitions

B2B accounts are pausing or slowing marketing decisions due to internal organizational changes such as leadership departures, restructuring, layoffs, or onboarding of new executives. These transitions create decision-making gaps where no single owner can approve new initiatives. The effect is a temporary but recurring freeze on platform adoption and content strategy commitments.

When B2B organizations restructure, marketing programs stall. Leadership departures, layoffs, and executive onboarding create approval gaps that freeze platform adoption and content strategy decisions, sometimes for quarters at a time.

“Organizational change is one of the most common reasons B2B marketing programs pause. When decision-making authority shifts, platform adoption and content commitments are often the first initiatives to slow.”

“Leadership transitions create a window where no single owner can approve new spend or strategy. For B2B marketing teams, that window can last weeks or months depending on how quickly new executives establish priorities.”

Signal 04

Employee-Generated Content Is Stalling — and the Fix Isn't Motivation

Multiple B2B organizations are actively pursuing strategies to convert employees and subject matter experts into content creators, but face recurring barriers including reluctance to appear on camera, legal and content ownership concerns, and inconsistent participation. Teams are seeking structured workflows and platform support to lower the friction of getting employees to generate authentic video content at scale.

B2B organizations are pushing employees to become content creators, but the effort keeps stalling on the same friction points: camera reluctance, unclear ownership, and no repeatable system to keep participation consistent at scale.

“Most employee content programs don't fail because the idea is wrong. They fail because there's no infrastructure behind the ask.”

“Getting subject matter experts on camera is a solved problem — when you give them a workflow instead of a request.”

Signal 05

Why B2B content initiatives are stalling in 2026, and what separates teams that push through

B2B organizations are frequently citing active budget constraints as the primary reason for delaying or pausing new content marketing engagements. These delays are not rejections but deferrals, with teams indicating intent to revisit in a future quarter. The pattern cuts across company sizes and industries, suggesting a broad tightening of discretionary marketing spend.

Budget constraints are the leading reason B2B marketing initiatives stall in 2026. Teams are not walking away from content investment. They are deferring it, with most indicating plans to revisit within one to two quarters as conditions stabilize.

“Discretionary marketing budgets are tightening across B2B sectors. New content initiatives are being deferred rather than canceled, a pattern that holds across company sizes and industries.”

“The dominant friction in B2B content marketing right now is not skepticism about value. It is timing. Budget cycles are compressing decisions and pushing new engagements into future quarters.”