TLDR: At the recent INBOUND conference, Chief Marketing Officers from G2, Notion, and Deloitte discussed the transformative role of AI in B2B marketing. They emphasized the critical balance between AI automation and maintaining brand authenticity, highlighting AI as a new baseline for software and a strategic driver for marketing organizations. Key takeaways included the necessity of AI capabilities in products, the enduring value of human connection, and evolving content and relationship strategies in an AI-first world.
The INBOUND conference recently hosted a pivotal session titled ‘How Top CMOs Are Using AI To Build B2B Creativity and Impact,’ featuring insights from industry leaders on the profound influence of artificial intelligence on B2B marketing. Suzanne Kounkel, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Deloitte; Lena Waters, Chief Marketing Officer at Notion; and Sydney Sloan, Chief Marketing Officer at G2, shared their perspectives on navigating the evolving landscape.
The central theme of the discussion revolved around striking a crucial balance between leveraging AI automation and preserving brand authenticity. The CMOs underscored the imperative for marketing to establish itself as a strategic driver of AI adoption across their respective organizations. They provided practical examples of successful and unsuccessful implementations, offering guidance on how AI can be utilized to deepen customer relationships and bolster brand trust, while also demonstrating marketing’s strategic value to the C-suite.
Sydney Sloan of G2, the world’s largest software marketplace, highlighted a significant shift in buyer behavior. According to G2’s latest buyer behavior report, a staggering 88% of buyers will not even consider software that lacks integrated AI capabilities. Sloan emphasized, ‘You absolutely have to be able to add AI and AI capabilities to existing platforms.’ She further noted that enterprises are surprisingly the fastest adopters, driven by the promise of productivity gains. This indicates that AI is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ feature but has become ‘always included’ – a new baseline for market viability.
The discussion also delved into the three fundamental ways AI is disrupting B2B marketing. This disruption necessitates a multi-faceted approach, including building brand at scale across numerous trusted sources, ensuring content ubiquity in every relevant conversation and knowledge base, and developing robust relationship mapping to understand the network of influence affecting AI recommendations. Furthermore, a ‘trust architecture’ is essential to build credibility that can transfer effectively through AI intermediation.
Despite the rise of AI, the CMOs stressed the irreplaceable value of human elements in marketing. Strategies for ‘AI-proof marketing’ include fostering social proof and influencer relationships, as human connections remain invaluable. User-generated content is also prioritized, as large language models (LLMs) favor authentic user contributions. In-person events and experiences continue to be crucial for building trust, and direct personal outreach remains effective in bypassing AI intermediation by fostering trusted relationships.
In the medium term (3-6 months), companies are advised to develop ‘hidden AI-facing content’ – comprehensive, structured content designed specifically for LLM consumption. Implementing ‘chat-first experiences’ on key web properties and establishing measurement frameworks to track LLM citation and influence metrics are also critical. Additionally, training sales teams to develop ‘sell by chat’ capabilities and processes will be vital for future success.
Also Read:
- AI’s Pervasive Influence: IAB Europe Report Reveals 85% Adoption in Digital Advertising, Highlighting Growth and Governance Challenges
- AI’s Operational Impact: Practical Tools Drive Efficiency and Innovation in 2025 Workflows
Suzanne Kounkel, leading Deloitte’s global and US marketing, emphasized the role of CMOs in driving large-scale transformational change and influencing C-suite decisions. Lena Waters, CMO at Notion, focused on aligning marketing strategy with delivering brand promises and driving demand. The collective insights from these B2B CMOs at INBOUND underscore that AI is not diminishing the importance of brand and emotional connection in B2B marketing; rather, it is making them more critical than ever.
