Mhari Coxon | Updated from the December 2025 article ‘B2B, B2B2C Marketing in 2026: Why the Brave Will Win and the Busy Will Be Ignored’

At the end of last year, I wrote that 2026 would be the year the brave would win and the busy would be ignored. It felt like a strong point of view at the time. Perhaps even a slightly provocative one. Now, a few months into the year, with spring finally arriving and the daffodils finally doing their level best to lift the national mood, it is worth asking a more useful question.

Was I right, or just optimistic? The answer, as ever in marketing and business, sits somewhere in between. What is clear is this. The direction of travel has not changed. But the pace, the pressure and the complexity have all accelerated.

The macro reality: pressure has become the constant

After a lovely cocktail and catch up this week with a fellow marketing geek, and sharing our love of process as we did, I’ve gone for a classic PESTLE approach to my review.

Political and regulatory

Regulation is tightening, particularly around AI, data use and healthcare communications. Governance is no longer a compliance exercise. It is shaping how brands can engage, personalise and scale.

Economic

Growth remains uneven. Cost pressure has not disappeared. Many organisations are still balancing investment in transformation with the need to deliver short term results.

Social

Trust continues to fragment. Audiences are more sceptical, more informed and less tolerant of vague or inflated claims.

Technological

AI has moved from novelty to infrastructure faster than many expected. The tools are improving rapidly, but so is the noise.

Legal and environmental

Sustainability, ethics and accountability are no longer peripheral. They are part of decision making, particularly in healthcare and public sector aligned industries. None of this creates an easy environment for marketers. But it does create a very clear one.

Where I was right

Activity has become irrelevant without impact

The gap between busy marketing and effective marketing has widened. There is still a lot of content being produced. There are still dashboards full of metrics. But there is far less patience at leadership level for activity that cannot demonstrate commercial value. Marketing is increasingly expected to answer one question clearly: what did this deliver for the business? That shift is not subtle. It is structural.

AI is no longer a differentiator

I predicted that AI would become expected rather than impressive. If anything, I underestimated the speed of that transition. Most organisations now have access to content generation tools, automation platforms and predictive analytics. The presence of AI is no longer what sets you apart. How you apply it is. The advantage sits with those using AI to improve decision making, not just output.

Trust has become commercial, not conceptual

Trust is no longer a brand layer. It is part of the buying mechanism. In B2B and B2B2C, particularly in healthcare and regulated environments, buyers are actively assessing credibility, evidence and risk. Visibility without substance is not just ineffective. It is damaging.

Where I was too simplistic

I underestimated zero click behaviour

I spoke about digital transformation and AI, but the reality of zero click behaviour has moved faster than expected. Buyers are increasingly consuming insight within platforms, forming opinions before visiting websites, and relying on summarised, AI mediated content. Your brand is now experienced before it is engaged. That requires a higher standard of clarity, structure and substance in everything you produce.

I overestimated how quickly organisations would adapt

The opportunity to be brave is clear. The reality of organisational change is slower. Many businesses are still structured in silos, measured on short term outputs and hesitant to move away from familiar models. Bravery is not just a mindset. It is an operational challenge.

I did not fully address the complexity of buying groups

I am fallible. Only yesterday I sent out something with the wrong link. To the whole company. IKR!

Particularly in HealthTech and SaaS, decisions are rarely made by individuals. They involve clinical stakeholders, procurement, finance and operational leads, each with different priorities and risk profiles. The implication is significant. Marketing is not influencing a journey. It is influencing a system of decisions.

What is becoming clear in 2026

Less is more. Precision beats noise

If I were to refine my original position, it would be this: the winners will not just be brave. They will be precise. The organisations pulling ahead are designing decision journeys, not just campaigns, aligning marketing, sales and product around customer reality, delivering evidence at the moment it is needed, and focusing on lifecycle value, not just acquisition. They are not louder. They are clearer.

The role of the modern marketing leader

From communication to commercial leadership

The expectation of marketing leaders is changing from communicating effectively to driving growth through insight, influencing commercial decisions and leading cross functional alignment. The role is becoming more strategic, more accountable and more integrated with the wider business. In simple terms: marketing is no longer a function. It is a growth system.

Final thought: an optimistic view

Spring is useful for more than pollen

It would be easy to look at the current environment and see only complexity. Regulation. Economic pressure. Technological disruption. Fragmented trust. But there is another way to look at it. For those willing to think clearly and act deliberately, this is one of the most opportunity rich environments we have seen in years. Because when noise increases, clarity stands out. When automation scales, judgement matters more. And when everything becomes faster, those who truly understand their customers win. Spring always brings a sense of reset. In 2026, it also brings a clear choice. You can stay busy. Or you can build something that works.

Reading list that helped form this post and my views

Google Search Central. Guidance on AI features and helpful, people first content.

Edelman Trust Barometer 2026, including the health special report.

McKinsey. The Future of B2B Sales: The Big Reframe.

McKinsey. Winning B2B customers in technology and telecommunications.

McKinsey. Net revenue retention and growth in B2B SaaS.

IMF. World Economic Outlook Update, January 2026.

OECD economic outlook and digital policy updates.

European Commission and ICO material on AI, data governance and regulation.

IEA updates on energy transition pressure and resilience.